Transatlantic route record · UK CAA departure punctuality
EDI→JFK
Edinburgh to New York
- Flights
- 1,104 both ways
- Carriers
- 3
- Distance
- 3,247 mi
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026
Over the twelve months to August 2026, 74.5% of departures from Edinburgh to John F. Kennedy International left within 15 minutes of their planned time, from 607 flights the UK Civil Aviation Authority matched to a schedule. That is 2 points behind the 76.4% recorded across every UK departure to the United States, and it ranks 26th of the 50 UK-to-US routes with a usable record. About one flight in four left at least 15 minutes behind schedule, and 16 of 623 scheduled departures, 2.6%, did not operate at all.
The route's 74.5% is a decline of 4 points from the same months a year earlier, when 78.0% left on time. Across every departure from the 25 UK airports the CAA reports, to any destination, 72.4% left within 15 minutes in the same period; transatlantic departures run slightly better than the UK average, partly because wide-body long-haul flights are scheduled with more slack than short-haul rotations. Within the route, the spread between carriers is 10 points, which matters more to a booking than the route average does.
Key figures
Left on time
74.5%
Within 15 minutes of schedule, of 607 departures (CAA)
Avg delay
17 min
Across all departures, early counted as zero
Cancelled
2.57%
All UK-to-US departures: 2.16%
3+ hours late
0.97%
The UK261 compensation threshold
9.0% of departures left more than an hour late, and 0.97% left three hours or more behind schedule, about one flight in 100. Three hours at arrival is the threshold at which UK261 compensation becomes payable, £520 a passenger on a sector of this length; the CAA measures the departure, so a flight in that band left the gate three hours late, which is not quite the same test but rarely ends differently after seven hours over the Atlantic. The average delay across every matched departure, early ones counted as zero, was 16.7 minutes, against 14.2 for all UK-to-US departures.
Carrier by carrier
Which airline leaves EDI for JFK on time
JetBlue Airways is the most punctual carrier on the departing leg at 78.2% across 174 flights, and American Airlines the least at 68.1% across 176. 10 points between them is a large gap for one city pair, large enough to prefer the better carrier at a modest fare difference. Cancellations tell a different story: JetBlue Airways dropped 3.3% of its scheduled departures, the highest on the route, and a cancellation costs a traveller more than any delay.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JetBlue Airwaysthin sample | 180 | 78.2% | 11 min | 3.33% | B− |
| Delta Air Linesthin sample | 265 | 76.4% | 15 min | 3.02% | B− |
| American Airlinesthin sample | 178 | 68.1% | 25 min | 1.12% | C |
Flights are scheduled departures in the CAA file, operated plus cancelled; on time is within 15 minutes of the planned off-block time. The DOT count below includes the return direction and may differ.
How late is late
How delays on EDI to JFK are distributed
- Early15+ min early3.4%
- On timeup to 15 min late71.1%
- 16–30 min7.5%
- 31–60 min6.6%
- 1–2 hours6.4%
- 2–3 hours1.6%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.8%
- Over 6 hours0.2%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
Across the year
When EDI to JFK runs late
August was the weakest month for departures at 61.5% on time and October the strongest at 92.5%, a swing of 31 points across the year. That is a wide seasonal range, wider than the gap between the best and worst carriers, so the month you fly matters more than the airline you pick. The DOT's count puts the busiest month at 185 flights in May 2026 and the thinnest at 0 in February 2026, so capacity follows the summer peak.
Flights per month, both directions
- July 2025123
- August 2025125
- September 2025119
- October 2025103
- November 202533
- December 202534
- January 20266
- February 20260
- March 202675
- April 2026123
- May 2026185
- June 2026178
The DOT's international report counts flights in both directions together: 1,104 between EDI and JFK from July 2025 to June 2026, about one departure a day in each direction, carrying 160,917 passengers. That makes it the busiest of 8 US routes from Edinburgh and the 14th busiest of 34 European routes into JFK.
The return leg
JFK to EDI: arrivals back into Edinburgh
Coming the other way, 69.4% of arrivals from John F. Kennedy International into Edinburgh reached the gate within 15 minutes of schedule, across 613 flights. 28% arrived more than 15 minutes early, which is normal for an eastbound crossing with the jet stream behind it and a schedule padded for the days it is not. 1.76% of those arrivals were three hours or more late, the figure that decides a compensation claim on the return trip, and 0.7% were cancelled.
