Newark (EWR) Flight Delays: Rate, Worst Hours and Live Risk
Newark (EWR) is ranked 8 of 22 for delays among DelayGuard's guide airports (1 is the highest rate): 23.4% of flights departing EWR arrived 15 or more minutes late across 376,766 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. United Airlines operated 54.0% of those departures, with a 25.1% delay rate of its own. The worst scheduled departure hours are 10 PM (37.3%) and 8 PM (35.1%); 5 AM is the best at 11.0%. 2.52% of scheduled EWR departures were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the AI delay predictor before you book.
Delay window: January 2023 to December 2025. Cancellation window: 2024 to 2025. Last updated: 2026-10-18. Delayed means a flight arrived 15 or more minutes after its scheduled arrival, the BTS and DOT on-time standard. Cancelled and diverted flights are excluded from delay rates. Historical BTS figures are separate from DelayGuard's per-flight model probability and from live FAA, weather and ground-delay status.
Layover buffer
Chance an inbound arrival is 45+ min late at EWR: 12.74%.
47,893 of 376,025 arrivals, January 2023 to December 2025. Not a missed-connection rate.
Flight delays today at EWR
FAA now: No FAA program
Tomorrow: Typical
October delay rate: 18.1%
FAA now is the current National Airspace System program.
Historical delay rate (15+ min late) at EWR
Sample size: 376,766 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 23.4%. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Cancellation rate 2.52% of 249,265 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why EWR runs the way it does
United Airlines flew 54.0% of EWR departures in the window, and its flights ran 25.1% late against 23.4% for the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, EWR's delay record largely follows how United Airlines runs its schedule.
EWR delays peak in July (36.5%), June (29.4%) and April (25.4%) and are lowest in September (17.7%). That shape is consistent with the summer thunderstorm season, when convective weather builds through the afternoon and slows arrivals and departures.
Delays build through the day: 12.5% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 34.5% after 8 PM. That is the pattern BTS describes as late-arriving aircraft, where a previous flight with the same aircraft arriving late makes the next departure late.
Spirit Airlines flew 7.5% of EWR departures in this history. Spirit stopped flying on 2 May 2026, so today's carrier mix differs from the one behind these figures.
Newark, JFK and LaGuardia are served by the same approach control, the FAA's New York TRACON (N90), so a flow restriction in that airspace can constrain all three at once.
Best and worst times to fly from EWR
| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| 5 AM | 11.0% | 6,393 |
| 6 AM | 11.3% | 30,616 |
| 7 AM | 14.0% | 30,031 |
| 8 AM | 16.4% | 21,470 |
| 9 AM | 17.2% | 24,860 |
| 10 AM | 18.6% | 23,542 |
| 11 AM | 18.9% | 20,332 |
| 12 PM | 18.8% | 14,490 |
| 1 PM | 20.6% | 19,516 |
| 2 PM | 24.7% | 22,780 |
| 3 PM | 26.7% | 23,353 |
| 4 PM | 27.6% | 24,423 |
| 5 PM | 31.4% | 22,116 |
| 6 PM | 32.4% | 24,270 |
| 7 PM | 35.0% | 23,969 |
| 8 PM | 35.1% | 21,455 |
| 9 PM | 33.3% | 18,746 |
| 10 PM | 37.3% | 4,277 |
| 11 PM | 29.1% | 127 |
EWR delays and cancellations by month
| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20.8% | 30,830 | 4.50% |
| Feb | 20.5% | 29,858 | 1.22% |
| Mar | 22.1% | 33,571 | 0.74% |
| Apr | 25.4% | 31,429 | 1.50% |
| May | 25.0% | 32,060 | 2.95% |
| Jun | 29.4% | 29,478 | 3.03% |
| Jul | 36.5% | 30,617 | 5.87% |
| Aug | 23.8% | 31,618 | 4.31% |
| Sep | 17.7% | 31,072 | 0.97% |
| Oct | 18.1% | 33,342 | 1.08% |
| Nov | 19.7% | 31,297 | 2.32% |
| Dec | 23.0% | 31,594 | 1.65% |
Airlines at EWR
| Airline | Share of departures | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 54.0% | 25.1% | 203,489 | 1.91% |
