New York Airports Nation's Worst During Recent Bad Weather

New York City's airports performed worse than any other in the country during the recent polar vortex.

That's according to the nonprofit Global Gateway Alliance, which analyzed flights at large U.S. airports during the recent spate of freezing weather. The findings: from January 4 - 7, JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports led the country in disrupted flights, with over 5,100 delays and 2,100 cancellations. Fifty-seven percent of all flights were affected.

Chicago's two airports experienced 3,000 delays and 4,600 cancellations over the same time period.

Steven Sigmund, the group's executive director, said New York's airports lack even basic amenities (like free Wi-Fi) that would make delays more bearable for travelers.

"There needs to be a much more holistic approach both on the ground and in the air," he said, "because you can’t blame your parking lot for traffic jams."

The group is calling for the speedier implementation of NextGen (the FAA's upgraded air traffic control system), as well as the modernization of local airports and better customer service contingency planning.

The analysis comes on the heels of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's announcement that he was taking over construction responsibility of New York's airports from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

"We need to modernize JFK and LaGuardia," Cuomo said in his State of the State address Wednesday. "We've talked about it for too long."