The Tarmac Tax: Where You Sit Longest Before Takeoff (2025 to 2026)
Before your flight even leaves the ground, you are already losing time. The airports where taxiing alone eats nearly half an hour.
Key findings
- Before a single mile is flown, the average U.S. departure spends 18.7 minutes just taxiing from the gate to the runway. At the worst airport it is far longer.
- New York, NY (JFK) tops the list at 28.6 minutes of average taxi-out, followed by Chicago, IL (ORD) (27.2) and New York, NY (LGA) (25.8).
- At JFK, 11.3% of departures sit on the ground for 45 minutes or more before takeoff.
- The pattern is geographic: the longest taxi-outs cluster at the congested New York area and Chicago hubs, while Lihue, HI (LIH) has the shortest taxi-out among high-traffic airports at 10.5 minutes.
Flight delays get all the attention, but a quieter time sink happens before the plane even leaves the ground: taxi-out, the stretch between pushing back from the gate and lifting off. This measures the average taxi-out time at every U.S. airport with at least 20,000 departures from January 2025 through August 2026. At the most congested airports the taxi alone can run two to three times the national average, time that is built into your trip but never advertised. BTS is a near-census of domestic airline operations, so these are exact counts.
Time on the ground before takeoff
Longest average taxi-out
| Average minutes taxiing before takeoff | Average taxi-out (minutes) |
|---|---|
| New York, NY (JFK) | 28.6 min |
| Chicago, IL (ORD) | 27.2 min |
| New York, NY (LGA) | 25.8 min |
| Newark, NJ (EWR) | 25.3 min |
| San Francisco, CA (SFO) | 22.3 min |
| Washington, DC (DCA) | 22.3 min |
| Washington, DC (IAD) | 22.2 min |
| Philadelphia, PA (PHL) | 22.1 min |
| Seattle, WA (SEA) | 22 min |
| San Diego, CA (SAN) | 21.7 min |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | 21.4 min |
| Miami, FL (MIA) | 21.4 min |
| Charlotte, NC (CLT) | 21 min |
| Colorado Springs, CO (COS) | 21 min |
| Houston, TX (IAH) | 20.6 min |
All major airports
| Airport | Departures | Avg taxi-out (min) | 45+ min taxi |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY (JFK) | 166,595 | 28.6 | 11.3% |
| Chicago, IL (ORD) | 558,491 | 27.2 | 9.2% |
| New York, NY (LGA) | 214,324 | 25.8 | 8.8% |
| Newark, NJ (EWR) | 194,166 | 25.3 | 7.7% |
| San Francisco, CA (SFO) | 241,482 | 22.3 | 3.1% |
| Washington, DC (DCA) | 226,688 | 22.3 | 4.9% |
| Washington, DC (IAD) | 94,787 | 22.2 | 4.7% |
| Philadelphia, PA (PHL) | 161,444 | 22.1 | 5.4% |
| Seattle, WA (SEA) | 272,312 | 22.0 | 2.0% |
| San Diego, CA (SAN) | 162,587 | 21.7 | 2.3% |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | 233,551 | 21.4 | 3.6% |
| Miami, FL (MIA) | 184,045 | 21.4 | 3.6% |
| Charlotte, NC (CLT) | 307,594 | 21.0 | 2.8% |
| Colorado Springs, CO (COS) | 21,578 | 21.0 | 4.6% |
| Houston, TX (IAH) | 193,250 | 20.6 | 2.2% |
| Denver, CO (DEN) | 525,740 | 20.0 | 3.1% |
| Orlando, FL (MCO) | 263,211 | 19.6 | 3.1% |
| Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) | 508,277 | 19.3 | 2.2% |
| Detroit, MI (DTW) | 199,200 | 19.1 | 3.6% |
| Minneapolis, MN (MSP) | 188,020 | 18.7 | 3.2% |
