Transatlantic route record · UK CAA departure punctuality
LGW→JFK
London to New York
- Flights
- 906 both ways
- Carriers
- 3
- Distance
- 3,460 mi
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026
Over the twelve months to August 2026, 73.5% of departures from London Gatwick to John F. Kennedy International left within 15 minutes of their planned time, from 335 flights the UK Civil Aviation Authority matched to a schedule. That is 3 points behind the 76.4% recorded across every UK departure to the United States, and it ranks 31st of the 50 UK-to-US routes with a usable record. About one flight in four left at least 15 minutes behind schedule, and 9 of 344 scheduled departures, 2.6%, did not operate at all.
The route's 73.5% is an improvement of 8 points on the same months a year earlier, when 65.7% 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 18 points, which matters more to a booking than the route average does.
Key figures
Left on time
73.5%
Within 15 minutes of schedule, of 335 departures (CAA)
Avg delay
18 min
Across all departures, early counted as zero
Cancelled
2.62%
All UK-to-US departures: 2.16%
3+ hours late
1.95%
The UK261 compensation threshold
5.7% of departures left more than an hour late, and 1.95% left three hours or more behind schedule, about one flight in 50. 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 18.0 minutes, against 14.2 for all UK-to-US departures.
Carrier by carrier
Which airline leaves LGW for JFK on time
Norse Atlantic UK is the most punctual carrier on the departing leg at 76.0% across 276 flights, and British Airways the least at 57.9% across 51. 18 points between them is a large gap for one city pair, large enough to prefer the better carrier at a modest fare difference. No carrier here cancels unusually often; the highest cancellation rate on the route is Norse Atlantic UK's 2.8%.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norse Atlantic UKthin sample | 284 | 76.0% | 17 min | 2.82% | B |
| British Airwaysthin sample | 52 | 57.9% | 27 min | 1.92% | D |
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 LGW to JFK are distributed
- Early15+ min early0.0%
- On timeup to 15 min late73.5%
- 16–30 min10.8%
- 31–60 min7.5%
- 1–2 hours2.6%
- 2–3 hours1.1%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold1.7%
- Over 6 hours0.3%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
Across the year
When LGW to JFK runs late
The DOT's international report puts 183 flights on the pair in August 2025, the busiest month of the window, and 26 in January 2026, the thinnest. A summer-to-winter swing of that size means the winter schedule is a different operation: fewer frequencies, so a cancellation leaves a longer wait for the next seat.
Flights per month, both directions
- July 2025178
- August 2025183
- September 2025128
- October 2025108
- November 202539
- December 202540
- January 202626
- February 202628
- March 202638
- April 202644
- May 202634
- June 202660
The DOT's international report counts flights in both directions together: 906 between LGW and JFK from July 2025 to June 2026, about one departure a day in each direction, carrying 247,787 passengers. That makes it the 2nd busiest of 7 US routes from London Gatwick and the 19th busiest of 34 European routes into JFK.
The return leg
JFK to LGW: arrivals back into London
Coming the other way, 70.8% of arrivals from John F. Kennedy International into London Gatwick reached the gate within 15 minutes of schedule, across 335 flights. 17% 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. 3.26% of those arrivals were three hours or more late, the figure that decides a compensation claim on the return trip, and 3.5% were cancelled.
Arrived on time
70.8%
Within 15 minutes, of 335 arrivals
Early
16.5%
More than 15 minutes ahead of schedule
Cancelled
3.46%
3+ hours late
3.26%
Arrival delay, the compensation test
- Early15+ min early16.5%
- On timeup to 15 min late54.3%
- 16–30 min8.7%
- 31–60 min7.3%
- 1–2 hours5.1%
- 2–3 hours1.7%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold2.2%
- Over 6 hours1.0%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
The departure airport
How London Gatwick is running
EUROCONTROL's figures for London Gatwick as a whole, every airline and every destination: 69.2% of departures and 71.9% of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule from 1 January to 21 October 2026, with 96.5% of scheduled flights operated. The last seven days ran at 64.9% for departures, 4 points worse than the year so far. Air traffic flow management delay attributed to the airport averaged 1.5 minutes per arriving flight this year, 1.6 over the last week.
| Window | Departures on time | Arrivals on time | Schedules operated | ATFM delay / arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday (21 October 2026) | 74.9% | 80.1% | 97.0% | 1.7 min |
| Last 7 days | 64.9% | 71.1% | 96.9% | 1.6 min |
| Year to date | 69.2% | 71.9% | 96.5% | 1.5 min |
Every US route from London Gatwick, 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 LGW 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 LGW to JFK
Every flight that departs London Gatwick 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 3,460 miles, 5,567 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 LGW to JFK
Booked blind, LGW to JFK is a C route by the departure record. Booked with the numbers, it is Norse Atlantic UK at 76.0%, outside December if the dates are flexible, and a connection at JFK with at least two hours in hand, because 6% of departures were an hour or more late and immigration comes before any onward flight.
Common questions
LGW to JFK questions
How often are LGW to JFK flights delayed?
About one flight in four leaves London Gatwick at least 15 minutes behind schedule, 26.5% of the 335 departures the CAA matched between September 2025 and August 2026. 5.7% left more than an hour late and 1.95% three hours or more. A further 2.6% of scheduled departures were cancelled.
Which airline is most punctual from LGW to JFK?
Norse Atlantic UK, at 76.0% of departures within 15 minutes across 276 flights. British Airways is lowest at 57.9%. Cancellation rates were 2.8% and 1.9% respectively.
Can I claim compensation for a delayed LGW 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 London Gatwick 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 1.95% 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.
How punctual is the return leg, JFK to LGW?
70.8% of arrivals from John F. Kennedy International reached the gate at London Gatwick within 15 minutes of schedule across 335 flights, and 17% arrived more than 15 minutes early, as eastbound crossings often do. 3.5% were cancelled.
Related
Where to go next
- London Gatwick (LGW): every US route
- John F. Kennedy International (JFK) delay statistics
- LGW to MCO, Orlando (MCO)1,625 flights
- LGW to TPA, Tampa (TPA)625 flights
- LGW to BOS, Boston (BOS)311 flights
- LGW to LAX, Los Angeles (LAX)168 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 London Gatwick; the arrival record for the return leg is also measured at London Gatwick. 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.