EWR → LAX Flight Reliability

Right now

Origin · EWRNo disruption reported

Aviation weather is not currently a factor.

Updated 07:51 UTC

Newark airport profile →

Destination · LAXNo disruption reported

Aviation weather is not currently a factor.

Updated 07:53 UTC

Los Angeles airport profile →

Route reliability

July 2023 – July 2026

Route Reliability Score

50/ 100Fair

Better than 15% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)

Calculated from 16,291 flights. How this is calculated

On-time arrivals

74.5%

11,858 of 15,921

Cancellation rate

2.04%

332 cancelled

Median arrival delay

-6 min

Average 10.2 min

Severe delays

10.6%

60+ minutes late

Delay when late

81 min

Average, when 15+ min late

Flights analyzed

16,291

4 carriers

EWR → LAX arrives on time 74.5% of the time; the return trip, LAX → EWR, arrives on time 79.6% of the time, a 5.1-point gap between the two directions of the same city pair.

EWR → LAX spends 38.0 minutes on the ground on a 2,454-mile trip: 26.4 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at EWR and 11.6 minutes from touchdown to gate at LAX.

Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026

Why EWR → LAX flights are cancelled

July 2023 – July 2026

EWR → LAX cancelled 332 of 16,291 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 49. The reason filed most often was the airline, 53.9% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 91 scheduled flights.

Share of cancellations

Airline53.9%

Weather34.9%

Air traffic11.1%

Security0.0%

Of 332 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.

What each reason means

The airline1 in 91

Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.

179 cancellations, 53.9% of the total.

Extreme weather1 in 140

Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.

116 cancellations, 34.9% of the total.

The air traffic system1 in 440

Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.

37 cancellations, 11.1% of the total.

Security—

A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.

0 cancellations, 0.0% of the total.

Reason codes are the operating airline’s own filing with US DOT, not an independent finding of fault. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.

332 coded cancellations were recorded on EWR → LAX; the section appears from 50.

When it goes wrong

July 2023 – July 2026

One arrival in ten is worse than

63 min late

against a median of 6 min early

Arrived an hour or more late10.6%

Typical delay when late81 min

Cancelled2.04%

Landed somewhere else0.23%

EWR → LAX has an average that understates its risk: a typical arrival is 6 min early, but the worst tenth are 69 minutes worse than that. If the trip has something unmissable at the end of it, the median is the wrong number to plan against.

Percentiles over 16,291 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.

Will your connection be tight enough?

Layovers at LAX after arriving from EWR.

Connection buffer and chance of missing by layover length, EWR → LAX arrivals
Connection time	Chance of missing	Reads as
30 min	40%	Likely to miss
45 min	25%	High risk
60 min	17%	High risk
90 min	10%	Some risk
120 min	7.1%	Some risk

This is one leg of a connection. Gate changes and the next flight's own schedule matter too. And a connection can fail before delay is even the question — this route cancels 2.04% of the time and diverts 0.23% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.

Chance of missing is the share of 15,921 arrivals on this route that landed later than the connection time less 30 minutes to reach the next gate.

The worst tenth of arrivals on this route land at least 63 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 16,291 operations.

Any other layover length: connection checker.

Best time to fly

EWR → LAX flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 81.0% of the time, against 65.5% for 6–9 PM departures, a gap of 15.5 percentage points.

By day and hour

On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (EWR).

Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 6.7 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 2.2 points.

On-time arrival rate for EWR to LAX by weekday and scheduled departure hour, local time. Each button reads out one slot.
Hour	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
6 AM–7 AM
7 AM–8 AM
8 AM–9 AM
9 AM–10 AM
10 AM–11 AM
11 AM–12 PM
12 PM–1 PM
1 PM–2 PM
2 PM–3 PM
3 PM–4 PM
4 PM–5 PM
5 PM–6 PM
6 PM–7 PM
7 PM–8 PM
8 PM–9 PM

On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time

50–59
60–69
70–79
80–89

Fewer than 120 flights, not scored

Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · On time is arrival within 15 minutes of schedule. Cells round to whole percentages; the table shows one decimal.

No slot is named best or worst: too few reach 500 flights. Departures before 6 AM and after 9 PM (249 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.

