Flight time from New York to Los Angeles

How long is the flight from New York to Los Angeles?

A non-stop flight from New York to Los Angeles takes about 5 hours and 20 minutes. The two cities are 3,974 km (2,470 miles) apart in a straight line, measured between John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Los Angeles International (LAX).

The estimate assumes an average speed of about 830 km/h plus around 35 minutes for taxiing, take-off and landing. Real schedules vary with the airline, aircraft, route and winds – heading west into the jet stream, flights often take a little longer than this. Check your booking for the exact time.

Time difference and arrival time

Los Angeles is 3 hours behind New York right now. A flight leaving New York at 10:00 local time lands at about 12:20 local time in Los Angeles. With a 3h shift, expect some jet lag: as a rough guide the body adjusts by about an hour a day, and flying west (as on this trip) is usually easier than the other way.

Current time in New York · Current time in Los Angeles · New York and Los Angeles time difference · Flight time from Los Angeles to New York

More flights from New York

• New York to Toronto 1h 20m
• New York to Chicago 2h
• New York to Miami 2h 40m
• New York to Cancún 3h 35m
• New York to Mexico City 4h 40m
• New York to Vancouver 5h 20m
• New York to Ho Chi Minh City 17h 50m
• New York to Phuket 18h 5m
• New York to Kuala Lumpur 18h 50m
• New York to Singapore 19h 5m

More flights from Los Angeles

• Los Angeles to San Francisco 1h 15m
• Los Angeles to Vancouver 2h 40m
• Los Angeles to Mexico City 3h 35m
• Los Angeles to Chicago 4h
• Los Angeles to Cancún 4h 40m
• Los Angeles to Toronto 4h 50m
• Los Angeles to Mumbai 17h 25m
• Los Angeles to Singapore 17h 35m
• Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur 17h 40m
• Los Angeles to Jakarta 18h

Why arrival times look strange

Airline schedules always show local times: departure in the departure city’s time and arrival in the arrival city’s time. Fly east and you “lose” hours – a 7-hour flight from New York to London leaving at 19:00 lands at 07:00 the next morning. Fly west and you gain them, which is how you can land in Los Angeles almost at the same clock time you left Tokyo. This calculator handles the time zones and daylight saving time for you.

How the flight time estimate works

In estimate mode the calculator measures the great-circle distance between the two cities – the shortest route over the Earth’s surface – and assumes an average speed of about 830 km/h (515 mph), plus around 35 minutes for taxiing, take-off and landing. That gives a good guide for a non-stop flight. Real schedules vary with the airline, aircraft, winds and route: flights heading east with the jet stream are often quicker than the same trip heading west, so always check your booking for the exact time.