| Grand Rapids, MI (GRR) | 30,831 | 18.4 | 4.2% |
| Salt Lake City, UT (SLC) | 194,305 | 18.2 | 1.7% |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL) | 146,204 | 18.0 | 2.1% |
| Las Vegas, NV (LAS) | 293,300 | 17.9 | 1.8% |
| Los Angeles, CA (LAX) | 314,002 | 17.9 | 1.5% |
| Burbank, CA (BUR) | 49,474 | 17.7 | 1.8% |
| Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU) | 89,600 | 17.6 | 2.7% |
| Spokane, WA (GEG) | 30,229 | 17.3 | 1.5% |
| Atlanta, GA (ATL) | 514,647 | 17.2 | 1.7% |
| Reno, NV (RNO) | 35,032 | 17.1 | 2.5% |
| Boise, ID (BOI) | 39,044 | 17.1 | 2.3% |
| Richmond, VA (RIC) | 29,780 | 17.1 | 2.6% |
| Palm Springs, CA (PSP) | 24,718 | 17.1 | 2.1% |
| Fayetteville, AR (XNA) | 22,185 | 17.0 | 1.7% |
| Knoxville, TN (TYS) | 21,972 | 16.9 | 1.9% |
| Madison, WI (MSN) | 21,793 | 16.9 | 2.8% |
| Fresno, CA (FAT) | 21,638 | 16.7 | 1.9% |
| Norfolk, VA (ORF) | 32,394 | 16.7 | 2.7% |
| Cleveland, OH (CLE) | 65,647 | 16.7 | 2.4% |
| Charleston, SC (CHS) | 39,816 | 16.6 | 1.3% |
| Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) | 69,900 | 16.5 | 3.0% |
| Honolulu, HI (HNL) | 96,992 | 16.5 | 0.2% |
| Tampa, FL (TPA) | 128,613 | 16.4 | 2.0% |
| Louisville, KY (SDF) | 37,678 | 16.4 | 2.4% |
| Nashville, TN (BNA) | 175,979 | 16.4 | 1.2% |
| West Palm Beach/Palm Beach, FL (PBI) | 48,813 | 16.4 | 1.8% |
| Greer, SC (GSP) | 23,098 | 16.3 | 1.8% |
| Columbus, OH (CMH) | 72,599 | 16.2 | 2.3% |
| Phoenix, AZ (PHX) | 326,394 | 16.2 | 0.7% |
| Portland, OR (PDX) | 103,028 | 16.2 | 0.8% |
| Fort Myers, FL (RSW) | 57,992 | 16.2 | 2.2% |
| Cincinnati, OH (CVG) | 55,329 | 16.1 | 2.2% |
| Santa Ana, CA (SNA) | 73,899 | 16.1 | 0.9% |
| Milwaukee, WI (MKE) | 46,732 | 16.1 | 2.7% |
| Des Moines, IA (DSM) | 24,490 | 16.1 | 2.1% |
| Indianapolis, IN (IND) | 78,301 | 15.9 | 2.1% |
| Hartford, CT (BDL) | 36,843 | 15.8 | 2.1% |
| Savannah, GA (SAV) | 31,068 | 15.8 | 1.1% |
| Buffalo, NY (BUF) | 33,457 | 15.7 | 2.4% |
| Austin, TX (AUS) | 144,914 | 15.7 | 0.8% |
| Albany, NY (ALB) | 20,719 | 15.7 | 2.8% |
| Tucson, AZ (TUS) | 32,831 | 15.7 | 0.8% |
| Little Rock, AR (LIT) | 21,300 | 15.6 | 1.3% |
| Tulsa, OK (TUL) | 29,677 | 15.5 | 1.7% |
| Baltimore, MD (BWI) | 154,885 | 15.5 | 1.6% |
| Oklahoma City, OK (OKC) | 39,189 | 15.4 | 1.6% |
| Sarasota/Bradenton, FL (SRQ) | 28,765 | 15.4 | 1.8% |
| Omaha, NE (OMA) | 41,100 | 15.3 | 1.9% |
| San Juan, PR (SJU) | 59,545 | 15.3 | 0.5% |
| Providence, RI (PVD) | 24,978 | 15.2 | 2.0% |
| Kansas City, MO (MCI) | 80,137 | 15.2 | 1.2% |
| Chicago, IL (MDW) | 121,434 | 15.0 | 1.3% |
| Birmingham, AL (BHM) | 27,470 | 15.0 | 1.0% |
| Anchorage, AK (ANC) | 32,776 | 15.0 | 0.8% |
| Albuquerque, NM (ABQ) | 40,752 | 14.9 | 1.1% |
| El Paso, TX (ELP) | 27,303 | 14.9 | 0.7% |
| Jacksonville, FL (JAX) | 47,062 | 14.8 | 0.8% |
| Memphis, TN (MEM) | 39,366 | 14.8 | 1.4% |
| San Jose, CA (SJC) | 73,574 | 14.2 | 0.7% |
| Pensacola, FL (PNS) | 22,829 | 14.1 | 0.8% |
| Sacramento, CA (SMF) | 94,202 | 14.0 | 0.7% |
| Ontario, CA (ONT) | 42,717 | 14.0 | 0.8% |
| Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR) | 22,334 | 13.7 | 0.8% |
| New Orleans, LA (MSY) | 81,433 | 13.6 | 0.6% |
