South Florida airport among those with worst delays, Department of Transportation data reveals
DANIA BEACH - Nothing can spoil the fun of a trip more than the dreaded delayed sign on the departures board at the airport.
It's something the Bennett family has been through twice at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International in the past few months.
On Thursday they found themselves waiting while their Air Canada flight to Montreal was delayed at least an hour.
They were worried because they had to make a connecting flight to their home in Newfoundland.
"It's frustrating when you know people are there waiting," said Andrea Bennett.
Her husband Barry was concerned about added expenses if they missed their connecting flight. "Hotels, meals taxis are something the airline won't cover."
The Bennetts aren't alone. South Florida travelers are losing time more and more at airports.
According to data from the Department of Transportation, nationally FLL ranks fifth in 2023 for delays.
Miami International ranked 12th with a little more than a quarter of flights delayed.
"It's not surprising a lot of people traveling and weather can cause delays," says David Slotnick with the Points Guy.
He says the air traffic controller shortage is part of the problem too with thousands of vacancies, but he says once it's fixed things will run more smoothly at the airports.
Getting travel insurance can sometimes help when there are flight delays.
Slotnick says you don't always have to shell out the money for protection.
"Check your credit card they sometimes cover the expense."