71% of flights leaving New York (JFK) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 4 points worse than the national average of 76%. That ranks 71 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 342 flights leave JFK on a typical day; 4.3% were cancelled. 74% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 5 a.m. (86% on time). Worst: 8 p.m. (60%).
- Best month: November (83%). Worst: July (63%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (74%), vs JetBlue at 67%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (38% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (77% → 71%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving JFK: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 49% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 51 three hours or more; 4.3% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early71%
- 15–30 min late7.6%
- 30–60 min late6.9%
- 1–2 hours late5.6%
- 2–3 hours late2.1%
- 3+ hours late2.0%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled4.3%
Share of all 124,886 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of JFK
Time of day matters more at JFK than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 86% of the time; at 8 p.m. it was 60%, a 26-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 80% on time against 63% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 10 p.m. departures were cancelled 7.9% of the time, against 4.3% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at JFK was a 5 a.m. departure in March (94% on time); the least, 9 p.m. in July (45%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at JFK, with 63% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 83%. Summer (June–August) runs 14 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 7 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in July (7.7% of flights).
Airlines at JFK
Delta Air Lines runs 47% of departures from JFK. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, American Airlines was the most reliable (74% on time) and JetBlue the least (67%), a 7-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 58,328 | 73% | 76% | 4.4% | −9 min |
| JetBlue | 35,630 | 67% | 68% | 4.9% | −5 min |
| American Airlines | 24,802 | 74% | 78% | 3.8% | −9 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 4,032 | 69% | 77% | 2.8% | −2 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 1,971 | 68% | 75% | 2.3% | −2 min |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 124 | 62% | 69% | 1.6% | +4 min |
Why flights are late at JFK
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At JFK, 38% of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft: the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Next is the airlines themselves at 30%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 5,399 cancellations, 42% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 29 minutes, longer than at most large U.S. airports. Airlines pad schedules for it, but a long queue on a busy afternoon still eats into the buffer.
JFK vs nearby airports
JFK isn't the only option in New York. Over the past year LGA ran 68% on time with 5.3% of flights cancelled; EWR ran 74% on time with 3.6% of flights cancelled; HPN ran 71% on time with 3.8% of flights cancelled; ISP ran 74% on time with 2.2% of flights cancelled, against 71% and 4.3% at JFK. EWR and ISP have the better record, so if fares and times are close, they are the safer pick.
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JFK New York JFK | — | 124,887 | 71% | 4.3% |
| LGA LaGuardia | 11 mi | 166,553 | 68% | 5.3% |
| EWR Newark | 21 mi | 134,823 | 74% | 3.6% |
| HPN Westchester | 30 mi | 12,438 | 71% | 3.8% |
| ISP Long Island MacArthur | 37 mi | 5,016 | 74% | 2.2% |