View as tableHide table

On-time arrival rate (%) with flights beneath, by scheduled departure hour and weekday for EWR to LAX. A dash means fewer than 120 flights, which are not scored.
Hour	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
6 AM–7 AM	83.7% on time251 flights	84.8% on time256 flights	87.2% on time246 flights	84.8% on time257 flights	83.7% on time247 flights	80.6% on time231 flights	78.4% on time250 flights
7 AM–8 AM	80.1% on time193 flights	86.7% on time185 flights	85.5% on time188 flights	79.9% on time192 flights	81.0% on time202 flights	75.2% on time155 flights	80.4% on time173 flights
8 AM–9 AM	81.8% on time147 flights	80.6% on time146 flights	74.7% on time146 flights	77.5% on time143 flights	74.6% on time142 flights	69.5% on time132 flights	70.9% on time147 flights
9 AM–10 AM	116 flights, too few to score	116 flights, too few to score	116 flights, too few to score	73.2% on time123 flights	77.5% on time122 flights	69.2% on time123 flights	116 flights, too few to score
10 AM–11 AM	85.3% on time173 flights	85.0% on time174 flights	81.4% on time178 flights	77.2% on time171 flights	73.5% on time171 flights	77.6% on time166 flights	79.1% on time163 flights
11 AM–12 PM	77 flights, too few to score	71 flights, too few to score	70 flights, too few to score	70 flights, too few to score	71 flights, too few to score	74 flights, too few to score	71 flights, too few to score
12 PM–1 PM	112 flights, too few to score	109 flights, too few to score	110 flights, too few to score	111 flights, too few to score	111 flights, too few to score	107 flights, too few to score	102 flights, too few to score
1 PM–2 PM	4 flights, too few to score	4 flights, too few to score	3 flights, too few to score	3 flights, too few to score	4 flights, too few to score	4 flights, too few to score	4 flights, too few to score
2 PM–3 PM	76.4% on time179 flights	80.2% on time181 flights	76.5% on time183 flights	70.6% on time183 flights	70.0% on time184 flights	75.7% on time158 flights	67.1% on time177 flights
3 PM–4 PM	82 flights, too few to score	84 flights, too few to score	83 flights, too few to score	76 flights, too few to score	73 flights, too few to score	68 flights, too few to score	81 flights, too few to score
4 PM–5 PM	77.7% on time229 flights	77.0% on time221 flights	77.1% on time235 flights	75.7% on time229 flights	74.8% on time231 flights	76.7% on time200 flights	77.0% on time238 flights
5 PM–6 PM	67.5% on time156 flights	72.2% on time153 flights	67.8% on time149 flights	73.1% on time158 flights	68.9% on time155 flights	69.4% on time164 flights	67.6% on time150 flights
6 PM–7 PM	68.5% on time181 flights	72.5% on time173 flights	67.5% on time162 flights	66.9% on time164 flights	66.7% on time182 flights	72.5% on time165 flights	65.0% on time166 flights
7 PM–8 PM	66.5% on time229 flights	72.2% on time231 flights	71.7% on time231 flights	61.5% on time230 flights	67.3% on time227 flights	71.8% on time202 flights	60.8% on time227 flights
8 PM–9 PM	64.4% on time230 flights	66.7% on time200 flights	60.2% on time209 flights	58.8% on time231 flights	62.5% on time233 flights	61.9% on time132 flights	53.5% on time228 flights

By departure window

5–9 AM81.0%

9 AM–12 PM78.3%

12–3 PM77.1%

3–6 PM73.3%

6–9 PM65.5%

9 PM–5 AM71.3%

By departure hour

12 AM

3 AM

6 AM

9 AM

12 PM

3 PM

6 PM

9 PM

Why EWR → LAX runs late

July 2023 – July 2026

Late-arriving aircraft38.4%

the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late

The airline34.7%

crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control

Air traffic control21.9%

airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control

Weather4.8%

weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically

Security0.2%

screening or terminal security incidents

Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for EWR → LAX. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.

Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on EWR → LAX, at 38.4%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 81.0% of the time and 6–9 PM departures 65.5%.

How this route holds up in bad weather

July 2023 – July 2026

The harder-hit end is the one the flight leaves from, where a cancellation keeps it from departing at all. Bad weather cancels 3.3 times the normal rate at EWR against 1.3 times at LAX. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: EWR 6.9% against 2.1%, LAX 1.0% against 0.8%. Flights that did leave EWR in bad weather arrived on time 65.8% of the time, against 80.0% in normal hours.

