Don’t Want Your Flight Canceled? Don’t Fly These Iowa Airports

I haven't flown a lot in my life, but I've done it enough times to know what it's like to have a flight canceled (trust me, I've tried to fly out of LaGuardia twice).

Everyone is waiting on their plane to arrive, hoping the weather subsides, etc. -- it's a big ball of anxiety for everybody involved.

So, if you're hopping on a plane this summer for a family vacation or business trip, and you want to avoid all the frustration of a delayed or canceled flight, we've got you covered. Well uh, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics have you covered.

The site gathered information from all of Iowa's commercial airports (except Burlington's Southeast Iowa Regional Airport) between January and April of this year and detailed the trends for that amount of time.

While yes, the weather is different this time of year as opposed to the winters and springs of Iowa, the statistics remain valid and applicable given that we can interchange snowstorms for thunderstorms -- and in fact, thunderstorms are more likely to cause delays or cancellations.

So, let's get to the point.

First off, this comparison we'll largely be done via percentages as Des Moines and Cedar Rapids' airports are the most-used in the state by far. Des Moines saw 4,746 flights between January and April while Cedar Rapids flew 2,737 planes out during that time span.

Between Dubuque, Sioux City, Waterloo, Fort Dodge, and Mason City the average amount of flights was 208. So there's quite a substantial gap in sheer numbers.

Percentage-wise, the worst airport in the state of Iowa for cancellations is the Mason City Municipal Airport. So far this year, the MCW has canceled 8.76 percent of its flights while delaying 13.92 percent of them. In total, Mason City has had 194 flight operations -- 17 were canceled and 27 were delayed.

The second-worst airport in terms of cancellations is the Fort Dodge Regional Airport, with 6.09 percent of its flights being canceled -- 12 out of 197.

In regards to delays, the worst airport to book with is the Des Moines International Airport. So far this year they've had 22.78 percent of their flights get delayed, which adds up to a whopping 1,081 out of 4,746 flights.

But, just 2.87 percent of their flights get canceled -- second-best in the state. Better to arrive late than not at all, that's what I always say.

Second-worst in delays is Sioux City Gateway Airport, with 20.27 percent of their flights being delayed -- 45 out of 222 flights. If you want to make it on time to wherever you're headed, this airport really SUX.

Now, how about the best of them?

If you really don't want your flight canceled, Cedar Rapids' Eastern Iowa Airport is the way to go. Just edging out DSM, CID has only 2.85 percent (78) of its flights get canceled. On the other hand, 19.58 percent (536) of its flights did get delayed.

Just up the road from Cedar Rapids is the Waterloo Regional Airport, having the most on-time flights out of the entire Hawkeye State. Only 11.54 percent (27) of its flights were delayed, and 5.13 percent (12) were canceled.