| TTN Trenton Mercer | 60 mi | 1,023 | 73% | 3.1% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 71% of JFK departures were on time, against 77% in the 12 months before, a decline of 6 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (82%); the worst, July 2026 (59%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Monday, Feb 23, 2026, when 100% of 349 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2026 | 349 | 100% | 0% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 327 | 91% | 2% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 326 | 65% | 5% |
| Feb 24, 2026 | 335 | 63% | 5% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 348 | 57% | 25% |
| Jul 18, 2026 | 344 | 56% | 20% |
| Jul 21, 2026 | 353 | 54% | 21% |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 353 | 47% | 20% |
| Dec 14, 2025 | 351 | 38% | 2% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 342 | 37% | 33% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from JFK, each airline's final departure was cancelled 6.0% of the time, against 3.7% for its earlier flights (1.6× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 2.3% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was JetBlue to Chicago (11.5% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | JetBlue | 8:00 p.m. | 11.5% | 5.8% | 47% |
| ITH Ithaca | Delta Air Lines | 10:40 p.m. | 9.8% | 4.7% | 64% |
| ORD Chicago | Delta Air Lines | 7:35 p.m. | 10.7% | 3.3% | 59% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 10:00 p.m. | 10.7% | 2.8% | 57% |
| DCA Washington | Delta Air Lines | 9:20 p.m. | 10.7% | 2.7% | 58% |
| IND Indianapolis | Delta Air Lines | 6:20 p.m. | 10.6% | 2.5% | 66% |
| BNA Nashville | Delta Air Lines | 7:59 p.m. | 10.1% | 2.5% | 65% |
| RDU Raleigh | Delta Air Lines | 7:28 p.m. | 9.0% | 3.6% | 64% |
| BTV Burlington | Delta Air Lines | 7:50 p.m. | 10.9% | 1.7% | 65% |
| CMH Columbus | Delta Air Lines | 9:15 p.m. | 10.0% | 2.2% | 67% |
| IND Indianapolis | American Airlines | 7:59 p.m. | 8.3% | 3.7% | 66% |
| BUF Buffalo | Delta Air Lines | 10:40 p.m. | 10.6% | 1.4% | 72% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
JFK at the holidays
On the busy Thanksgiving travel days, flights from JFK arrived on time 73% of the time, against 84% normally (−10.3 points; 23th of the 30 busiest airports). On the busy Christmas–New Year travel days, flights from JFK arrived on time 68% of the time, against 75% normally (−7.1 points; 24th of the 30 busiest airports).
Thanksgiving: best days to fly → · Christmas: best days to fly →
Tips for flying out of JFK
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At JFK the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? American Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of JFK; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Connecting here? See how long a layover you need at JFK.
- Delayed already? Most delays at JFK come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Delayed at JFK right now? See how much later JFK delays usually get, and what to do →
Routes from JFK
Where you're going matters too. From JFK, the most reliable busy route was to Austin (AUS, 78% on time) and the least reliable to Washington (DCA, 62%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BQN Aguadilla | 438 | 59% | 3.0% | +3 min |
| DCA Washington | 2,761 | 62% | 6.5% | +1 min |
| MCI Kansas City | 367 | 62% | 5.7% | −1 min |
| BDL Hartford | 365 | 62% | 3.6% | 0 min |
| PVD Providence | 365 | 63% | 4.7% | −4 min |
| HNL Honolulu | 666 | 66% | 3.1% | 0 min |
| SEA Seattle | 2,906 | 67% | 3.4% | −1 min |
| ORD Chicago | 3,245 | 67% | 6.5% | −5 min |
| IAH Houston | 475 | 68% | 4.6% | −6 min |
| SJU San Juan | 3,554 | 68% | 3.6% | −4 min |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 3,907 | 68% | 4.8% | −5 min |
| BOS Boston | 5,615 | 69% | 5.0% | −6 min |
| RDU Raleigh | 3,673 | 69% | 6.2% | −6 min |
| DEN Denver | 1,531 | 69% | 3.4% | −4 min |
| MKE Milwaukee | 365 | 69% | 5.2% | −9 min |
| CHS Charleston | 1,723 | 69% | 5.8% | −6 min |
| BTV Burlington | 724 | 69% | 7.2% | −9 min |
| ROC Rochester | 1,677 | 69% | 5.9% | −8 min |
| SFO San Francisco | 6,800 | 69% | 2.6% | −3 min |
| PDX Portland | 924 | 70% | 2.4% | −1 min |
| ITH Ithaca | 724 | 70% | 6.6% | −13 min |
| BUF Buffalo | 2,637 | 71% | 6.9% | −9 min |