Arrived on time
69.4%
Within 15 minutes, of 613 arrivals
Early
27.5%
More than 15 minutes ahead of schedule
Cancelled
0.65%
3+ hours late
1.76%
Arrival delay, the compensation test
- Early15+ min early27.5%
- On timeup to 15 min late42.0%
- 16–30 min10.5%
- 31–60 min8.9%
- 1–2 hours7.3%
- 2–3 hours1.4%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold1.6%
- Over 6 hours0.2%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
The departure airport
How Edinburgh is running
EUROCONTROL's figures for Edinburgh as a whole, every airline and every destination: 71.4% of departures and 74.0% of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule from 1 January to 21 October 2026, with 97.0% of scheduled flights operated. The last seven days ran at 73.0% for departures, 2 points better than the year so far. Air traffic flow management delay attributed to the airport averaged 0.0 minutes per arriving flight this year, 0.0 over the last week.
| Window | Departures on time | Arrivals on time | Schedules operated | ATFM delay / arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday (21 October 2026) | 81.7% | 82.1% | 96.5% | 0.0 min |
| Last 7 days | 73.0% | 77.0% | 96.8% | 0.0 min |
| Year to date | 71.4% | 74.0% | 97.0% | 0.0 min |
Every US route from Edinburgh, and its full punctuality record
The arrival airport
Landing at John F. Kennedy International
John F. Kennedy International is scored on this site from the DOT's domestic data: 74.3% of its 102,713 domestic departures arrived on time over the last twelve months, with delayed flights running a little over an hour late, and 3.98% were cancelled. Those are domestic flights, not this route, but an arriving transatlantic flight shares the same runways, the same weather and the same ground delay programmes, so a bad day at JFK reaches a flight from EDI just as surely. The airport's own page has the hour-by-hour and month-by-month detail, and its live FAA status appears above when the FAA has something to say.
Domestic on time
74.3%
Arrivals under 15 minutes late (DOT)
Avg delay
77 min
Delayed domestic flights only
Cancelled
3.98%
Domestic departures
102,713
Last twelve months
John F. Kennedy International (JFK) delay statistics, hour by hour and month by month
Your rights
UK261 on EDI to JFK
Every flight that departs Edinburgh falls under UK261, the retained version of the EU regulation, whichever airline flies it and wherever it lands. If it arrives at John F. Kennedy International three hours or more late, or is cancelled with under 14 days' notice, and the cause was within the airline's control, each passenger is owed £520 (£260 if the airline got you there under four hours late), on top of rebooking and care. Weather, air traffic control restrictions and strikes outside the airline are the usual exemptions. The return flight from JFK is covered only when the carrier is UK or EU based. The sector is about 3,247 miles, 5,224 km, which puts it in the top distance band.
Delayed three hours or more? Check a claim with Compensair →
What to do with this
Booking EDI to JFK
Booked blind, EDI to JFK is a C route by the departure record. Booked with the numbers, it is JetBlue Airways at 78.2%, outside August if the dates are flexible, and a connection at JFK with at least two hours in hand, because 9% of departures were an hour or more late and immigration comes before any onward flight.
Common questions
EDI to JFK questions
How often are EDI to JFK flights delayed?
About one flight in four leaves Edinburgh at least 15 minutes behind schedule, 25.5% of the 607 departures the CAA matched between September 2025 and August 2026. 9.0% left more than an hour late and 0.97% three hours or more. A further 2.6% of scheduled departures were cancelled.
Which airline is most punctual from EDI to JFK?
JetBlue Airways, at 78.2% of departures within 15 minutes across 174 flights. American Airlines is lowest at 68.1%. Cancellation rates were 3.3% and 1.1% respectively.
Can I claim compensation for a delayed EDI to JFK flight?
Yes, if the flight arrived three hours or more late or was cancelled at short notice for a reason within the airline's control: departures from Edinburgh are covered by UK261 whichever airline operates them. The fixed amount for a sector of this length is £520 a passenger, £260 if the airline got you there under four hours late. On this route 0.97% of departures left three hours or more late over the last twelve months. The return from JFK is covered only on a UK or EU carrier.
What is the worst month for delays on EDI to JFK?
August, at 61.5% of departures on time, against 92.5% in October, the best month. A gap that size is worth moving flexible dates for.
Related
Where to go next
- Edinburgh (EDI): every US route
- John F. Kennedy International (JFK) delay statistics
- EDI to EWR, Newark (EWR)886 flights
- EDI to BOS, Boston (BOS)723 flights
- EDI to IAD, Washington (IAD)541 flights
- EDI to ATL, Atlanta (ATL)445 flights
- LHR to JFK, from London14,572 flights
- CDG to JFK, from Paris7,055 flights
- FCO to JFK, from Rome3,990 flights
- FRA to JFK, from Frankfurt3,168 flights
- Every Europe-to-US route and airport
The departure record is the CAA's, measured at Edinburgh; the arrival record for the return leg is also measured at Edinburgh. Nothing here is measured at JFK, where the DOT keeps no record of international flights.
Sources: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, International Report (flights and passengers by carrier and airport pair), July 2025 to June 2026; UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics, September 2025 to August 2026; EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Portal, airport punctuality and ATFM delay to 21 October 2026. Rebuilt 22 October 2026; the EUROCONTROL figures refresh with each weekly build, the others when their publisher releases a month. How these sources differ.