Denver to New York Flight Delays
Sample size: 4,453 DEN–JFK flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 24.3% of Denver to New York flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That tracks the 24.2% median for the major US domestic routes DelayGuard covers almost exactly. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 06:00 departures run 11.23% late against 34.27% for 13:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 19.44%, Saturday the worst at 27.2%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in July at 6.49% of scheduled flights and bottom out in April at 0%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the per-flight delay estimate before you book.
DEN airport delay guide · JFK airport delay guide · Predict a DEN to JFK flight
Best time to fly DEN to JFK
The best time to fly DEN to JFK is the 6 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Saturday (19.44% against 27.2%): 11.23% of 6 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 34.27% at 1 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 00:00, 06:00–07:00. The highest sit at 11:00, 13:00, 23:00. Only departure hours with at least 100 recorded flights are listed, so sparse hours are blank rather than estimated.
| Departure hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 24.19% | 124 |
| 06:00 | 11.23% | 677 |
| 07:00 | 12.21% | 385 |
| 11:00 | 29% | 269 |
| 12:00 | 25.87% | 978 |
| 13:00 | 34.27% | 321 |
| 23:00 | 28.81% | 1,406 |
DEN to JFK flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from DEN to JFK is a median 3 h 52 min. Flights actually took a median 3 h 40 min gate to gate, including 3 h 13 min in the air. 2.6% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 76.0% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
DEN to JFK is 1,626 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 3 h 58 min | 3 h 42 min | 3 h 14 min | 2.3% | 2,796 |
| JetBlue Airways | 3 h 44 min | 3 h 38 min | 3 h 13 min | 3.3% | 1,616 |
How late, and why
When a DEN to JFK flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 93 minutes late (median 49). 10.1% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late DEN to JFK flights, 41.4% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 39.0% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 17.9% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 1.6% by extreme weather and 0.0% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 41.4% |
| airline | 39.0% |
| air-traffic system | 17.9% |
| extreme weather | 1.6% |
| security | 0.0% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
DEN to JFK delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 23.83% | 663 |
| Tue | 19.44% | 602 |
| Wed | 21.79% | 615 |
| Thu | 24.2% | 657 |
| Fri | 26.31% | 669 |
| Sat | 27.2% | 592 |
| Sun | 27.02% | 655 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled DEN–JFK flights cancelled in each month, from BTS 2024–2025 on-time reporting. These are cancellations, not delays. Delay figures on this page cover January 2023 to December 2025.
| Month | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.92% | 218 |
| Feb | 2.65% | 189 |
| Mar | 0.43% | 233 |
| Apr | 0% | 198 |
| May | 0% | 235 |
| Jun | 1.44% | 278 |
| Jul | 6.49% | 308 |
| Aug | 3.46% | 289 |
| Sep | 0.38% | 260 |
| Oct | 0.68% | 296 |
| Nov | 0.38% | 262 |
| Dec | 2.66% | 301 |
Airlines on DEN to JFK: delays and cancellations
Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways fly this route today. Only carriers with at least 200 scheduled flights on the pairing are listed. Delay rates cover January 2023 to December 2025; cancellation rates cover 2024 to 2025.
| Airline | Share of flights | Delayed 15+ min | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 62% | 17.63% | 1.6% | 1,874 |
| JetBlue Airways | 38% | 36.08% | 2.08% | 1,152 |
Related pages
- DEN delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- JFK delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a DEN to JFK flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
DEN vs JFK: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Denver and New York.
| Measure | DEN (Denver) | JFK (New York) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | moderate | high |
| Average taxi-out | 17 min | 28 min |
| Runways | 6 | 4 |
DEN to JFK questions
- How long is the flight from Denver to New York?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from DEN to JFK is a median 3 h 52 min, and flights actually took a median 3 h 40 min including 3 h 13 min in the air. 2.6% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do DEN to JFK flights get delayed?
- Across 4,453 recorded DEN–JFK departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 24.3% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 6:00 departures run 11.23% late against 34.27% for 13:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly DEN to JFK?
- Both Denver and New York share the same primary risk window: December–February (winter weather) and June–August (summer storms). Plan around those periods for the lowest delay probability on this route.
- Which airline is most reliable on DEN to JFK?
- On DEN→JFK, Delta Air Lines has the lowest measured delay rate at 17.63% of 2,796 flights, and JetBlue Airways the highest at 36.08% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Delta Air Lines cancels the fewest at 1.6% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are DEN to JFK flights when they are delayed?
- When a DEN to JFK flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 93 minutes late (median 49). 10.1% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
- How accurate is DelayGuard's delay prediction for this route?
- DelayGuard's delay risk score comes from an ML model trained on BTS data (3.95 million US domestic flights, 2023 to mid-2025), with live weather data (within 5 days of departure) and FAA NAS advisories (within 6 hours) — a likelihood of delay, not a guarantee.
Delay figures reflect arrivals 15 or more minutes late in BTS on-time reporting. Cancellation figures are separate and count flights that never operated. Hours, days and months with fewer than 100 recorded flights are omitted rather than estimated.