| MCO Orlando | 4,804 | 71% | 3.8% | −6 min |
| PIT Pittsburgh | 2,254 | 71% | 5.7% | −8 min |
| BNA Nashville | 2,729 | 71% | 5.7% | −7 min |
| PBI West Palm Beach | 2,050 | 71% | 4.6% | −6 min |
| PWM Portland | 1,038 | 72% | 5.8% | −13 min |
| JAX Jacksonville | 2,085 | 72% | 4.7% | −8 min |
| CLE Cleveland | 1,768 | 72% | 5.6% | −8 min |
| IAD Washington | 713 | 72% | 5.2% | −9 min |
| TPA Tampa | 2,310 | 73% | 4.2% | −9 min |
| IND Indianapolis | 2,009 | 73% | 5.9% | −10 min |
| SAV Savannah | 1,572 | 73% | 6.2% | −9 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,953 | 73% | 3.3% | −10 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 10,285 | 73% | 2.8% | −7 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,885 | 73% | 4.2% | −11 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 4,227 | 73% | 2.8% | −8 min |
| CMH Columbus | 1,701 | 73% | 5.3% | −9 min |
| ORF Norfolk | 1,627 | 73% | 5.5% | −8 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 3,097 | 73% | 3.3% | −8 min |
| SYR Syracuse | 1,488 | 74% | 5.7% | −10 min |
| RSW Fort Myers | 1,281 | 74% | 4.9% | −8 min |
| MIA Miami | 4,526 | 74% | 3.1% | −10 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,929 | 74% | 2.4% | −7 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,096 | 74% | 4.3% | −9 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 3,281 | 75% | 4.5% | −11 min |
| CVG Cincinnati | 1,741 | 75% | 4.6% | −9 min |
| SRQ Sarasota | 534 | 75% | 4.3% | −10 min |
| MSY New Orleans | 1,142 | 75% | 5.3% | −10 min |
| SAN San Diego | 2,417 | 75% | 2.9% | −9 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 3,721 | 76% | 2.8% | −9 min |
| RIC Richmond | 980 | 76% | 5.3% | −13 min |
| BGR Bangor | 372 | 78% | 4.3% | −16 min |
| AUS Austin | 2,227 | 78% | 3.5% | −13 min |
| STT Charlotte Amalie | 546 | 78% | 2.2% | −11 min |
| SNA Santa Ana | 493 | 80% | 2.4% | −8 min |
Flights into JFK
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into New York JFK, least reliable first. The weakest is from Washington (57% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| IAD Washington | 713 | 57% | 6.9% |
| IAH Houston | 475 | 59% | 6.7% |
| ORD Chicago | 3,245 | 66% | 6.4% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 3,896 | 66% | 4.8% |
| SRQ Sarasota | 533 | 69% | 3.9% |
| MIA Miami | 4,526 | 69% | 3.1% |
| BOS Boston | 5,614 | 70% | 5.6% |
| RDU Raleigh | 3,672 | 70% | 5.7% |
| CLT Charlotte | 3,285 | 70% | 4.3% |
| PBI West Palm Beach | 2,051 | 71% | 4.3% |
| CHS Charleston | 1,722 | 71% | 5.8% |
| SNA Santa Ana | 493 | 71% | 2.8% |
| ORF Norfolk | 1,628 | 71% | 6.4% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,948 | 72% | 3.2% |
| MCO Orlando | 4,813 | 72% | 3.7% |
| BNA Nashville | 2,732 | 72% | 5.4% |
| ATL Atlanta | 4,218 | 72% | 2.8% |
| BGR Bangor | 372 | 72% | 4.8% |
| MSY New Orleans | 1,142 | 73% | 5.6% |
| DCA Washington | 2,729 | 73% | 6.1% |
| BUF Buffalo | 2,636 | 73% | 6.9% |
| RSW Fort Myers | 1,279 | 73% | 5.1% |
| SAV Savannah | 1,572 | 73% | 6.4% |
| JAX Jacksonville | 2,085 | 74% | 4.9% |
| STT Charlotte Amalie | 546 | 74% | 2.8% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 56 routes into JFK.
Questions about JFK delays
What is the best time to fly out of JFK?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 86% of JFK departures at that hour arrived on time, against 60% at 8 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at JFK?
July (63% on time). November is the best month (83%).
Which airline is most on time at JFK?
American Airlines: 74% of its JFK departures arrived on time over the past year. JetBlue had the weakest record at 67%.
Why are flights delayed at JFK?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (38% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (30%).
Is JFK or LGA or EWR or HPN or ISP more reliable?
Over the past year: JFK 71% on time, LGA 68%, EWR 74%, HPN 71%, ISP 74%.
How often are flights cancelled at JFK?
4.3% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in July at 7.7%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.