San Francisco (SFO) → New York (JFK)
A reference for the San Francisco International Airport to John F Kennedy International Airport route. You'll find the operators on file, the great-circle geometry, the connecting options if no nonstop fits your dates, and a short profile of each endpoint airport.
The flight from San Francisco (SFO) to New York (JFK) covers a great-circle distance of roughly 4,152 km (2,580 miles). Aircraft leave San Francisco International Airport on an initial east heading. As US domestic sectors go, this one sits in the extended long-haul bracket: long enough that most carriers run it as its own dedicated rotation, but short enough to fit inside a single crew duty period.
5 carriers file a direct SFO to JFK sector, with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines among the operators on record. A route attracting this many carriers usually points to a city pair with both leisure and business demand, or a competitive hub-to-hub link where the airline alliances overlap on the same metal.
Operators on the SFO → JFK direction
Carriers with at least one scheduled rotation on this sector in the OpenFlights dataset, ranked by the number of code-shared filings.
| IATA | Airline | Country | Callsign |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA | American Airlines | United States | AMERICAN |
| AS | Alaska Airlines | ALASKA | Inc. |
| B6 | JetBlue Airways | United States | JETBLUE |
| DL | Delta Air Lines | United States | DELTA |
| UA | United Airlines | United States | UNITED |
Sectors this long are almost always flown by widebodies with extra fuel tankage. The 787-9, A350-900, and 777 family are the regulars on routes like this. Block time runs about 5h 37m, with two meal services, a long sleep cycle, and (on premium fares) lie-flat seating that's now the industry default for journeys this long.
If a nonstop doesn't match your dates, Atlanta (ATL), Chicago (ORD), and London (LHR) show up on both ends of the network and make the most natural connecting points. The connecting-hubs grid below extends that list to the eight strongest options, ranked by each airport's overall departure activity. That ranking is a fast proxy for how many onward flights a single stop is likely to feed.
Connecting hubs
Airports that already appear on both ends of this network. They're the natural one-stop options when no nonstop matches your dates, ranked by overall departure activity.
Both endpoints sit inside the United States, so this counts as a domestic sector for fare-bucket, baggage, and carry-on purposes. Reservations on US carriers usually pick up the standard domestic checked-bag fee unless you hold elite status, and TSA PreCheck eligibility applies at the departure airport. See the United States routes index for other domestic pairs in the same network.
On the day of operation, the SFO to JFK direction lifts off heading east, then the great-circle track curves to compensate for the Earth's rotation. The return JFK to SFO sector heads west out of the gate, with 3 operators on file for the inbound side. Combine the two operator lists for a full picture of the city pair's competitive landscape.
BTS domestic traffic (SFO → JFK, 2025)
Real 2025 passenger, freight, and departure-frequency totals for this exact non-stop segment, from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics T-100 Domestic Segment (All Carriers) database — not an OpenFlights field. Scheduled-passenger service (BTS service class F) only; all-cargo and non-scheduled service are excluded.
| Carrier code | Carrier (BTS record) | Passengers | Departures performed |
|---|---|---|---|
| DL | Delta Air Lines Inc. | 384,514 | 2,178 |
| B6 | JetBlue Airways | 259,626 | 1,880 |
| AS | Alaska Airlines Inc. | 175,686 | 1,142 |
| AA | American Airlines Inc. | 127,258 | 1,393 |
| AF | Compagnie Natl Air France | 175 | 1 |
Aircraft types flown on this segment in 2025, by departures performed: Airbus Industrie A321/Lr (2,863 departures), Boeing 767-300/300ER (1,559 departures), Boeing 757-200 (601 departures), Boeing 737-900ER (479 departures), Boeing B737 Max 900 (448 departures), Airbus Industrie A321-200n (409 departures), Boeing 737-800 (198 departures), Boeing B737 Max 800 (17 departures) and 3 other aircraft type(s). Mail carried: 54,124 lb. Departures scheduled vs. performed: 6,695 scheduled, 6,594 performed.
Data as of: full calendar year 2025 (all 12 months) · Source: BTS T-100 Domestic Segment (All Carriers), U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics (public domain, U.S. government work). Carrier names and aircraft-type descriptions are BTS's own record values, not this site's. Figures reflect carrier-filed BTS reports, not real-time bookings. See the BTS domestic traffic hub and methodology for match coverage and corrections path.
Endpoints
Other routes from San Francisco (SFO)
Other destinations served from the same origin. Handy for combining trips or for finding an alternate first leg.
Other routes into New York (JFK)
Other origins that already file scheduled service into the destination airport.
Reading this route page
The operator list reflects scheduled-route filings in the OpenFlights dataset, not real-time availability. A carrier appearing here publishes a scheduled service on this sector. It isn't a live timetable, and the actual flight numbers, frequencies, and aircraft types shift season to season. For booking and current schedules, cross-reference the airline page above with the carrier's own website.
Distance here is the great-circle arc between the two airports' published coordinates. Real flight tracks wander off that line because of wind, ATC routings, oceanic crossings, and political airspace constraints. Block time is an estimate covering ground taxi, climb, cruise at typical jet speeds, and descent. Real block times shift with aircraft type, weather, and traffic, so treat the stat-strip number as a planning indicator rather than a published flight time.