Route profile
JFK→SFO
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from New York to San Francisco, 2,586 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 41% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 20,819 flights. How this is calculated
JFK → SFO arrives on time 76.9% of the time; the return trip, SFO → JFK, arrives on time 80.4% of the time, a 3.4-point gap between the two directions of the same city pair.
JFK → SFO spends 38.0 minutes on the ground on a 2,586-mile trip: 29.0 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at JFK and 9.0 minutes from touchdown to gate at SFO.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
Why JFK → SFO flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
JFK → SFO cancelled 284 of 20,819 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 73. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 54.2% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 135 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 284 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.
154 cancellations, 54.2% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
87 cancellations, 30.6% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
43 cancellations, 15.1% 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.
284 coded cancellations were recorded on JFK → SFO; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
50 min late
against a median of 10 min early
JFK → SFO has an average that understates its risk: a typical arrival is 10 min early, but the worst tenth are 60 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 20,819 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at SFO after arriving from JFK.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 36% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 22% | High risk |
| 60 min | 15% | High risk |
| 90 min | 8.3% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 5.2% | 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 1.36% 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 20,502 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 50 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 20,819 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
JFK → SFO flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 87.1% of the time, against 66.3% for 6–9 PM departures, a gap of 20.8 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 7.9 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 2.9 points.
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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| 9 PM–10 PM |
On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 60–64
- 65–69
- 70–74
- 75–79
- 80–84
- 85–89
- 90–94
- 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 (131 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 | 89.7% on time245 flights | 90.2% on time246 flights | 88.1% on time244 flights | 88.3% on time240 flights | 89.6% on time241 flights | 84.4% on time174 flights | 88.1% on time250 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 81.5% on time284 flights | 84.7% on time279 flights | 85.3% on time282 flights | 87.5% on time288 flights | 83.5% on time286 flights | 80.3% on time191 flights | 84.9% on time281 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 88.6% on time231 flights | 91.2% on time232 flights | 89.6% on time233 flights | 89.7% on time225 flights | 91.1% on time224 flights | 110 flights, too few to score | 86.7% on time228 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 81.3% on time276 flights | 87.2% on time271 flights | 85.1% on time271 flights | 81.2% on time278 flights | 78.4% on time266 flights | 71.6% on time190 flights | 78.3% on time270 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 88 flights, too few to score | 86 flights, too few to score | 89 flights, too few to score | 92 flights, too few to score | 87 flights, too few to score | 107 flights, too few to score | 77 flights, too few to score |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 74.3% on time212 flights | 86.1% on time204 flights | 81.4% on time200 flights | 80.6% on time218 flights | 81.2% on time215 flights | 114 flights, too few to score | 77.5% on time225 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 33 flights, too few to score | 35 flights, too few to score | 43 flights, too few to score | 27 flights, too few to score | 27 flights, too few to score | 31 flights, too few to score | 28 flights, too few to score |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 76.1% on time188 flights | 80.7% on time191 flights | 88.1% on time180 flights | 81.2% on time186 flights | 79.0% on time190 flights | 83.2% on time169 flights | 77.5% on time185 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 94 flights, too few to score | 77 flights, too few to score | 80 flights, too few to score | 94 flights, too few to score | 95 flights, too few to score | 62 flights, too few to score | 90 flights, too few to score |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 74.7% on time176 flights | 78.8% on time181 flights | 71.3% on time182 flights | 77.9% on time173 flights | 72.9% on time171 flights | 76.5% on time158 flights | 74.1% on time175 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 72.1% on time182 flights | 79.8% on time195 flights | 73.4% on time196 flights | 69.9% on time184 flights | 73.3% on time188 flights | 77.2% on time212 flights | 73.2% on time190 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 69.8% on time284 flights | 84.0% on time265 flights | 76.5% on time257 flights | 70.4% on time272 flights | 72.3% on time279 flights | 75.7% on time218 flights | 66.3% on time282 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 102 flights, too few to score | 93 flights, too few to score | 105 flights, too few to score | 104 flights, too few to score | 102 flights, too few to score | 88 flights, too few to score | 100 flights, too few to score |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 66.8% on time191 flights | 78.4% on time171 flights | 71.3% on time171 flights | 69.4% on time187 flights | 70.0% on time192 flights | 69.9% on time189 flights | 65.9% on time179 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 64.0% on time336 flights | 74.8% on time326 flights | 69.9% on time326 flights | 64.1% on time323 flights | 62.7% on time328 flights | 65.6% on time301 flights | 60.8% on time343 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 69.1% on time177 flights | 78.0% on time126 flights | 73.0% on time127 flights | 67.1% on time179 flights | 66.1% on time173 flights | 95 flights, too few to score | 62.6% on time179 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 5 AM: too few flights to score
- 6 AM: 88.5% on time from 1,640 flights
- 7 AM: 84.1% on time from 1,891 flights
- 8 AM: 89.3% on time from 1,483 flights
- 9 AM: 80.8% on time from 1,822 flights
- 10 AM: 68.2% on time from 626 flights
- 11 AM: 80.3% on time from 1,388 flights
- 12 PM: 77.9% on time from 224 flights
- 1 PM: 80.8% on time from 1,289 flights
- 2 PM: 81.7% on time from 592 flights
- 3 PM: 75.1% on time from 1,216 flights
- 4 PM: 74.2% on time from 1,347 flights
- 5 PM: 73.4% on time from 1,857 flights
- 6 PM: 60.2% on time from 694 flights
- 7 PM: 70.2% on time from 1,280 flights
- 8 PM: 66.0% on time from 2,283 flights
- 9 PM: 69.2% on time from 1,056 flights
- 10 PM to 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why JFK → SFO runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
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 → SFO. 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 1.7 times at SFO. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: JFK 6.0% against 1.7%, SFO 1.5% against 0.9%. 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 | SFO |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 6.0% | 1.5% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 1.7% | 0.9% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 64.1% | 73.0% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 79.7% | 79.8% |
| Departures in bad weather | 46,497 | 36,006 |
Delta Air Lines (4.0% cancelled against 6.9% for the other carriers at JFK) and American Airlines (4.6% cancelled against 6.6% 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% |
| Alaska Airlines | 1,586 | 5.2%about level | 6.0% |
| JetBlue | 14,948 | 6.2%about level | 6.2% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from JFK and SFO, 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), SFO, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 6,918 | 77.3% | 1.03% | -10 min | 8.6% |
| JetBlue | 5,676 | 74.0% | 1.39% | -8 min | 10.0% |
| American Airlines | 4,398 | 81.1% | 1.46% | -13 min | 5.9% |
| Alaska Airlines | 3,827 | 75.8% | 1.83% | -9 min | 9.1% |
Delta Air Lines flew 33.2% of the 20,819 flights listed.
