ON TIMEBOARD

BNA → JFK on time

Nashville (Nashville, TN) to New York JFK (New York, NY). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
72%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
5.4%
2,732 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+78 min
average delay
Flights / day
7
3 airlines

72% of flights from Nashville to New York arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 86% of the time; the 6 p.m. ones 57%. Most reliable airline: American Airlines (75%). 15% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for BNA → JFK: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 47% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 67 three hours or more; 5.4% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 2,732 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,33872%6.2%−9 min10.6%+88 minEndeavor Air 98%, Republic Airways 2%
American Airlines84575%3.1%−6 min7.1%+65 minRepublic Airways
JetBlue54968%7.1%−6 min10.2%+74 minJetBlue

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at BNA). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 75% on time (220 flights)756a7 a.m. departures: 84% on time (358 flights)847a8 a.m. departures: 86% on time (234 flights)868a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (30 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 73% on time (257 flights)7310a11 a.m. departures: 71% on time (430 flights)7111anoon departures: 74% on time (173 flights)7412p1 p.m. departures: 64% on time (329 flights)641p2 p.m. departures: 78% on time (150 flights)782p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (66 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (14 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 61% on time (219 flights)615p6 p.m. departures: 57% on time (251 flights)576p
BNA → JFK, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsDelta Air LinesAmerican AirlinesJetBlue
6 a.m.—74%—
7 a.m.83%——
8 a.m.—88%—
10 a.m.74%——
11 a.m.69%83%62%
noon—72%—
1 p.m.63%57%—
2 p.m.79%——
5 p.m.65%——
6 p.m.62%——

Last flight of the day

On BNA → JFK, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 6.9% of the time, against 4.8% for its earlier flights (1.5× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 2.0% of the time (earlier flights: 1.3%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
American Airlines8:43 a.m.3.2%1.1%3.3%first flight 8:36 a.m.
JetBlue6:00 p.m.7.5%3.5%7.5%first flight 11:07 a.m.
Delta Air Lines6:25 p.m.9.6%1.9%4.9%first flight 7:05 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in JFK tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: April (84%). Worst: July (58%).

40%70%100%Jan: 72% on time (499 flights)72JanFeb: 74% on time (470 flights)74FebMar: 79% on time (547 flights)79MarApr: 84% on time (564 flights)84AprMay: 79% on time (648 flights)79MayJun: 63% on time (662 flights)63JunJul: 58% on time (682 flights)58JulAug: 71% on time (678 flights)71AugSep: 81% on time (650 flights)81SepOct: 82% on time (678 flights)82OctNov: 83% on time (612 flights)83NovDec: 74% on time (579 flights)74Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday40471%8.2%
Tuesday38470%7.8%
Wednesday38380%1.0%
Thursday38570%3.9%
Friday39474%3.8%
Saturday38974%3.6%
Sunday39366%9.4%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 42%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 30%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 24%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: air traffic/airport 58 · weather 49 · airline 41

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 71% on time, 7.2% cancelledOct 2023: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 86% on time, 0.6% cancelledJan 2024: 74% on time, 5.8% cancelledFeb 2024: 80% on time, 2.1% cancelledMar 2024: 85% on time, 0.7% cancelledApr 2024: 84% on time, 1.7% cancelledMay 2024: 81% on time, 2.2% cancelledJun 2024: 70% on time, 4.5% cancelledJul 2024: 68% on time, 1.8% cancelledAug 2024: 66% on time, 6.3% cancelledSep 2024: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 78% on time, 0.6% cancelledJan 2025: 80% on time, 4.9% cancelledFeb 2025: 69% on time, 1.5% cancelledMar 2025: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 73% on time, 1.7% cancelledJun 2025: 55% on time, 9.2% cancelledJul 2025: 55% on time, 14.1% cancelledAug 2025: 83% on time, 0.8% cancelledSep 2025: 86% on time, 0.4% cancelledOct 2025: 77% on time, 1.4% cancelledNov 2025: 74% on time, 2.8% cancelledDec 2025: 61% on time, 5.2% cancelledJan 2026: 65% on time, 12.1% cancelledFeb 2026: 73% on time, 8.4% cancelledMar 2026: 74% on time, 1.8% cancelledApr 2026: 84% on time, 0.5% cancelledMay 2026: 84% on time, 1.8% cancelledJun 2026: 67% on time, 4.0% cancelledJul 2026: 52% on time, 17.5% cancelledAug 2026: 65% on time, 12.9% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
BNA → JFK, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
DL 49167:05 a.m.31082%4.2%−13 minEndeavor Air
DL 491910:00 a.m.27769%5.4%−5 minEndeavor Air
AA 471212:00 p.m.31979%2.5%−8 minRepublic Airways
B6 11741:53 p.m.32665%7.7%−4 minJetBlue
DL 46621:53 p.m.14167%8.5%−10 minEndeavor Air
DL 49096:27 p.m.31961%10.7%−5 minEndeavor Air

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Dec 14, 202590%6
Jan 26, 202670%7
Jul 18, 202670%4
Jul 21, 202670%5
Feb 24, 202670%5

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Nashville or New York. None has been clearly more reliable than BNA → JFK.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
BNA → JFK (this route)2,73272%5.4%
BNA → EWR Nashville to Newark1,88372%3.1%
BNA → LGA Nashville to LaGuardia4,47068%4.2%

Questions

How often are flights from BNA to JFK on time?

72% of 2,732 scheduled flights from Nashville, TN to New York, NY arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 5.4% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly BNA to JFK?

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (86% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (57%).

Which airline is most on time from BNA to JFK?

American Airlines: 75% of its 845 flights on the route arrived on time. Delta Air Lines: 72%. JetBlue: 68%.

What month has the most delays from BNA to JFK?

July (58% on time). The best month is April (84%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from BNA to JFK more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last BNA–JFK flight of the day was cancelled 6.9% of the time over the past year, against 4.8% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.