Dallas to New York Flight Delays
Sample size: 5,794 DFW–JFK flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 21.63% of Dallas to New York flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 2.6 points better than the 24.2% median for those routes, making this one of the steadier pairings in the network. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 07:00 departures run 10.33% late against 41.59% for 16:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 18.12%, Saturday the worst at 24.31%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in July at 3.77% of scheduled flights and bottom out in October at 0.58%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the flight delay prediction before you book.
DFW airport delay guide · JFK airport delay guide · Predict a DFW to JFK flight
Best time to fly DFW to JFK
The best time to fly DFW to JFK is the 7 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Saturday (18.12% against 24.31%): 10.33% of 7 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 41.59% at 4 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 06:00–08:00. The highest sit at 11:00, 14:00, 16:00. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 14.18% | 134 |
| 07:00 | 10.33% | 1,297 |
| 08:00 | 13.56% | 686 |
| 09:00 | 20.44% | 274 |
| 11:00 | 28.93% | 121 |
| 12:00 | 23.35% | 1,670 |
| 13:00 | 27.8% | 205 |
| 14:00 | 27.86% | 323 |
| 16:00 | 41.59% | 618 |
| 17:00 | 26.88% | 413 |
DFW to JFK flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from DFW to JFK is a median 3 h 39 min. Flights actually took a median 3 h 28 min gate to gate, including 2 h 59 min in the air. 2.5% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 76.3% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
DFW to JFK is 1,391 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 3 h 39 min | 3 h 28 min | 2 h 59 min | 2.5% | 3,501 |
| Delta Air Lines | 3 h 38 min | 3 h 27 min | 2 h 59 min | 2.3% | 1,984 |
How late, and why
When a DFW to JFK flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 74 minutes late (median 46). 8.8% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late DFW to JFK flights, 35.4% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 31.7% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 25.8% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 7.0% by extreme weather and 0.1% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 35.4% |
| airline | 31.7% |
| air-traffic system | 25.8% |
| extreme weather | 7.0% |
| security | 0.1% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
DFW to JFK delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 19.61% | 831 |
| Tue | 18.12% | 839 |
| Wed | 22.28% | 835 |
| Thu | 22.33% | 824 |
| Fri | 21.97% | 833 |
| Sat | 24.31% | 794 |
| Sun | 22.91% | 838 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled DFW–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 | 2.33% | 301 |
| Feb | 1.81% | 277 |
| Mar | 1% | 300 |
| Apr | 1.33% | 301 |
| May | 2.51% | 358 |
| Jun | 0.84% | 357 |
| Jul | 3.77% | 371 |
| Aug | 3.77% | 371 |
| Sep | 1.1% | 362 |
| Oct | 0.58% | 343 |
| Nov | 1.82% | 329 |
| Dec | 2.06% | 339 |
Airlines on DFW to JFK: delays and cancellations
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Frontier Airlines 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 61% | 25.54% | 1.91% | 2,458 |
| Delta Air Lines | 33% | 15.73% | 2.11% | 1,329 |
| Frontier Airlines | 5% | 14.75% | 1.36% | 220 |
Related pages
- DFW 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 DFW to JFK flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
DFW vs JFK: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Dallas and New York.
| Measure | DFW (Dallas) | JFK (New York) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | moderate | high |
| Average taxi-out | 19 min | 28 min |
| Runways | 7 | 4 |
DFW to JFK questions
- How long is the flight from Dallas to New York?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from DFW to JFK is a median 3 h 39 min, and flights actually took a median 3 h 28 min including 2 h 59 min in the air. 2.5% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do DFW to JFK flights get delayed?
- Across 5,794 recorded DFW–JFK departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 21.63% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 7:00 departures run 10.33% late against 41.59% for 16:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly DFW to JFK?
- Dallas (TX) sees its highest delays during June–September (convective/thunderstorm season). New York (NY) peaks during December–February (winter weather) and June–August (summer storms). The dominant seasonal risk on this route sits at the destination (New York) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on DFW to JFK?
- On DFW→JFK, Frontier Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 14.75% of 217 flights, and American Airlines the highest at 25.54% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Frontier Airlines cancels the fewest at 1.36% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are DFW to JFK flights when they are delayed?
- When a DFW to JFK flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 74 minutes late (median 46). 8.8% 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.