New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Flight time
≈ 5h 44m
Bearing
274° W
New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) is 2,469 miles (3,974 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies JFK–LAX
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, Delta Air Lines operated the most departures, one of 3 carriers flying nonstop JFK–LAX; the Airbus A321 was the most common aircraft at 40% of departures; flights ran 86% full.
Departures
1,699
April 2026
Seats
306,742
both directions
Passengers
263,145
both directions
Load factor
85.8%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies JFK–LAX?
Delta Air Lines operated the most nonstop JFK–LAX departures in April 2026 (594), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- DL
Delta Air Lines
594 departures · 139,055 seats
Share of departures35.0%86.2%
Load
- B6
JetBlue Airways
572 departures · 90,352 seats
Share of departures33.7%85.9%
Load
- AA
American Airlines
533 departures · 77,335 seats
Share of departures31.4%84.9%
Load
What plane flies JFK–LAX?
In April 2026, the Airbus A321 flew 40% of JFK–LAX departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Airbus A321
680 departures · 87.4% load
40.0% - Airbus A321neo
310 departures · 85.9% load
18.3% - Boeing 767-300
228 departures · 89.2% load
13.4% - Boeing 767-400ER
143 departures · 85.2% load
8.4% - Boeing 777-200
111 departures · 79.4% load
6.5% - Airbus A330-200
89 departures · 87.6% load
5.2% - Airbus A330-300
64 departures · 85.1% load
3.8% - Airbus A330-900
56 departures · 80.9% load
3.3% - Boeing 757-200
14 departures · 70.9% load
0.8% - Boeing 777-300ER
4 departures · 72.5% load
0.2%
How has JFK–LAX traffic changed?
Nonstop JFK–LAX departures fell from 1,757 in May 2025 to 1,699 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop JFK–LAX traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
1,757 departures · 267,118 passengers
89.8%
Load
June 2025
1,735 departures · 261,539 passengers
89.1%
Load
July 2025
1,787 departures · 253,987 passengers
86.1%
Load
August 2025
1,817 departures · 260,114 passengers
86.6%
Load
September 2025
1,704 departures · 243,865 passengers
86.3%
Load
October 2025
1,777 departures · 260,055 passengers
85.8%
Load
November 2025
1,691 departures · 247,261 passengers
83.5%
Load
December 2025
1,744 departures · 259,800 passengers
88.4%
Load
January 2026
1,563 departures · 231,390 passengers
85.4%
Load
February 2026
1,335 departures · 192,106 passengers
85.6%
Load
March 2026
1,682 departures · 258,685 passengers
88.7%
Load
April 2026
1,699 departures · 263,145 passengers
85.8%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
JFK → LAX
83.3% full
852 departures · 128,073 passengers
LAX → JFK
88.3% full
847 departures · 135,072 passengers
Nonstop JFK–LAX traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is New York (JFK) from Los Angeles (LAX)?
JFK to LAX is 2,469 miles (3,974 km / 2,146 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from JFK to LAX?
A nonstop covers the 2,469-mile great-circle distance in roughly 5h 44m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies JFK–LAX?
In April 2026, the Airbus A321 flew the largest share of departures (40.0%), followed by the Airbus A321neo (18.3%).
What mileage do I earn flying JFK–LAX?
Distance-based programs credit off the 2,469-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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