You may be able to get better ticket prices from some other airports in the state and across the country; however, a new study that correlated data on flight delays from airports around the country found that Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI) was an airport you want to use in order to avoid departure delays.
In fact, of the major airports in all fifty states, PTI Airport came in a stellar 2nd in avoiding delays.
According to the study, the only other airport with a shorter average departure delay time was Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
So, when it comes to keeping delay times down on the US mainland, you simply can’t do better than PTI. The average departure delay for PTI was just 5 minutes and 47 seconds, which was only beaten by 10 seconds by the Hawaiian airport.
Rounding out the Top Five airports with the shortest average departure delays were Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska, Portland International in Oregon, and Lihue Airport in Hawaii.
All of those airports have average delay times of under seven minutes.
Those delay times are in stark contrast to the average departure delays found at the bottom of the list. For instance, according to the study, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International in Florida has an average departure delay of just under 23 minutes – about 17 minutes longer than the airports with the best times.
Orlando International, Miami International, and West Palm Beach International – all in Florida – all finished near the bottom of the heap, with take off delays for those three airports averaging right at 20 minutes.
The study assessed data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics regarding delays between January 2023 and December 2023. The data was then compiled to rank each airport based on average departure delay.
In fairness, it should be noted that PTI is a lot less crowded and has fewer flights than many larger airports that finished below it. Also, all of PTI’s passenger flights are domestic.
Piedmont Triad International Airport currently has plans for a major terminal renovation that is supposed to, among other benefits, make the airport even more efficient.
PTI Airport Executive Director Kevin Baker told the Rhino Times last week, after major rains from Tropical Storm Debby, that the storm did not create many big problems regarding departures from PTI. He did say that some planes coming from other parts of the country where the storm hit hardest created some late arrivals for PTI.
The study regarding departure delays was commissioned by travel industry site https://www.sellmytimesharenow.com.
The Airport on Air Harbor Rd has an even better tecord.
Kinda easy when you don’t have many flights. Lol
Lol. I got a curve buster a while back from PTI when our departure was so delayed it almost messed up a trip across the pond. Other than that, you go girls.
Makes perfect sense. Less flights and less affordable fares equals fewer passengers and less congestion. I have arrived on a flight into PTI and felt like the only person in the concourse..