ON TIMEBOARD

JFK → PHX on time

New York JFK (New York, NY) to Phoenix Sky Harbor (Phoenix, AZ). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
73%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
3.3%
3,097 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+78 min
average delay
Flights / day
8
3 airlines

73% of flights from New York to Phoenix arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 82% of the time; the 7 p.m. ones 51%. Most reliable airline: American Airlines (77%). 12% 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 JFK → PHX: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 52% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 51 three hours or more; 3.3% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 3,097 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
American Airlines1,64777%2.7%−10 min8.0%+97 minAmerican Airlines
Delta Air Lines91970%3.5%−5 min9.1%+62 minDelta Air Lines
JetBlue53169%4.7%−9 min8.3%+63 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 JFK). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 82% on time (355 flights)826a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (94 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: 80% on time (496 flights)808a9 a.m. departures: 72% on time (139 flights)729a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (82 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (15 flights)11anoon departures: 78% on time (310 flights)7812p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (75 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: 81% on time (122 flights)813p4 p.m. departures: 61% on time (141 flights)614p5 p.m. departures: 74% on time (590 flights)745p6 p.m. departures: 69% on time (304 flights)696p7 p.m. departures: 51% on time (183 flights)517p8 p.m. departures: 63% on time (146 flights)638p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (45 flights)9p
JFK → PHX, 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

DepartsAmerican AirlinesDelta Air LinesJetBlue
6 a.m.84%——
8 a.m.85%78%—
9 a.m.71%——
noon78%——
3 p.m.81%——
4 p.m.—58%—
5 p.m.73%70%80%
6 p.m.—72%65%
8 p.m.—60%—

Last flight of the day

On JFK → PHX, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 3.1% of the time, against 3.0% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.2% of the time (earlier flights: 2.0%). 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 Airlines7:15 p.m.2.2%2.7%2.8%first flight 7:02 a.m.
JetBlue7:05 p.m.4.2%1.2%3.6%first flight 7:05 p.m.
Delta Air Lines8:55 p.m.3.6%2.2%3.4%first flight 8:00 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: March (84%). Worst: July (65%).

40%70%100%Jan: 82% on time (740 flights)82JanFeb: 78% on time (688 flights)78FebMar: 84% on time (782 flights)84MarApr: 83% on time (747 flights)83AprMay: 77% on time (741 flights)77MayJun: 75% on time (662 flights)75JunJul: 65% on time (671 flights)65JulAug: 72% on time (662 flights)72AugSep: 81% on time (570 flights)81SepOct: 81% on time (726 flights)81OctNov: 82% on time (749 flights)82NovDec: 77% on time (746 flights)77Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday47272%4.2%
Tuesday42574%4.9%
Wednesday41975%1.4%
Thursday45374%1.8%
Friday45975%2.6%
Saturday40576%3.0%
Sunday46470%4.7%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 37%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 30%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 26%Severe weather 7%

Cancellations: weather 72 · airline 22 · air traffic/airport 7

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 79% on time, 1.1% cancelledOct 2023: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 84% on time, 0.9% cancelledFeb 2024: 88% on time, 0.9% cancelledMar 2024: 83% on time, 0.4% cancelledApr 2024: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 69% on time, 0.4% cancelledJun 2024: 78% on time, 2.0% cancelledJul 2024: 63% on time, 4.4% cancelledAug 2024: 68% on time, 5.7% cancelledSep 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 90% on time, 0.4% cancelledFeb 2025: 74% on time, 2.3% cancelledMar 2025: 88% on time, 0.8% cancelledApr 2025: 80% on time, 0.4% cancelledMay 2025: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 75% on time, 0.5% cancelledJul 2025: 70% on time, 3.0% cancelledAug 2025: 84% on time, 1.5% cancelledSep 2025: 78% on time, 0.5% cancelledOct 2025: 74% on time, 1.7% cancelledNov 2025: 75% on time, 1.6% cancelledDec 2025: 61% on time, 4.4% cancelledJan 2026: 74% on time, 6.9% cancelledFeb 2026: 74% on time, 7.7% cancelledMar 2026: 80% on time, 2.1% cancelledApr 2026: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 80% on time, 1.5% cancelledJun 2026: 74% on time, 0.4% cancelledJul 2026: 63% on time, 8.3% cancelledAug 2026: 64% on time, 3.4% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
JFK → PHX, 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
AA 23696:59 a.m.18182%2.2%−10 minAmerican Airlines
DL 7918:00 a.m.36578%3.8%−9 minDelta Air Lines
AA 282912:29 p.m.36278%2.2%−12 minAmerican Airlines
AA 23395:00 p.m.24274%2.9%−6 minAmerican Airlines
DL 7985:30 p.m.36467%3.3%−2 minDelta Air Lines
B6 1357:05 p.m.15854%7.6%+6 minJetBlue
DL 7848:55 p.m.19061%3.2%+5 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Feb 23, 202690%9
Jan 26, 202690%5
Dec 3, 202580%0
Jul 18, 202680%4
Jul 28, 202680%3

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of New York or Phoenix. EWR → PHX has been 3 points more reliable.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
JFK → PHX (this route)3,09773%3.3%
EWR → PHX Newark to Phoenix Sky Harbor2,48577%2.4%

Questions

How often are flights from JFK to PHX on time?

73% of 3,097 scheduled flights from New York, NY to Phoenix, AZ arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 3.3% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (82% on time). The 7 p.m. departures were the least (51%).

Which airline is most on time from JFK to PHX?

American Airlines: 77% of its 1,647 flights on the route arrived on time. Delta Air Lines: 70%. JetBlue: 69%.

What month has the most delays from JFK to PHX?

July (65% on time). The best month is March (84%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last JFK–PHX flight of the day was cancelled 3.1% of the time over the past year, against 3.0% 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.