Route profile
JFK→LAX
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from New York to Los Angeles, 2,475 miles.
Right now
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Route reliability
July 2023 – July 2026
Better than 54% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 31,151 flights. How this is calculated
JFK → LAX arrives on time 79.8% of the time; the return trip, LAX → JFK, arrives on time 79.8% of the time.
JFK → LAX spends 37.9 minutes on the ground on a 2,475-mile trip: 27.2 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at JFK and 10.7 minutes from touchdown to gate at LAX.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
Why JFK → LAX flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
JFK → LAX cancelled 370 of 31,151 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 84. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 56.8% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 148 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 370 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.
What each reason means
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
210 cancellations, 56.8% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
92 cancellations, 24.9% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
68 cancellations, 18.4% of the total.
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.
370 coded cancellations were recorded on JFK → LAX; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
43 min late
against a median of 11 min early
Percentiles over 31,151 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at LAX after arriving from JFK.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 33% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 20% | High risk |
| 60 min | 13% | Some risk |
| 90 min | 7.5% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 4.8% | Low 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 1.19% of the time and diverts 0.16% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 30,730 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 43 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 31,151 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
JFK → LAX flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 85.9% of the time, against 68.7% for 9 PM–5 AM departures, a gap of 17.2 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (JFK).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 6.0 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 2.5 points.
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- 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 10 PM (775 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.
View as tableHide table
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 AM–7 AM | 88.5% on time369 flights | 86.0% on time363 flights | 89.0% on time366 flights | 91.3% on time370 flights | 88.8% on time350 flights | 87.4% on time209 flights | 87.4% on time354 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 84.7% on time377 flights | 86.8% on time378 flights | 88.0% on time371 flights | 86.1% on time379 flights | 83.6% on time383 flights | 83.2% on time307 flights | 83.0% on time385 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 81.4% on time337 flights | 88.4% on time338 flights | 83.3% on time337 flights | 82.0% on time334 flights | 82.5% on time335 flights | 82.1% on time158 flights | 83.6% on time337 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 86.4% on time384 flights | 85.6% on time388 flights | 86.5% on time387 flights | 82.3% on time387 flights | 81.5% on time391 flights | 78.8% on time313 flights | 78.6% on time374 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 86.3% on time142 flights | 90.8% on time132 flights | 88.9% on time135 flights | 86.6% on time144 flights | 84.6% on time144 flights | 76.0% on time127 flights | 80.1% on time160 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 82.9% on time398 flights | 86.5% on time410 flights | 85.1% on time409 flights | 86.0% on time393 flights | 84.8% on time393 flights | 85.2% on time333 flights | 79.8% on time376 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 110 flights, too few to score | 95 flights, too few to score | 90 flights, too few to score | 110 flights, too few to score | 111 flights, too few to score | 110 flights, too few to score | 73.1% on time121 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 82.7% on time164 flights | 83.1% on time157 flights | 83.3% on time156 flights | 83.5% on time165 flights | 81.7% on time167 flights | 77.9% on time122 flights | 72.8% on time155 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 106 flights, too few to score | 110 flights, too few to score | 118 flights, too few to score | 105 flights, too few to score | 106 flights, too few to score | 84 flights, too few to score | 111 flights, too few to score |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 82.8% on time410 flights | 82.7% on time397 flights | 81.6% on time386 flights | 83.9% on time404 flights | 78.8% on time405 flights | 76.3% on time364 flights | 78.2% on time406 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 80.6% on time314 flights | 81.9% on time312 flights | 79.5% on time319 flights | 79.9% on time311 flights | 79.6% on time321 flights | 75.9% on time274 flights | 74.6% on time311 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 81.6% on time377 flights | 78.3% on time365 flights | 77.1% on time355 flights | 75.9% on time366 flights | 75.4% on time379 flights | 74.0% on time327 flights | 71.7% on time371 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 78.6% on time170 flights | 78.8% on time160 flights | 74.8% on time162 flights | 72.5% on time173 flights | 80.5% on time166 flights | 74.2% on time123 flights | 74.5% on time168 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 69.9% on time308 flights | 76.7% on time296 flights | 78.6% on time283 flights | 67.8% on time303 flights | 66.9% on time311 flights | 64.9% on time277 flights | 58.7% on time313 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 74.0% on time227 flights | 78.9% on time231 flights | 72.1% on time216 flights | 72.7% on time229 flights | 73.4% on time217 flights | 64.6% on time244 flights | 70.1% on time227 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 66.1% on time336 flights | 76.8% on time243 flights | 72.5% on time248 flights | 70.2% on time319 flights | 69.9% on time341 flights | 65.3% on time252 flights | 65.3% on time329 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 88.9% on time from 381 flights
- 6 AM: 88.4% on time from 2,381 flights
- 7 AM: 85.1% on time from 2,580 flights
- 8 AM: 83.4% on time from 2,176 flights
- 9 AM: 82.9% on time from 2,624 flights
- 10 AM: 84.7% on time from 984 flights
- 11 AM: 84.4% on time from 2,712 flights
- 12 PM: 78.5% on time from 747 flights
- 1 PM: 80.9% on time from 1,086 flights
- 2 PM: 81.2% on time from 740 flights
- 3 PM: 80.7% on time from 2,772 flights
- 4 PM: 78.9% on time from 2,162 flights
- 5 PM: 76.3% on time from 2,540 flights
- 6 PM: 76.3% on time from 1,122 flights
- 7 PM: 69.0% on time from 2,091 flights
- 8 PM: 72.2% on time from 1,591 flights
- 9 PM: 69.2% on time from 2,068 flights
- 10 PM: 66.2% on time from 394 flights
- 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why JFK → LAX runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically
screening or terminal security incidents
Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for JFK → LAX. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
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 3.5 times the normal rate at JFK against 1.3 times at LAX. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: JFK 6.0% against 1.7%, LAX 1.0% against 0.8%. Flights that did leave JFK in bad weather arrived on time 64.1% of the time, against 79.7% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | JFK | LAX |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 6.0% | 1.0% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 1.7% | 0.8% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 64.1% | 78.9% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 79.7% | 81.4% |
| Departures in bad weather | 46,497 | 60,639 |
Delta Air Lines (4.0% cancelled against 6.9% for the other carriers at JFK), American Airlines (4.6% cancelled against 6.6% for the other carriers at JFK) and Frontier Airlines (4.6% cancelled against 6.5% for the other carriers at JFK) cancelled fewer departures from JFK in bad weather than the other carriers there did in the same months. None of the route’s other carriers was clearly worse.
