New York to Phoenix Flight Delays
Sample size: 7,842 JFK–PHX flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 20.52% of New York to Phoenix flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 3.7 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: 06:00 departures run 11.22% late against 36.93% for 19:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 16.82%, Sunday the worst at 23.89%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in July at 3.69% of scheduled flights and bottom out in April at 0.21%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
JFK airport delay guide · PHX airport delay guide · Predict a JFK to PHX flight
Best time to fly JFK to PHX
The best time to fly JFK to PHX is the 6 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (16.82% against 23.89%): 11.22% of 6 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 36.93% at 7 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 06:00–08:00. The highest sit at 15:00, 19:00–20:00. Only departure hours with at least 100 recorded flights are listed, so sparse hours are blank rather than estimated.
JFK to PHX delay rate by scheduled departure hour, January 2023 to December 2025
| Departure hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|
| 06:00 | 11.22% | 891 |
| 07:00 | 12.38% | 727 |
| 08:00 | 14.09% | 972 |
| 09:00 | 18.69% | 321 |
| 10:00 | 23.12% | 173 |
| 12:00 | 15.73% | 623 |
| 13:00 | 16.67% | 456 |
| 15:00 | 26.17% | 214 |
| 16:00 | 25.22% | 674 |
| 17:00 | 25.18% | 1,223 |
| 18:00 | 25.18% | 548 |
| 19:00 | 36.93% | 352 |
| 20:00 | 30.12% | 561 |
JFK to PHX flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from JFK to PHX is a median 5 h 42 min. Flights actually took a median 5 h 27 min gate to gate, including 4 h 53 min in the air. 4.6% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 72.9% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
JFK to PHX is 2,153 miles (BTS data).
JFK to PHX flight time by airline, January 2023 to December 2025
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|
| American Airlines | 5 h 41 min | 5 h 26 min | 4 h 54 min | 3.3% | 3,745 |
| Delta Air Lines | 5 h 43 min | 5 h 27 min | 4 h 51 min | 5.0% | 2,658 |
| JetBlue Airways | 5 h 42 min | 5 h 31 min | 4 h 54 min | 7.4% | 1,439 |
How late, and why
When a JFK to PHX flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 74 minutes late (median 42). 7.2% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late JFK to PHX flights, 40.4% were caused by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 30.4% by a late incoming aircraft, 27.0% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 2.2% by extreme weather and 0.0% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Causes of delay minutes on late JFK to PHX flights
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|
| airline | 40.4% |
| late incoming aircraft | 30.4% |
| air-traffic system | 27.0% |
| extreme weather | 2.2% |
| 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.
JFK to PHX delays by day of week
New York to Phoenix delay rate by day of week, January 2023 to December 2025
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|
| Mon | 20.78% | 1,174 |
| Tue | 16.82% | 1,076 |
| Wed | 20.93% | 1,080 |
| Thu | 19.84% | 1,159 |
| Fri | 20.34% | 1,160 |
| Sat | 20.78% | 1,025 |
| Sun | 23.89% | 1,168 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled JFK–PHX 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.
New York to Phoenix monthly cancellation rate
| Month | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|
| Jan | 0.65% | 464 |
| Feb | 1.59% | 440 |
| Mar | 0.61% | 493 |
| Apr | 0.21% | 469 |
| May | 0.21% | 472 |
| Jun | 1.23% | 405 |
| Jul | 3.69% | 406 |
| Aug | 3.54% | 396 |
| Sep | 0.26% | 390 |
| Oct | 0.86% | 467 |
| Nov | 0.8% | 500 |
| Dec | 2.33% | 515 |
Airlines on JFK to PHX: delays and cancellations
American Airlines, 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.
JFK vs PHX: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for New York and Phoenix.
Airport comparison, JFK against PHX
| Measure | JFK (New York) | PHX (Phoenix) |
|---|
| Congestion | high | moderate |
| Weather risk | moderate | low |
| NAS vulnerability | high | low |
| Average taxi-out | 28 min | 13 min |
| Runways | 4 | 3 |
JFK to PHX questions
- How long is the flight from New York to Phoenix?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from JFK to PHX is a median 5 h 42 min, and flights actually took a median 5 h 27 min including 4 h 53 min in the air. 4.6% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do JFK to PHX flights get delayed?
- Across 7,842 recorded JFK–PHX departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 20.52% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 6:00 departures run 11.22% late against 36.93% for 19:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly JFK to PHX?
- New York (NY) sees its highest delays during December–February (winter weather) and June–August (summer storms). Phoenix (AZ) peaks during November–February (coastal fog) with generally low risk year-round. The dominant seasonal risk on this route sits at the origin (New York) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on JFK to PHX?
- On JFK→PHX, American Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 16.85% of 3,745 flights, and JetBlue Airways the highest at 31.97% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). American Airlines cancels the fewest at 1.07% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are JFK to PHX flights when they are delayed?
- When a JFK to PHX flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 74 minutes late (median 42). 7.2% 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.