ON TIMEBOARD

LAX → EWR on time

Los Angeles LAX (Los Angeles, CA) to Newark (Newark, NJ). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
77%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.1%
4,748 flights
Typical arrival
−11 min
median vs schedule
When late
+75 min
average delay
Flights / day
13
4 airlines

77% of flights from Los Angeles to Newark arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 7 a.m. departures ran on time 91% of the time; the 1 p.m. ones 58%. Most reliable airline: Alaska Airlines (89%). 11% 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 LAX → EWR: 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 62 three hours or more; 2.1% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 4,748 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines3,52675%1.8%−10 min8.8%+77 minUnited Airlines
Alaska Airlines49089%1.6%−21 min2.4%+58 minAlaska Airlines
JetBlue48075%3.5%−8 min9.6%+79 minJetBlue
Spirit Airlines25271%5.2%−6 min6.7%+51 minSpirit Airlines

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 LAX). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: too few flights (50 flights)5a6 a.m. departures: 88% on time (250 flights)886a7 a.m. departures: 91% on time (663 flights)917a8 a.m. departures: 76% on time (616 flights)768a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (46 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 70% on time (422 flights)7010a11 a.m. departures: 66% on time (467 flights)6611anoon departures: 66% on time (331 flights)6612p1 p.m. departures: 58% on time (363 flights)581p2 p.m. departures: 72% on time (142 flights)722p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: 79% on time (263 flights)794p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: 75% on time (147 flights)758p9 p.m. departures: 87% on time (479 flights)879p10 p.m. departures: 80% on time (168 flights)8010p11 p.m. departures: 77% on time (341 flights)7711p
LAX → EWR, 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

DepartsUnited AirlinesAlaska AirlinesJetBlueSpirit Airlines
6 a.m.89%———
7 a.m.90%92%——
8 a.m.79%82%—60%
10 a.m.71%———
11 a.m.67%—61%—
noon66%———
1 p.m.58%———
2 p.m.72%———
4 p.m.79%———
8 p.m.——79%—
9 p.m.86%———
11 p.m.75%———

Last flight of the day

On LAX → EWR, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 2.1% of the time, against 1.9% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.6% 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
Alaska Airlines8:35 a.m.0.0%0.0%0.8%first flight 8:35 a.m.
JetBlue8:40 p.m.2.9%0.5%4.0%first flight 10:55 a.m.
United Airlines11:15 p.m.1.6%0.8%1.8%first flight 6:00 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: October (84%). Worst: July (67%).

40%70%100%Jan: 79% on time (1,104 flights)79JanFeb: 80% on time (1,029 flights)80FebMar: 77% on time (1,206 flights)77MarApr: 80% on time (1,222 flights)80AprMay: 76% on time (1,325 flights)76MayJun: 77% on time (1,315 flights)77JunJul: 67% on time (1,361 flights)67JulAug: 75% on time (1,360 flights)75AugSep: 81% on time (1,480 flights)81SepOct: 84% on time (1,511 flights)84OctNov: 81% on time (1,384 flights)81NovDec: 74% on time (1,346 flights)74Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday70776%2.7%
Tuesday65981%1.1%
Wednesday66582%0.9%
Thursday68976%0.7%
Friday69378%2.2%
Saturday63673%1.3%
Sunday69969%5.7%

Why flights were late

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

Air traffic & airport (NAS) 36%Late inbound plane 32%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 31%Severe weather 1%

Cancellations: weather 64 · airline 23 · air traffic/airport 13

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 70% on time, 2.8% cancelledOct 2023: 87% on time, 0.4% cancelledNov 2023: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 72% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 77% on time, 5.7% cancelledFeb 2024: 85% on time, 1.5% cancelledMar 2024: 78% on time, 1.1% cancelledApr 2024: 77% on time, 1.9% cancelledMay 2024: 82% on time, 0.8% cancelledJun 2024: 75% on time, 2.1% cancelledJul 2024: 69% on time, 3.2% cancelledAug 2024: 77% on time, 4.4% cancelledSep 2024: 89% on time, 1.2% cancelledOct 2024: 86% on time, 0.6% cancelledNov 2024: 80% on time, 0.7% cancelledDec 2024: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 87% on time, 0.9% cancelledFeb 2025: 82% on time, 1.3% cancelledMar 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 78% on time, 1.2% cancelledMay 2025: 60% on time, 2.1% cancelledJun 2025: 77% on time, 0.9% cancelledJul 2025: 67% on time, 4.5% cancelledAug 2025: 78% on time, 2.1% cancelledSep 2025: 84% on time, 0.9% cancelledOct 2025: 80% on time, 1.0% cancelledNov 2025: 75% on time, 1.5% cancelledDec 2025: 73% on time, 1.5% cancelledJan 2026: 73% on time, 3.7% cancelledFeb 2026: 73% on time, 8.3% cancelledMar 2026: 68% on time, 1.4% cancelledApr 2026: 87% on time, 0.9% cancelledMay 2026: 89% on time, 0.3% cancelledJun 2026: 81% on time, 0.3% cancelledJul 2026: 65% on time, 4.0% cancelledAug 2026: 69% on time, 3.6% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
LAX → EWR, 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
UA 27437:00 a.m.36391%1.7%−22 minUnited Airlines
UA 20968:20 a.m.36579%1.1%−11 minUnited Airlines
UA 212710:15 a.m.36571%1.4%−3 minUnited Airlines
B6 187410:45 a.m.19162%4.2%+2 minJetBlue
UA 198111:15 a.m.32766%1.8%−2 minUnited Airlines
UA 18551:25 p.m.34060%2.1%+5 minUnited Airlines
UA 17004:30 p.m.26379%1.5%−17 minUnited Airlines
UA 23979:00 p.m.36285%2.2%−15 minUnited Airlines
B6 157410:30 p.m.20681%2.9%−9 minJetBlue
UA 230311:15 p.m.36574%1.6%−4 minUnited Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Feb 23, 2026120%12
Jan 25, 2026100%10
Jul 18, 2026128%1
Jul 27, 20261315%1
Mar 16, 20261217%1

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Los Angeles or Newark. None has been clearly more reliable than LAX → EWR.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
LAX → EWR (this route)4,74877%2.1%
SNA → EWR Orange County John Wayne to Newark1,09176%2.1%
LAX → JFK Los Angeles LAX to New York JFK10,28975%2.9%
SNA → JFK Orange County John Wayne to New York JFK49371%2.8%

Questions

How often are flights from LAX to EWR on time?

77% of 4,748 scheduled flights from Los Angeles, CA to Newark, NJ arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 2.1% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly LAX to EWR?

Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. were the most reliable (91% on time). The 1 p.m. departures were the least (58%).

Which airline is most on time from LAX to EWR?

Alaska Airlines: 89% of its 490 flights on the route arrived on time. United Airlines: 75%. JetBlue: 75%. Spirit Airlines: 71%.

What month has the most delays from LAX to EWR?

July (67% on time). The best month is October (84%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from LAX to EWR more likely to be cancelled?

Not much. Each airline's last LAX–EWR flight of the day was cancelled 2.1% of the time over the past year, against 1.9% 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.