This route’s airlines in bad weather at JFK
All departures from JFK| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 12,657 | 4.0%below the others | 6.9% |
| American Airlines | 6,152 | 4.6%below the others | 6.6% |
| Frontier Airlines | 672 | 4.6%below the others | 6.5% |
| JetBlue | 14,948 | 6.2%about level | 6.2% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from JFK and LAX, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from JFK on every route.
Weather source and limits. In full: JFK (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.
| Carrier | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JetBlue | 10,520 | 78.2% | 1.37% | -11 min | 8.6% |
| Delta Air Lines | 10,287 | 78.3% | 0.98% | -7 min | 7.4% |
| American Airlines | 10,080 | 83.0% | 1.21% | -16 min | 6.6% |
| Frontier Airlines | 264 | 72.6% | 1.14% | 1 min | 7.7% |
JetBlue flew 33.8% of the 31,151 flights listed.
American Airlines arrived on time 10.4 percentage points more often than Frontier 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.
| Route | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JFK→LAX this route New York to Los Angeles | 31,151 | 79.8% | 1.19% | -11 min | 67 |
| EWR→LAX 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 JFK, LGA, EWR 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.
| Flight | Scheduled | Operations | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA117 American Airlines | 8:00 PM | 1,118 | 76.9% |
| AA300 American Airlines | 9:00 PM | 1,118 | 77.1% |
| AA306 American Airlines | 4:30 PM | 1,113 | 83.8% |
| AA1 American Airlines | 7:00 AM | 1,094 | 89.4% |
| DL773 Delta Air Lines | 9:55 AM | 1,089 | 82.8% |
| AA302 American Airlines | 5:29 PM | 1,086 | 77.7% |
| AA3 American Airlines | 11:00 AM | 1,077 | 88.3% |
| B6223 JetBlue | 8:49 PM | 1,006 | 78.2% |
| B6523 JetBlue | 11:00 AM | 952 | 81.9% |
| AA255 American Airlines | 9:30 AM | 916 | 87.0% |
AA1 (7:00 AM) arrived on time 89.4% of the time, 12.5 points more often than AA117 (8:00 PM) at 76.9%.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 7.1 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 81.8%
- Feb: 78.5%
- Mar: 86.4%
- Apr: 81.4%
- May: 79.7%
- Jun: 75.0%
- Jul: 70.7%
- Aug: 77.1%
- Sep: 81.4%
- Oct: 81.4%
- Nov: 84.4%
- Dec: 82.8%
July is historically the weakest month and March the strongest, a spread of 15.7 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 66.7% from 867 flights
- August 2023: 72.9% from 877 flights
- September 2023: 73.3% from 836 flights
- October 2023: 76.5% from 882 flights
- November 2023: 87.9% from 827 flights
- December 2023: 90.1% from 820 flights
- January 2024: 86.2% from 752 flights
- February 2024: 87.1% from 721 flights
- March 2024: 84.2% from 788 flights
- April 2024: 80.8% from 783 flights
- May 2024: 77.6% from 826 flights
- June 2024: 78.0% from 818 flights
- July 2024: 70.2% from 886 flights
- August 2024: 73.3% from 876 flights
- September 2024: 87.5% from 857 flights
- October 2024: 92.9% from 887 flights
- November 2024: 88.0% from 846 flights
- December 2024: 89.0% from 875 flights
- January 2025: 87.5% from 772 flights
- February 2025: 73.3% from 717 flights
- March 2025: 88.0% from 836 flights
- April 2025: 82.6% from 850 flights
- May 2025: 81.2% from 874 flights
- June 2025: 76.4% from 875 flights
- July 2025: 75.1% from 922 flights
- August 2025: 84.7% from 912 flights
- September 2025: 83.2% from 856 flights
- October 2025: 74.7% from 897 flights
- November 2025: 77.3% from 862 flights
- December 2025: 69.7% from 895 flights
- January 2026: 71.9% from 825 flights
- February 2026: 74.8% from 725 flights
- March 2026: 87.0% from 845 flights
- April 2026: 80.8% from 855 flights
- May 2026: 80.3% from 868 flights
- June 2026: 70.3% from 822 flights
- July 2026: 70.5% from 919 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 77.1% against 82.9% in the 12 months before — declining by 5.8 percentage points.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 31,151 JFK → 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
Related research: How Long a Layover Needs to Be · Two Airlines on One Route · Best Time of Day to Fly From Major US Airports
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