Bad weather and normal hours at the airports

Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026

Departures from EWR and LAX in hours of bad weather and in normal hours
Departures from	EWR	LAX
Cancelled in bad weather	6.9%	1.0%
Cancelled in normal hours	2.1%	0.8%
Arrived on time, bad weather	65.8%	78.9%
Arrived on time, normal hours	80.0%	81.4%
Departures in bad weather	51,613	60,639

Of the carriers on this route, United Airlines (5.3% cancelled against 8.9% for the other carriers at EWR) cancelled the fewest departures from EWR in bad weather and Spirit Airlines (8.7% cancelled against 6.4% for the other carriers at EWR) the most.

This route’s airlines in bad weather at EWR

All departures from EWR

Cancellation rates in bad weather at EWR for the airlines that fly EWR to LAX, against the other carriers at EWR in the same months
Airline	Bad-weather departures	Cancelled	Other carriers
United Airlines	28,226	5.3%below the others	8.9%
Alaska Airlines	1,216	4.9%below the others	6.9%
JetBlue	2,326	6.6%about level	6.7%
Spirit Airlines	3,882	8.7%above the others	6.4%

These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from EWR and LAX, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from EWR on every route.

Weather source and limits. In full: EWR (airlines), LAX, What Weather Costs Each Airport, Who Cancels More When the Weather Turns, Airports That Change Places When Weather Turns.

Airlines on this route

Carriers with at least 200 flights, by the airline that operated each one.

Airlines on this route
Carrier	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Median delay	Severe
United Airlines	10,229	73.3%	1.95%	-5 min	10.9%
Alaska Airlines	2,384	75.5%	2.52%	-7 min	10.7%
JetBlue	2,312	76.3%	1.56%	-9 min	10.2%
Spirit Airlines	1,366	78.5%	2.71%	-9 min	8.5%

United Airlines flew 62.8% of the 16,291 flights listed. Spirit Airlines cancelled 2.71% of its flights here against 1.56% for JetBlue.

Spirit Airlines arrived on time 5.2 percentage points more often than United Airlines on this route.

Other ways to fly New York to Los Angeles

Airport pairs in the same two city markets, as the DOT defines them.

Other ways to fly New York to Los Angeles
Route	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Median delay	Score
JFK→LAX New York to Los Angeles	31,151	79.8%	1.19%	-11 min	67
EWR→LAX this route Newark to Los Angeles	16,291	74.5%	2.04%	-6 min	50

JFK → LAX is the most reliable pairing for this journey at 79.8% on time, against 74.5% for EWR → LAX.

Flying to LAX from the New York area? Compare EWR, LGA, JFK for LAX, with the same test for what counts as a real difference.

Flights on this route

Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.

Flights on this route
Flight	Scheduled	Operations	On time
AS287 Alaska Airlines	7:59 PM	987	67.6%
UA2434 United Airlines	6:00 AM	927	83.2%
UA2679 United Airlines	10:00 AM	876	78.3%
UA2191 United Airlines	2:45 PM	651	74.3%

UA2434 (6:00 AM) arrived on time 83.2% of the time, 15.6 points more often than AS287 (7:59 PM) at 67.6%.

Weekly and seasonal patterns

By day of week

Mon76.1%

Tue77.7%

Wed76.3%

Thu72.7%

Fri73.4%

Sat74.1%

Sun71.0%

Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 6.7 percentage points.

By month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

July is historically the weakest month and March the strongest, a spread of 18.9 percentage points.

Reliability over time

July 2023 – July 2026

24

25

26

Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 72.2% against 75.6% in the 12 months before — declining by 3.4 percentage points.

Data and methodology

Calculated by FlyerIntel from 16,291 EWR → LAX flight records from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, covering July 2023 – July 2026. Late means 15 or more minutes past scheduled arrival; cancelled and diverted flights are left out of on-time rates.

Full methodology · Data sources · Report a problem

Analysis last recomputed September 26, 2026

EWR airport LAX airport Return direction LAX → EWR

EWR→LAX

Right now

Route reliability

Why EWR → LAX flights are cancelled

Share of cancellations

What each reason means

When it goes wrong

Will your connection be tight enough?

Best time to fly

By day and hour

By departure window

By departure hour

Why EWR → LAX runs late

How this route holds up in bad weather

Bad weather and normal hours at the airports

This route’s airlines in bad weather at EWR

Airlines on this route

Other ways to fly New York to Los Angeles

Flights on this route

Weekly and seasonal patterns

By day of week

By month

Reliability over time

Data and methodology