American Airlines arrived on time 7.1 percentage points more often than JetBlue on this route.
Other ways to fly New York to San Francisco
Airport pairs in the same two city markets, as the DOT defines them.
| Route | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JFK→SFO this route New York to San Francisco | 20,819 | 76.9% | 1.36% | -10 min | 62 |
| EWR→SFO Newark to San Francisco | 13,053 | 72.6% | 2.10% | -6 min | 45 |
JFK → SFO is the most reliable pairing for this journey at 76.9% on time, against 72.6% for EWR → SFO.
Flying to SFO from the New York area? Compare JFK, LGA, EWR for SFO, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA177 American Airlines | 8:30 PM | 1,110 | 71.9% |
| AA76 American Airlines | 6:00 AM | 1,093 | 89.3% |
| B6115 JetBlue | 10:30 AM | 1,043 | 77.5% |
| AA179 American Airlines | 8:00 AM | 1,025 | 89.1% |
| B6615 JetBlue | 3:55 PM | 1,001 | 69.4% |
| AS41 Alaska Airlines | 8:29 PM | 928 | 66.4% |
| DL667 Delta Air Lines | 7:55 PM | 842 | 68.5% |
| DL679 Delta Air Lines | 2:55 PM | 838 | 78.6% |
| DL668 Delta Air Lines | 7:00 AM | 779 | 82.6% |
| B615 JetBlue | 6:30 AM | 693 | 84.2% |
AA76 (6:00 AM) arrived on time 89.3% of the time, 22.9 points more often than AS41 (8:29 PM) at 66.4%.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 9.0 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 83.2%
- Feb: 74.5%
- Mar: 78.8%
- Apr: 74.3%
- May: 73.0%
- Jun: 67.5%
- Jul: 69.9%
- Aug: 80.1%
- Sep: 84.9%
- Oct: 81.8%
- Nov: 79.3%
- Dec: 79.1%
June is historically the weakest month and September the strongest, a spread of 17.4 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 66.2% from 656 flights
- August 2023: 83.1% from 659 flights
- September 2023: 80.0% from 627 flights
- October 2023: 85.1% from 657 flights
- November 2023: 83.7% from 610 flights
- December 2023: 91.2% from 545 flights
- January 2024: 81.4% from 473 flights
- February 2024: 78.9% from 439 flights
- March 2024: 72.1% from 498 flights
- April 2024: 66.2% from 512 flights
- May 2024: 66.8% from 599 flights
- June 2024: 73.1% from 575 flights
- July 2024: 78.1% from 600 flights
- August 2024: 72.2% from 583 flights
- September 2024: 89.4% from 547 flights
- October 2024: 88.7% from 538 flights
- November 2024: 78.3% from 543 flights
- December 2024: 80.5% from 550 flights
- January 2025: 92.0% from 499 flights
- February 2025: 67.1% from 447 flights
- March 2025: 82.4% from 520 flights
- April 2025: 84.9% from 580 flights
- May 2025: 82.6% from 622 flights
- June 2025: 68.8% from 588 flights
- July 2025: 72.1% from 582 flights
- August 2025: 84.4% from 591 flights
- September 2025: 85.8% from 579 flights
- October 2025: 72.3% from 611 flights
- November 2025: 75.4% from 546 flights
- December 2025: 65.0% from 537 flights
- January 2026: 76.1% from 539 flights
- February 2026: 77.7% from 465 flights
- March 2026: 81.6% from 533 flights
- April 2026: 70.5% from 543 flights
- May 2026: 69.2% from 593 flights
- June 2026: 60.9% from 611 flights
- July 2026: 63.7% from 622 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 73.3% against 79.9% in the 12 months before — declining by 6.6 percentage points.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 20,819 JFK → SFO 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
Analysis last recomputed