South Florida airports lag behind in on-time flights

About 77% of flights out of Miami International Airport departed on-time in December 2023, below the national average, according to the latest Transportation Department data.

The big picture: In the same month, more than 83% of domestic U.S. flights departed on time, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report .

• That's a big upswing compared to December 2022, when Southwest Airlines' epic meltdown dragged the industry-wide average down to about 70% for the month.

Zoom in: Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport had the worst on-time performance at 67%.

• Florida's Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport had the best at nearly 90%.

Between the lines: A variety of factors, from weather to issues at a particular airline, can affect each airport's on-time performance.

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