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Route · JFK → SFO · 2020–2025 BTS data

New York to San Francisco

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), JFK to SFO (New York to San Francisco) ranks #65 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.9%
On-time
+2.9 pts
vs US avg
76 min
Delay when late
35,481
Flights
#65 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

0.9%

Best Month

Jan 2025 92%

Worst Month

Dec 2025 66%

Distance

2,586 mi

Carriers

20

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 537 182 15 2 B6,DL,AS,AA
Nov 2025 546 133 5 1 DL,AA,AS,B6
Oct 2025 611 168 3 2 AA,AS,B6,DL
Sep 2025 579 82 2 1 DL,AA,AS,B6
Aug 2025 591 92 1 1 AA,AS,B6,DL
Jul 2025 582 157 19 0 AA,AS,B6,DL
Jun 2025 588 181 8 0 AA,AS,B6,DL
May 2025 622 108 0 0 AA,AS,B6,DL
Apr 2025 580 87 1 1 DL,AA,AS,B6
Mar 2025 520 91 3 1 AA,AS,B6,DL
Feb 2025 447 144 6 3 AA,AS,B6,DL
Jan 2025 499 40 2 0 AA,AS,B6,DL
Dec 2024 550 107 0 1 AA,AS,B6,DL
Nov 2024 543 117 0 3 B6,AS,DL,AA
Oct 2024 538 61 0 0 AS,DL,B6,AA
Sep 2024 547 58 0 0 AA,AS,B6,DL
Aug 2024 583 158 14 0 AA,AS,B6,DL
Jul 2024 600 129 10 2 AA,AS,B6,DL
Jun 2024 575 154 2 0 AA,AS,B6,DL
May 2024 599 199 0 0 AA,AS,B6,DL
Apr 2024 512 172 2 1 AA,AS,B6,DL
Mar 2024 498 138 2 1 AA,AS,B6,DL
Feb 2024 439 91 4 4 AA,AS,B6,DL
Jan 2024 473 83 26 0 AA,AS,B6,DL

JFK–SFO seasonal on-time pattern

Best: September (87.1%) · weakest: July (77.0%)

75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 77.8%

Strongest calendar month

September

87.1% on-time · ~504 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

July

~532 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

77.0% on-time · ~532 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

0.9%

125 of 13,159 flights

Diversion Rate

0.2%

24 of 13,159 flights

Explore origin & destination

On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.

JFK - New York

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for New York, NY.

JFK on-time profile

SFO - San Francisco

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for San Francisco, CA.

SFO on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See JFK and SFO side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare JFK vs SFO

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among JFK departures

From JFK, this corridor sits with 50 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 66 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (3 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 13 below 75%). Destination: San Francisco · fleet on-time rank #2401 of 4927.

What the Data Says About JFK to SFO

35,481 tracked flights put the JFK to SFO pairing (New York to San Francisco) at a 81.9% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 75.5 minutes on average. Across the 2,586-mile route and its 20 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 0.9% cancelled and 0.2% diverted (13,159 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Jan 2025 posted the strongest performance at 92% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 66% - a 26-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, JFK–SFO peaks in September at 87.1% on-time while July carries the heaviest traffic (~532 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 77.0%, a 10.1-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does JFK to SFO rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, JFK to SFO ranks #65 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from JFK to SFO? ▼
Flights from New York to San Francisco have a 81.9% on-time rate based on 35,481 flights. The average delay is 75.5 minutes. The best recent month was Jan 2025 with 92% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for JFK to SFO? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 0.9% of flights on this route were cancelled (125 of 13,159 flights) and 0.2% were diverted.
How far is the flight from JFK to SFO? ▼
The flight distance from New York (JFK) to San Francisco (SFO) is approximately 2,586 miles. This route is served by 20 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from JFK to SFO? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Jan 2025 (92% on-time). The worst was Dec 2025 (66% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

JFK Airport

New York
SFO Airport

San Francisco
Data source

Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using JFK–SFO data

JFK–SFO is mid-pack at 81.9% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare JFK and SFO airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. JFK airport
  • If your dates flex, September (87.1% on-time) beats July (77.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 81.9% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.