| Dallas, TX (DAL) | 116,206 | 13.3 | 1.0% |
| San Antonio, TX (SAT) | 66,785 | 13.2 | 0.7% |
| Houston, TX (HOU) | 89,113 | 13.0 | 0.6% |
| St. Louis, MO (STL) | 103,915 | 12.6 | 0.8% |
| Kona, HI (KOA) | 26,393 | 12.6 | 0.2% |
| Oakland, CA (OAK) | 54,668 | 12.5 | 0.3% |
| Long Beach, CA (LGB) | 26,042 | 12.4 | 0.3% |
| Kahului, HI (OGG) | 42,443 | 10.8 | 0.2% |
| Lihue, HI (LIH) | 26,075 | 10.5 | 0.1% |
Airports with at least 20,000 operated departures. Taxi-out is the time from gate departure to wheels-off. Exact counts; no sampling margins of error.
Data Sources & Methodology
The figures on this page are computed directly from the source data below. Narrative text accompanies the figures but never generates them.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance
- Vintage:
- 2025 to 2026
- Access:
- BigQuery
- Cadence:
- monthly
Flight-level on-time performance records for domestic flights operated by large U.S. air carriers, reported monthly to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Each row is one scheduled flight, with scheduled and actual departure and arrival times, delay minutes broken out by cause, taxi times, and cancellation and diversion flags. It is a near-census of U.S. domestic airline operations by the reporting carriers.
Air carriers that account for at least one percent of domestic scheduled passenger revenue must report on-time data for every domestic flight they operate. The monthly file is a frozen extract of those flight records for the reporting month.
The file is administrative data covering the reporting carriers’ domestic flights, not a probability sample. Statistics are exact counts and shares over the reported flights; there are no sampling weights and no sampling margins of error.
A flight is counted as delayed when it arrives 15 or more minutes late. For such flights, the delay minutes are attributed across five causes: air carrier, extreme weather, National Airspace System, security, and late-arriving aircraft, following BTS reporting rules.
Each flight carries origin and destination airport codes, which roll up to city, state, and metropolitan area. Scheduled and actual times are local to each airport.
- Coverage is limited to reporting carriers (large U.S. airlines) and their domestic flights; some regional, charter, and foreign operations fall outside the reporting thresholds.
- Delay-cause minutes are reported only for flights that arrive 15 or more minutes late and follow the BTS attribution rules, so cause breakdowns are not available for every late flight.
- Cancelled and diverted flights have no arrival-delay value and should be analyzed through their own flags rather than as delays.
- Times are local to each airport, so computing elapsed times across time zones requires care.
How these figures were produced
- Estimate type:
- Administrative near-census (exact counts)
- Weighting:
- None (not a weighted sample)
Suggested citation
U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2025 to 2026 Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance. Analysis by Matt George, itsmattgeorge.com. Retrieved 2026-10-22.