SFO to JFK flight delays
San Francisco, CA (SFO) New York, NY (JFK) · 2,586 miles
611 flights · March 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
71.24%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.15%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
74 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
22 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
Which airline you fly changes the odds here. American Airlines arrived on time 10.5 points more often than JetBlue Airways over the same period on the same route — same airports, same weather, same air traffic control. A gap that survives all of that is about how the two airlines are run.
The two directions do not behave alike. JFK to SFO arrives on time 10.3 points less often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
This route does better than its own airport. Departures from SFO overall run 7.3 points less punctual than this particular one — so whatever congestion SFO has, this route is largely escaping it.
Flights from San Francisco to New York run late more often than the average route, though not severely.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over March 2025 – August 2026, American Airlines arrived on time most often on SFO to JFK. JetBlue Airways was late most often.
Every airline on SFO to JFK
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 193 | 67.72% | 1.55% | 54 min | D |
| JetBlue Airways | 172 | 66.27% | 1.16% | 72 min | D |
| American Airlines | 147 | 76.76% | 1.36% | 120 min | C |
| Alaska Airlines | 99 | 78.57% | 0% | 66 min | — |
The return leg
JFK to SFO New York back to San Francisco 60.93% on time FOther routes from San Francisco
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on SFO to JFK during March 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →