FlightRecord

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 89% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 70% in July 2025. Across the year it averages 79% against a national 78%, over roughly 282 departures a day to 81 destinations.

Departures on-time
79%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
17 min
Arrivals on-time
78%
Cancelled
2.4%
Destinations
81
nonstop
Airlines
9

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at JFK50%75%100%June 2024: 76% on-time (10,455 flights)76Jun 2024July 2024: 71% on-time (10,870 flights)71August 2024: 73% on-time (10,862 flights)73September 2024: 86% on-time (10,376 flights)86Sep 2024October 2024: 89% on-time (10,732 flights)89November 2024: 88% on-time (10,140 flights)88December 2024: 76% on-time (10,268 flights)76Dec 2024January 2025: 83% on-time (8,327 flights)83February 2025: 81% on-time (7,850 flights)81March 2025: 82% on-time (8,737 flights)82Mar 2025April 2025: 85% on-time (8,628 flights)85May 2025: 80% on-time (9,021 flights)80June 2025: 74% on-time (8,848 flights)74Jun 2025July 2025: 70% on-time (9,262 flights)70August 2025: 79% on-time (9,110 flights)79September 2025: 85% on-time (8,567 flights)85Sep 2025October 2025: 81% on-time (8,928 flights)81November 2025: 80% on-time (8,626 flights)80December 2025: 70% on-time (8,856 flights)70Dec 2025January 2026: 77% on-time (8,022 flights)77February 2026: 77% on-time (7,458 flights)77March 2026: 77% on-time (8,392 flights)77Mar 2026April 2026: 84% on-time (8,254 flights)84May 2026: 84% on-time (8,535 flights)84

Best time of day to depart from JFK

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at JFK5 a.m.: 90% on-time (1,678 flights)56 a.m.: 90% on-time (13,961 flights)67 a.m.: 91% on-time (18,186 flights)78 a.m.: 88% on-time (19,357 flights)89 a.m.: 86% on-time (15,701 flights)910 a.m.: 83% on-time (6,911 flights)1011 a.m.: 85% on-time (15,439 flights)1112 p.m.: 83% on-time (9,772 flights)121 p.m.: 78% on-time (10,400 flights)132 p.m.: 75% on-time (11,907 flights)143 p.m.: 75% on-time (15,633 flights)154 p.m.: 77% on-time (13,158 flights)165 p.m.: 74% on-time (14,936 flights)176 p.m.: 71% on-time (11,292 flights)187 p.m.: 69% on-time (13,365 flights)198 p.m.: 67% on-time (11,409 flights)209 p.m.: 68% on-time (10,616 flights)2110 p.m.: 67% on-time (5,211 flights)2211 p.m.: 78% on-time (192 flights)23scheduled departure hour

Busiest routes from JFK

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
JFK → LAX10,33780%16 min
JFK → SFO6,70778%17 min
JFK → BOS5,76175%21 min
JFK → MCO4,93273%21 min
JFK → MIA4,60775%21 min
JFK → ATL4,29275%20 min
JFK → FLL3,89673%19 min
JFK → LAS3,71981%13 min

Most reliable routes

  1. JFK → SNA87%
  2. JFK → DAB86%
  3. JFK → PSP85%
  4. JFK → SAT85%
  5. JFK → ORF84%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. JFK → PSE52%
  2. JFK → RNO59%
  3. JFK → BUR59%
  4. JFK → SMF61%
  5. JFK → BDL63%

Airline performance at JFK

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Endeavor Air84%13 min9,847
American Airlines84%17 min28,806
Republic Airways83%13 min32,892
Delta Air Lines81%16 min61,026
Alaska Airlines80%14 min7,717
SkyWest Airlines79%24 min2,472
Frontier Airlines76%22 min4,676
Hawaiian Airlines74%19 min583
JetBlue Airways74%20 min71,105

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at JFK?
21% of departures from John F. Kennedy International Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 17 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from JFK?
Flights scheduled around 7 a.m. depart on time 91% of the time at JFK, versus 67% around 10 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at JFK?
In this dataset, July 2025 was the weakest month at JFK, with 70% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at JFK?
2.4% of scheduled departures from JFK were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Based on 219,124 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.