Newark, LaGuardia, JFK named ‘worst airports’ for 4th of July journey: research

New Yorkers can count on flight cancellations and delays on America’s 250th birthday. 

As meals, fireworks and festivities kick off in celebration of Independence Day 2026, frequent flyers in and across the Big Apple are more likely to face nixed or postponed takeoffs as Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) have been deemed the highest three “worst airports for Fourth of July cancellations,” per party-pooping new knowledge. 

“Newark travelers face the highest risk of flight cancellations of any major US airport,” researchers for Rightway Parking, a digital airport parking reservation hub, revealed in a study. 

The report decided that throughout the final 5 Fourth of July journey intervals, a median of 24.7% of flights have been delayed, and a pair of% have been canceled, nationwide. 

But tristate space trippers have had it the worst. 

“Newark Liberty has the highest Fourth of July cancellation rate in the country, with 3.7% of flights canceled,” continued the insiders, rating LaGuardia in second place with a 3.3% cancellation charge and JFK in third with a 2.7%. 

Investigators analyzed flight on-time efficiency knowledge from the US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), monitoring the flight information from prime airports — these with greater than 10,000 mixed departures and arrivals — on every July 4 from 2021 via 2025. 

For all 389 reporting airports and 20 airways, the specialists counted the departures and arrivals that have been delayed and canceled. 

“As BTS defines it, a flight is delayed if it leaves the gate or arrives 15 or more minutes behind schedule,” famous the authors. “Rates were calculated across the full 5-year period (total delayed flights divided by total flights) rather than as an average of yearly percentages — so busier years carry proportional weight.”

The busyness of the boroughs, in addition to its surrounding neighborhoods, is more likely to be on excessive this vacation weekend. 

The heightened buzz will likely be, partially, as a result of extremely anticipated, two-day marriage ceremony of pop icon Taylor Swift and a NFL champion Travis Kelce. The A-list lovers are anticipated to tie the knot at Madison Square Garden, the place 1,000 of their closest family members are anticipated to fly into town for the fête.

Beyond the celebrity-studded shindig, metropolis officers are amping up safety measures for Saturday, July 4, as a whole bunch of hundreds of revelers are anticipated to the touch down in NYC, portray the city Red, White and Blue for the nation’s anniversary — with temperatures forecast to be within the mid-90s.

Soccer junkies will, too, be touchdown regionally because the FIFA World Cup match between Brazil vs. Norway is slated for Sunday at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. 

Party animals with huge plans had higher pray in opposition to delays. 

The analysts named Newark of their roundup of the highest 10 worst airports for delays. The aircraft station secured the No. 9 spot with a 28.7% delay charge.

Orlando International earned prime billing on the unappealing listing with a 34.1% charge, with San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International (32.9%) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (31.8%) rounding out the highest three. 

JFK and LaGuardia, in accordance with the findings, boast 28.1% and 24.3% delay charges, respectively.