New York to San Francisco Flight Delays
Sample size: 20,354 JFK–SFO flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 21.51% of New York to San Francisco flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 2.7 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: 08:00 departures run 9.43% late against 35.44% for 18:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 17.82%, Sunday the worst at 24.35%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in January at 2.88% of scheduled flights and bottom out in May at 0%. 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 · SFO airport delay guide · Predict a JFK to SFO flight
Best time to fly JFK to SFO
The best time to fly JFK to SFO is the 8 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (17.82% against 24.35%): 9.43% of 8 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 35.44% at 6 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 06:00–08:00. The highest sit at 10:00, 18:00, 20:00. 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 | 12.45% | 1,630 |
| 07:00 | 13.86% | 1,905 |
| 08:00 | 9.43% | 1,496 |
| 09:00 | 16.95% | 1,776 |
| 10:00 | 30.55% | 527 |
| 11:00 | 17.46% | 1,157 |
| 12:00 | 23.12% | 199 |
| 13:00 | 19.17% | 1,377 |
| 14:00 | 16.89% | 521 |
| 15:00 | 21.56% | 1,178 |
| 16:00 | 23.86% | 1,358 |
| 17:00 | 26.27% | 1,854 |
| 18:00 | 35.44% | 570 |
| 19:00 | 27.04% | 1,154 |
| 20:00 | 33.09% | 2,170 |
| 21:00 | 28.74% | 1,242 |
| 22:00 | 24.53% | 212 |
JFK to SFO flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from JFK to SFO is a median 6 h 38 min. Flights actually took a median 6 h 22 min gate to gate, including 5 h 46 min in the air. 4.9% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 73.1% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
JFK to SFO is 2,586 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 6 h 43 min | 6 h 23 min | 5 h 46 min | 4.2% | 6,712 |
| JetBlue Airways | 6 h 37 min | 6 h 21 min | 5 h 45 min | 5.3% | 5,487 |
| American Airlines | 6 h 40 min | 6 h 25 min | 5 h 50 min | 5.1% | 4,153 |
| Alaska Airlines | 6 h 34 min | 6 h 20 min | 5 h 43 min | 5.5% | 4,002 |
How late, and why
When a JFK to SFO flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 73 minutes late (median 43). 7.9% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late JFK to SFO flights, 37.1% were caused by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 35.2% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 25.1% by a late incoming aircraft, 2.5% by extreme weather and 0.2% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| airline | 37.1% |
| air-traffic system | 35.2% |
| late incoming aircraft | 25.1% |
| extreme weather | 2.5% |
| security | 0.2% |
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 SFO delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 21.62% | 3,057 |
| Tue | 17.82% | 2,963 |
| Wed | 19.64% | 2,979 |
| Thu | 21.4% | 3,019 |
| Fri | 22.55% | 3,015 |
| Sat | 23.59% | 2,319 |
| Sun | 24.35% | 3,002 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled JFK–SFO 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 | 2.88% | 972 |
| Feb | 1.13% | 886 |
| Mar | 0.49% | 1,018 |
| Apr | 0.27% | 1,092 |
| May | 0% | 1,221 |
| Jun | 0.86% | 1,163 |
| Jul | 2.45% | 1,182 |
| Aug | 1.28% | 1,174 |
| Sep | 0.18% | 1,126 |
| Oct | 0.26% | 1,149 |
| Nov | 0.46% | 1,089 |
| Dec | 1.38% | 1,087 |
Airlines on JFK to SFO: delays and cancellations
Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, American Airlines and Alaska 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 34% | 19.74% | 0.54% | 4,455 |
| JetBlue Airways | 27% | 25.57% | 0.79% | 3,528 |
| American Airlines | 21% | 17.48% | 0.82% | 2,809 |
| Alaska Airlines | 18% | 23.09% | 2.11% | 2,367 |
Related pages
- JFK delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- SFO delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a JFK to SFO flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
JFK vs SFO: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for New York and San Francisco.
| Measure | JFK (New York) | SFO (San Francisco) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | high | high |
| Average taxi-out | 28 min | 15 min |
| Runways | 4 | 4 |
JFK to SFO questions
- How long is the flight from New York to San Francisco?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from JFK to SFO is a median 6 h 38 min, and flights actually took a median 6 h 22 min including 5 h 46 min in the air. 4.9% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do JFK to SFO flights get delayed?
- Across 20,354 recorded JFK–SFO departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 21.51% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 8:00 departures run 9.43% late against 35.44% 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 SFO?
- New York (NY) sees its highest delays during December–February (winter weather) and June–August (summer storms). San Francisco (CA) 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 SFO?
- On JFK→SFO, American Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 17.48% of 4,153 flights, and JetBlue Airways the highest at 25.57% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Delta Air Lines cancels the fewest at 0.54% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are JFK to SFO flights when they are delayed?
- When a JFK to SFO flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 73 minutes late (median 43). 7.9% 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.