Ever jump out of bed before the sun comes up or stay up way past your bedtime only to rush to the airport and find your flight has been delayed? For night owls, early birds and everyone else who wants to avoid an overly hectic terminal while saving some cash, there’s an airport for you.
A new study by UpGraded Points looks at the best (and worst) airports for early bird and red-eye flights when it comes to the number of flights and flight delays. See how your local airport stacks up, so you’re ready the next time you fly out before the sun rises or after it sets.
And, in a quirky twist, there are even airports that have the best drinks for these unreasonable times of day (coffee in the morning vs. cocktails at night). There are lots of coffee spots at Cleveland Hopkins. Want a martini? Then Jacksonville's your airport.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
The best U.S. airports for early-bird flights
Early birds typically find a higher percentage of their flights departing before 8 a.m., a lower percentage of early flights being delayed, and a shorter average delay time. They also have more places to get a coffee (per passenger) than at other airports.
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
Scored - 39.9 out of 50
Percent of flights departing before 8 a.m. - 38.5%
Percent of early flights delayed - 13.9% - Kansas City International Airport (MCI)
Scored - 38.5 out of 50
Percent of flights departing before 8 a.m. - 39%
Places That Sell Coffee - 1 per 1 million passengers - Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
Scored - 36.6 out of 50
Percent of early flights delayed - 12.4%
Places that sell coffee - 0.79 per 1 million passengers
Early flights at these three U.S. airports actually take off earlier than scheduled. All take off up to two minutes early on average.
- Kahului Airport (OGG)
- William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
The worst airports for early-morning flights
Considering these are the first flights of the day at these airports, it’s abundantly clear these airports aren’t ideal for early-rising travelers
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
Scored - 9.2 out of 50
Percent of early flights delayed - 31.6% (highest in the study)
Average delay of early flights - 7 minutes - Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
Scored - 15.6 out of 50
Percent of flights departing before 8 a.m. - 9.4%
Places that sell coffee - 0.33 per 1 million passengers - Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)
Score - 16.4 out of 50
Percent of flights departing before 8 a.m. - 4.7% (lowest in the study)
Average delay of early flights - 6 minutes
Early flights at five major U.S. airports are delayed longer than 10 minutes, on average.
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
The Best U.S. Airports for Late-Night Flights
If you’re a night owl who prefers to let the frenzy of the day pass you by and instead save money by hopping on a late-night flight, check out these best (and worst) airports for late-night flights. As a bonus, the number of places in each airport that sell alcohol was considered for this ranking, just for fun.
- Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)
Scored 36.5 out of 50
Percent of flights departing after 8 p.m. - 21.7%
Average Delay of Late Flights - 8 minutes - Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
Scored 36.1 out of 50
Percent of flights departing after 8 p.m. - 22%
Places that sell alcohol - 0.79 per 1 million passengers - Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
Scored 33.7 out of 50
Percent of flights departing after 8 p.m. - 19.6%
Average delay of late flights - 9 minutes
Late flights at three airports experience an average delay of less than 5 minutes:
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- Kahului Airport (OGG).
The Worst Airports for Late-Night Flights
If you intend to put off your travel plans until much later in the day, other airports should be considered before these.
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
Scored 3.1 out of 50
Percent of flights departing after 8 p.m. - 1%
Percent of late flights delayed - 77.8% - San Antonio International Airport (SAT)
Score - 14.6 out of 50
Percent of flights departing after 8 p.m. - 1.4%
Average delay of late flights - 31 minutes - Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
Scored - 16 out of 50
Percent of flights departing after 8 p.m. - 1.1%
Percent of late flights delayed - 50%
Late flights at three airports experience an average delay of longer than 30 minutes.
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (45 minutes)
- Miami International Airport (34 minutes)
- San Antonio International Airport (31 minutes)
Since you got up early or you’re going to bed late, why not enjoy your flight with a bit more legroom? Check out These Airlines That Have the Most Legroom — and Which Have the Least?
Related Content
-
Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Taxes on Social Security Benefits?Quiz Social Security benefits often come with confusing IRS tax rules that can trip up financially savvy retirees and near-retirees.
-
Are You Ready for 65? The Medicare Initial Enrollment Period QuizQuiz Turning 65 soon? Test your basic knowledge of Medicare's Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) rules in our quick quiz.
-
3 Ways to Stretch the 2026 Social Security COLA For Your BudgetThree steps retirees can take to stretch the Social Security COLA to fit their budgets.
-
Uber Takes Aim at the Bottom Lines of Billboard Personal Injury LawyersUber has filed lawsuits and proposed a ballot initiative, in California, to curb settlements it claims are falsely inflated by some personal injury lawyers.
-
11 Cities With the Cheapest Groceries in the USIf you live in one of these 11 cities, you're paying less than the rest of the country to keep your fridge stocked.
-
Giving Tuesday 2025: 'Every Small Act Makes a Major Difference'GivingTuesday encourages generosity in any form, from donating to charity to helping your neighbors.
-
How to Position Your Portfolio for Lower Interest RatesThe Federal Reserve is far from done with its rate-cutting regime. This is how investors can prepare.
-
Moves to Manage the Soaring Costs of Owning a CarIt's costing more and more to keep a car on the road, but you can drive some costs down. Here's how to get a better deal on insurance premiums, repairs and gas
-
My First $1 Million: Oil Industry Engineering Manager, 67, Chapel Hill, N.C.Ever wonder how someone who's made a million dollars or more did it? Kiplinger's My First $1 Million series uncovers the answers.
-
I'm a Financial Literacy Expert: Bubble-Wrapping Our Kids Robbed Them of Resilience. Now What?By raising them to think they're amazing no matter what and lifting them over obstacles, we left them unprepared to work in the real world.
-
I'm a Financial Planner: If You're a High Earner, You Need an 18-Month Safety NetNo job seems to be safe in this age of AI. If you make a larger-than-usual salary, then you need to have a larger-than-usual emergency fund. Here's why.
