Love Field Lands on 'Worst Airports for Summer Travel' List

With obscenely hot weather ahead, many Texans are looking to get the hell out of the state. It’ll likely be a busy summer-travel season, too: This Memorial Day, air traffic reportedly exceeded 2019 levels – you know, before the pandemic came and practically turned the airline industry on its head.

But North Texans who’ve booked flights at one particular Dallas airport should prepare to buckle up.

Forbes Advisor, a personal finance website, recently unveiled its ranking of “Worst Airports for Summer Travel,” and you’ll definitely recognize at least one of the three Texas airports that crashed onto the list.

Which Dallas Airport Is Among the Worst?

Thanks to its relatively poor track record of travel disruptions during peak jet-set season, Dallas Love Field Airport soared onto Forbes Advisor’s naughty ranking. Of the 25 offenders that made the list, DAL took the No. 7 worst spot.

The two other Lone Star State airports you might try to avoid this summer are El Paso International and William P. Hobby in Houston, which landed at Nos. 10 and 14, respectively.

If you’re stressing out over travel, you’re definitely not alone. Nearly 25% of U.S. adults who’ve made plans to go on vacation within the next six months “report being very concerned about flight delays and cancellations,” Forbes Advisor found in a recent survey.

For its worst-airport report, Forbes Advisor examined 100 of the country’s liveliest airports, comparing them over 10 measures spanning two brackets: airfare price and on-time arrival performance in the summer months.

So, if Dallas Love Field came in at No. 7, you might ask: Which airports were worse off than Big D?

Orlando Sanford International (SFB) claimed the top spot, with Florida’s St. Pete-Clearwater International coming in at No. 2 and Asheville Regional in North Carolina in third place. Orlando International (MCO) landed in fourth place, followed by Bradley International in Hartford, Conn., and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International. (God forbid you’re planning to fly into one of those airports from Love Field.)

Dallas Love Field’s track record of punctuality isn’t exactly stellar, according to this ranking: Only 76.56% of its flights were considered “on time.” And of the top 10 worst airports for summer travel, DAL had the second-highest average of flight cancellations at 2.04%.

Look, this ranking may not bode well for the NorTex travelers out there. But take comfort in the fact that the rate of unruly passengers with violent and threatening behavior is down considerably from its crazy-high pandemic-era peak back in 2021.

Woosah.