The 10 WORST airports likely to face travel disruptions this summer trends now

Enduring an uncomfortable flight can often make or break a summer holiday - but for some, an unpleasant journey can start long before the plane takes off.

With this in mind, airline industry expert AirHelp has just tabulated its annual list of the world's worst airports when it comes to summer travel - with three set in sweltering Texas, and another on a scenic isle in Hawaii. 

Each airport was awarded a rank based on the amount of disruptions it experienced last month - a percentage calculated only after the facility reached a minimum sample set of 5,000 flights.

The results, published Monday, serve as somewhat unnerving - especially for travelers looking to navigate the notoriously difficult summer travel season, when more than 24 million Americans are forecast to fly across the country.

With the highly trafficked Fourth of July weekend just around the corner, the list is sure to come in handy when weighing which airport you should avoid come Saturday - the widely accepted start date of the looming travel rush. Scroll to see some of the worst offenders.

10. Baltimore/Wash Intl. Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) - Maryland

 22.57 percent of flights disrupted

Boasting lengthy wait times and a nearly 25-percent disruption rate, the more popular of Baltimore's only two airports is one of the usual suspects when it comes to compilations of the country's worst flying facilities.

As previously mentioned, AirHelp pegged the three-runway airport's disruption rate - which pertains to cancellations and delays - at 22.57 percent, a figure astoundingly close to the percent of flights delayed there last year, measured at 22.41.

That said, if you're looking to travel from Maryland or the nearby Washington area, a better bet would probably be venturing the 30 or so miles to Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington in DC, or Baltimore's only other option, Martin State.

9. Dallas Love Field (DAL) - Dallas, Texas

22.62 percent of flights disrupted

Boasting a nearly identical disruption rate of 22.62 percent, Dallas Love Field took the ninth spot in AirHelp's new study - unsurprising given the fact it was one of the most disrupted in the county  this past summer, when 35 percent of  its flights ran late - or not at all.

That said, the North Texas outpost's track record when it comes to punctuality is dubious, with only three-quarters of its flights last year considered “on time,” per a study from Forbes Advisor. 

For a season known for its outsized amount of travelers, it's definitely one the worst airports for summer travel.

8. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) -  Texas

25.38 percent of flights disrupted

The second busiest airport in the entire world, Dallas Fort Worth International was the first of the top ten to crack the 25 percent mark - achieved thanks to its penchant for holding up countless passengers due to its size.

Hayley Berg, lead economist at airline tracker Hopper, described the phenomenon last year, when the airport recorded 35,972 delays  between June and August on arriving and departing flights and 4,398 cancellations.

'DFW is definitely going to be high volume, and with high volume just means that on a percentage basis, more people are going to be disrupted when a disruption happens.'

7. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Intl. Airport (FLL) -  Florida

26.29 percent of flights disrupted

One of the most notorious airports on AirHelp's list - and another in a somewhat hot locale - Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International is known for its mind-numbingly long lines, as well as the strange travelers it regularly draws.

Not far from Miami - whose Miami International did not make the list - the airport in recent years played witness to a bird smuggling operation, a passenger handing out vodka in a security line, and its fair share of Florida-esque fights.

With these interruptions, its not surprising that the only airports to beat out FLL last year in terms of delays was the notoriously slow Newark Airport in North Jersey, and the next airport on the list, another Florida locale further north, Orlando International.

FLL had 26 percent of its flights delayed in 2022 - a near identical percentage to the rate recorded in May by AirHelp. 

6. Orlando International Airport (MCO) - Florida 

26.67 percent of flights disrupted