| Republic Airways | 18.5% | 15.9% | 69,859 | 4.14% |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased 2 May 2026) | 7.5% | 25.8% | 28,280 | 3.45% |
| American Airlines | 5.3% | 23.8% | 19,969 | 2.64% |
| Delta Air Lines | 5.1% | 23.0% | 19,158 | 1.72% |
| JetBlue Airways | 4.6% | 27.2% | 17,245 | 2.28% |
| Alaska Airlines | 2.6% | 27.1% | 9,845 | 2.49% |
| Endeavor Air | 0.9% | 22.2% | 3,240 | 3.86% |
| Allegiant Air | 0.5% | 18.1% | 1,982 | 0.68% |
| Envoy Air | 0.5% | 30.5% | 1,964 | 4.94% |
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from EWR
| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EWR to MCO | 25.4% | 19,833 | 2.53% | Route page |
| EWR to ATL | 25.2% | 17,635 | 2.22% | Route page |
| EWR to ORD | 26.8% | 17,175 | 2.36% | Route page |
| EWR to LAX | 25.7% | 16,333 | 1.86% | Route page |
| EWR to FLL | 26.4% | 15,135 | 2.53% | Predict |
| EWR to MIA | 26.4% | 12,594 | 2.52% | Route page |
| EWR to SFO | 26.6% | 12,366 | 1.98% | Route page |
| EWR to BOS | 26.0% | 12,034 | 3.39% | Route page |
| EWR to CLT | 23.3% | 11,290 | 2.47% | Route page |
| EWR to IAH | 23.8% | 10,873 | 1.91% | Predict |
| EWR to DFW | 23.6% | 10,429 | 2.44% | Route page |
| EWR to PBI | 25.2% | 9,927 | 2.49% | Predict |
| EWR to DTW | 20.5% | 9,766 | 3.03% | Predict |
| EWR to DEN | 24.0% | 9,343 | 1.84% | Route page |
| EWR to LAS | 24.3% | 9,052 | 1.43% | Route page |
Nearby airports
- JFK: 22.9% delayed
- LaGuardia (LGA): 20.6% delayed
- Summer thunderstorm delays: which airports suffer most
- Northeast winter flights: what the data shows
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- US airline cancellation rates
Questions
- How often are flights delayed at EWR?
- 23.4% of flights departing EWR arrived 15 or more minutes late across 376,766 flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). Across all US domestic flights in the data, the rate is 21.2%.
- What is the best time to fly from EWR?
- Early departures run best. 5 AM flights ran 11.0% late (6,393 flights), 6 AM flights ran 11.3% late (30,616 flights) and 7 AM flights ran 14.0% late (30,031 flights). The worst hours are 10 PM (37.3%), 8 PM (35.1%) and 7 PM (35.0%).
- Which month is worst for delays at EWR?
- July has the highest delay rate at 36.5%. September is the lowest at 17.7%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at EWR?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from EWR, Republic Airways has the lowest delay rate at 15.9% (69,859 flights). JetBlue Airways is highest at 27.2%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are EWR flights cancelled?
- 2.52% of 249,265 scheduled departures from EWR were cancelled in 2024 to 2025. The US figure over the same period is 1.41%. See the full ranking on the cancellation rates page.
- Does DelayGuard show live delays at EWR?
- Yes. The live module on this page shows DelayGuard's hourly risk score and any active FAA ground stop or ground delay program. It is separate from the historical BTS figures above. For a specific flight, the predictor gives a model probability that combines history, weather and FAA data.
- Why does EWR have delays?
- United Airlines flew 54.0% of EWR departures in the window, and its flights ran 25.1% late against 23.4% for the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, EWR's delay record largely follows how United Airlines runs its schedule. EWR delays peak in July (36.5%), June (29.4%) and April (25.4%) and are lowest in September (17.7%). That shape is consistent with the summer thunderstorm season, when convective weather builds through the afternoon and slows arrivals and departures.
- Is EWR better than nearby airports?
- Compare EWR with JFK (22.9%) and LGA (20.6%) on the New York: JFK vs LGA vs EWR compared page. Those are the delay rates for flights departing each airport over the same window.