What California airports are most likely to cancel flights? The answer is surprising

Four California cities made the list of U.S. airports likely to cancel your flight by the end of the year.

San Diego International Airport , Los Angeles International Airport , San José Mineta International Airport and San Francisco International Airport were on the list of 30 airports.

Pilot John International , which sells aircraft parts, supplies and equipment, analyzed flight cancellation data from the past five years and compiled the list.

The company looked at cancellation data from September through December in the last five years and projected cancellation data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to a news release

Which California airport will likely cancel?

The California airport most likely to cancel is San Diego. The airport is ranked No. 17 with 481 projected flight cancellations.

Los Angeles ranked below San Diego at No. 19 with 470 projected cancellations. San Jose is No. 25 with 327 projected cancellations. San Francisco is No. 29 with 190 projected cancellations.

LaGuardia Airport led the list of U.S. airports with the most flight cancellations, according to Pilot John International. It averaged 765 cancellations per year between 2019 and 2023. The flight cancellation numbers are expected to increase to 1,373 in 2024.

Which airports cancel the most?

• 1. LaGuardia Airport, N.Y., 1,373 projected cancellations
• 2. Denver International Airport, Denver, Colo., 1,344
• 3. Orlando International Airport, Orlando, Fla., 1,309
• 4. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas, Fort Worth, Texas, 988
• 5. Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, N.J., 829
• 6. John F. Kennedy International Airport, N.Y., 797
• 7. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Ga., 735
• 8. Chicago Midway International Airport, Chicago, Ill., 686
• 9. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore, Md., 626
• 10. Tampa International Airport, Tampa, Fla., 625

What are your passenger rights for flight delays and cancellations?

You have a legal right to a full refund if the airline cancels a flight and you choose not to travel. If you prepaid for optional services like in-flight Wi-Fi, special seats or baggage, you’re also entitled to receive a refund for those expenses.

Airlines are not required to provide passengers with flight delay compensation. However, most U.S. airlines have committed to providing varying levels of service. For example, all 10 major airlines offer a meal or food voucher after a three-hour delay and will rebook you on the same airline for no additional cost. The U.S. Department of Transportation holds airlines accountable for failing to honor their published passenger service commitments.

How travel insurance can help: Travel insurance can also help you mitigate flight delays and cancellations with trip delay benefits that activate after a specified delay has occurred. These benefits help you pay for meals and a hotel room if your delayed or canceled flight was pushed to the next day and cover necessary transportation like a taxi. Also, trip interruption can reimburse you for prepaid travel arrangements that were lost due to the flight changes.

Trip interruption benefits can also help cover the cost of a ticket from another airline if you’re delayed for a covered reason. For example, suppose you were flying from Kansas City to take a cruise from Miami, but flight delays caused you to miss the ship. As a result, you have to buy a new ticket to San Juan, Puerto Rico to join the cruise. Trip interruption can reimburse you for the new airline ticket.

How are your cancellation rights different if you’re flying on a European airline?

According to Daniel Durazo, a spokesperson with Allianz Partners US, if your flight is operated by a carrier licensed in an EU country and arrives in the EU from outside the EU, you are still protected by the EU air passenger rights. “If your flight is canceled, the airline is required to reimburse the full cost of your ticket if you choose not to travel,” said Durazo. If you opt to take another flight and are waiting at the airport, the airline should provide you with meals corresponding to the delay period, he noted. Adding that if your flight is rerouted and expected to go out the next day, the airline should cover your overnight accommodation.

Additionally, if you arrive at your destination three hours or more after the expected arrival time, you may be eligible for financial compensation, but only if your flight was not delayed due to bad weather or a situation the airline could not predict. If your flight is delayed two hours or more prior to departure, the airline is required to offer you meals, refreshments and accommodation if needed, Durazo said.

What are your rights during a tarmac delay?

Tarmac delays occur after you’ve boarded the aircraft and it’s waiting on the ground to take off or taxi to a gate. Airlines must allow passengers to safely deplane when tarmac delays approach three hours for domestic flights and four hours for international flights. Airlines are also required to provide you with drinking water and a snack for delays of at least two hours.

How travel insurance can help: Many policies now offer travel inconvenience payments in addition to trip delay insurance that provides flat amounts (like $250 for one occurrence per trip) when tarmac delays, flight delays, flight cancellations or flight diversions occur.

USA TODAY contributed to this article.

Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com , 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes .

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: What California airports are most likely to cancel flights? The answer is surprising