Revealing influence of meteorological conditions and flight factors on delays Using XGBoost

With the increasing demand for air transportation, the negative impact of flight delays has been paid more and more attention, especially in the hubs of large cities. By examining flight delay data and analyzing the main factors affecting flight delays, the causes of flight delays can be found and effectively avoided. In this paper, we collect meteorological data and flight data of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Laguardia Airport (LGA), and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). By consulting relevant data, we select the factors that may have a strong correlation with flight delays, and we simplify and classify the data. Based on the preliminary analysis of the relationship between a single factor and flight delays, we use XGBoost to predict and analyze flight delays. We find that: (1) the effect of a single feature on flight delays is limited; (2) departure time, carrier, and precipitation have a great influence on flight delays; and (3) the accuracy of the prediction results of the change of delay duration during flight is better than the departure delay and arrival delay. Our research results can help airports combine meteorological conditions and forecasts to arrange flights properly and reduce the rate of flight delays and the losses to airlines and passengers.