New York to Boston Flight Delays
Sample size: 17,076 JFK–BOS flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 24.98% of New York to Boston 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: 07:00 departures run 9.2% late against 43.27% for 18:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 21.54%, Sunday the worst at 28.6%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in July at 6.18% of scheduled flights and bottom out in March at 0.81%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the US domestic delay forecast before you book.
JFK airport delay guide · BOS airport delay guide · Predict a JFK to BOS flight
Best time to fly JFK to BOS
The best time to fly JFK to BOS is the 7 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (21.54% against 28.6%): 9.2% of 7 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 43.27% at 6 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 06:00–07:00, 09:00. The highest sit at 16:00, 18:00–19:00. 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 | 11.26% | 1,723 |
| 07:00 | 9.2% | 326 |
| 08:00 | 14.85% | 1,158 |
| 09:00 | 12.38% | 1,518 |
| 10:00 | 14.73% | 550 |
| 11:00 | 19.78% | 359 |
| 12:00 | 15.36% | 781 |
| 13:00 | 30.43% | 1,196 |
| 14:00 | 32.07% | 1,160 |
| 15:00 | 29.42% | 894 |
| 16:00 | 35.17% | 688 |
| 17:00 | 34.38% | 1,370 |
| 18:00 | 43.27% | 520 |
| 19:00 | 36.2% | 442 |
| 20:00 | 32.02% | 815 |
| 21:00 | 30.62% | 1,845 |
| 22:00 | 29.69% | 1,482 |
| 23:00 | 22.95% | 183 |
JFK to BOS flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from JFK to BOS is a median 1 h 20 min. Flights actually took a median 1 h 12 min gate to gate, including 40 min in the air. 2.6% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 74.1% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
JFK to BOS is 187 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic Airways | 1 h 21 min | 1 h 14 min | 40 min | 3.1% | 7,673 |
| JetBlue Airways | 1 h 19 min | 1 h 9 min | 39 min | 2.2% | 7,647 |
| Delta Air Lines | 1 h 27 min | 1 h 14 min | 40 min | 2.1% | 1,350 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 1 h 29 min | 1 h 19 min | 40 min | 4.0% | 401 |
How late, and why
When a JFK to BOS flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 79 minutes late (median 52). 11.1% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late JFK to BOS flights, 34.6% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 33.8% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 29.2% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 2.3% by extreme weather and 0.1% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 34.6% |
| airline | 33.8% |
| air-traffic system | 29.2% |
| extreme weather | 2.3% |
| 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.
JFK to BOS delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 25.89% | 2,460 |
| Tue | 21.54% | 2,451 |
| Wed | 21.8% | 2,477 |
| Thu | 26.53% | 2,458 |
| Fri | 25.66% | 2,408 |
| Sat | 24.93% | 2,423 |
| Sun | 28.6% | 2,399 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled JFK–BOS 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 | 1.98% | 908 |
| Feb | 2.85% | 876 |
| Mar | 0.81% | 869 |
| Apr | 1.15% | 867 |
| May | 0.94% | 953 |
| Jun | 4.5% | 911 |
| Jul | 6.18% | 955 |
| Aug | 4.05% | 963 |
| Sep | 1.04% | 1,054 |
| Oct | 1.3% | 1,079 |
| Nov | 3.22% | 870 |
| Dec | 3.23% | 836 |
Airlines on JFK to BOS: delays and cancellations
Republic Airways, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic Airways | 47% | 18.13% | 2.78% | 5,281 |
| JetBlue Airways | 45% | 30.91% | 2.67% | 5,026 |
| Delta Air Lines | 7% | 28.44% | 0.84% | 829 |
Related pages
- JFK delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- BOS delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- Boston to DC flights (BOS to DCA)
- DC to Boston flights (DCA to BOS)
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a JFK to BOS flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
JFK vs BOS: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for New York and Boston.
| Measure | JFK (New York) | BOS (Boston) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | high | high |
| Average taxi-out | 28 min | 16 min |
| Runways | 4 | 6 |
JFK to BOS questions
- How long is the flight from New York to Boston?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from JFK to BOS is a median 1 h 20 min, and flights actually took a median 1 h 12 min including 40 min in the air. 2.6% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do JFK to BOS flights get delayed?
- Across 17,076 recorded JFK–BOS departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 24.98% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 7:00 departures run 9.2% late against 43.27% for 18:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly JFK to BOS?
- Both New York and Boston 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 JFK to BOS?
- On JFK→BOS, Republic Airways has the lowest measured delay rate at 18.13% of 7,673 flights, and JetBlue Airways the highest at 30.91% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Delta Air Lines cancels the fewest at 0.84% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are JFK to BOS flights when they are delayed?
- When a JFK to BOS flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 79 minutes late (median 52). 11.1% 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.