How is flight time calculated?

Flight time ≈ great-circle distance × (1 + routing allowance) ÷ (cruise speed ± wind) + taxi, climb and descent time. With the defaults (4% routing, 40 minutes, 515 mph narrow-body or 560 mph wide-body), Chicago O'Hare to Los Angeles (1,741 miles) is 1,741 × 1.04 ÷ 515 = 3.52 hours of cruise plus 40 minutes, about 4 h 11 min.

Why are eastbound flights shorter than westbound ones?

The jet stream blows west to east at mid-latitudes, often at 100 mph or more at cruising altitude, so eastbound flights get a tailwind and westbound flights a headwind. Enter a wind of +60 for a tailwind or −60 for a headwind to see the effect; the result also shows the return leg with the wind reversed.

How is the arrival time calculated across time zones?

The departure time is read in the origin airport's IANA time zone, converted to UTC, the flight time is added, and the result is shown in the destination's time zone, so daylight saving changes are handled. The tool also shows the time difference and whether you land the next day or the previous day.

What cruise speeds do the presets use?

Narrow-body jets (A320, 737) about 515 mph (448 knots, Mach 0.78 at 35,000 ft); wide-body jets (777, 787, A350) about 560 mph (487 knots, Mach 0.85); turboprops (ATR 72) about 315 mph; Concorde about 1,350 mph. These are true airspeeds; ground speed adds the wind.

What does the 40-minute allowance cover?

Taxi-out and taxi-in at the airports (often 15–25 minutes combined, more at congested hubs) plus the extra time spent in climb and descent, which are flown slower than cruise. Airline schedules add further buffer, so published block times are usually a little longer than this estimate.

What is great-circle distance?

The shortest path between two points on a sphere. Long flights follow roughly this arc, which is why routes from the US to Asia pass near Alaska. This tool uses the haversine formula with a mean Earth radius of 3,958.8 miles (6,371 km).

Can I enter my own aircraft speed in knots?

Yes. Choose Custom and enter the speed in knots or mph; 1 knot = 1 nautical mile (1,852 m) per hour = 1.15078 mph. A Cessna 172 cruising at 120 knots (138 mph) covers 300 miles in about 2 h 10 min plus your allowance.

Which airports are included?

3,163 large and medium airports with scheduled passenger service and an IATA code, from OurAirports (public domain), with IANA time zones from the open mwgg/Airports dataset. Search by IATA code, airport name, city or country.

Flight Time Calculator

Pick two airports by IATA code or city, set the departure time, and get the estimated gate-to-gate flight time, distance and local arrival time, with wind and the return leg.

Flight time ≈ great-circle distance plus about 4% for airways, divided by cruise speed, plus about 40 minutes for taxi, climb and descent.

Route & Aircraft

From (city, airport or IATA code)

To (city, airport or IATA code)

Departure (local time at origin)

Aircraft / cruise speed

Auto by distance
515 mph < 2,500 mi, else 560 Narrow-body jet
515 mph (A320/737) Wide-body jet
560 mph (777/A350) Turboprop
315 mph (ATR 72) Supersonic
1,350 mph (Concorde) Custom speed
knots or mph

Wind (mph)

Routing (+%)

Taxi/climb (min)

Wind: + tailwind, − headwind (average along the route). Routing: airways are usually 2–6% longer than the great circle.

Loading 3,163 airports…

Quick Routes

Pick two airports, then click Calculate.

Estimated Flight Time (gate to gate)

Miles

Naut. mi

Time Breakdown

Step	Value

Flight Times for Popular Routes

Still-air estimates with the default settings: Auto speed, +4% routing and 40 minutes for taxi, climb and descent. Real schedules vary with wind and direction.

Route	Miles	Km	Cruise speed	Flight time
JFK–LAX New York to Los Angeles	2,469	3,974	515 mph	5h 39m
ORD–LAX Chicago to Los Angeles	1,741	2,802	515 mph	4h 11m
ATL–MCO Atlanta to Orlando	404	651	515 mph	1h 29m
DFW–ORD Dallas-Fort Worth to Chicago	802	1,291	515 mph	2h 17m
LAX–HNL Los Angeles to Honolulu, Oahu	2,553	4,109	560 mph	5h 24m
JFK–LHR New York to London	3,442	5,540	560 mph	7h 04m
JFK–CDG New York to Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)	3,625	5,834	560 mph	7h 24m
LHR–CDG London to Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)	216	348	515 mph	1h 06m
DXB–LHR Dubai to London	3,417	5,499	560 mph	7h 01m
SFO–NRT San Francisco to Narita	5,112	8,227	560 mph	10h 10m
LAX–SYD Los Angeles to Sydney (Mascot)	7,495	12,061	560 mph	14h 35m
SIN–LHR Singapore to London	6,763	10,883	560 mph	13h 14m
SIN–JFK Singapore to New York	9,532	15,341	560 mph	18h 22m
IAH–BOM Houston to Mumbai	8,957	14,414	560 mph	17h 18m
HKG–SIN Hong Kong to Singapore	1,594	2,566	515 mph	3h 53m
SGN–HAN Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi (Soc Son)	721	1,160	515 mph	2h 07m

Method, worked example and limitations

Flight time = great-circle distance × (1 + routing %) ÷ (cruise speed + wind) + taxi/climb/descent allowance.

Example, Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX): great-circle distance 1,741 mi → 1,741 × 1.04 = 1,811 mi flown. Under 2,500 mi, Auto picks a narrow-body at 515 mph: 1,811 ÷ 515 = 3.52 h = 3 h 31 min, plus 40 min = 4 h 11 min. Against a 60 mph headwind: 1,811 ÷ 455 = 3.98 h, so 4 h 39 min; with the same wind behind you on the return, 1,811 ÷ 575 + 40 min = 3 h 49 min.

Arrival time: the departure is read in the origin's IANA time zone (for example America/Chicago), converted to UTC, the flight time is added, and the result is shown in the destination zone (America/Los_Angeles), including daylight saving.

This is a planning estimate, not a schedule: it does not model airspace restrictions, holding, aircraft weight, step climbs or airline padding. Airport data: OurAirports (public domain); time zones: mwgg/Airports (MIT); unit definitions: NIST SP 811.

Quick answer

Flight time ≈ great-circle distance plus about 4% for airways, divided by cruise speed, plus about 40 minutes for taxi, climb and descent. New York JFK to London Heathrow is 3,442 miles: 3,442 × 1.04 ÷ 560 mph = 6.39 hours, about 7 h 04 min gate to gate in still air. Tailwinds from the jet stream make eastbound flights shorter and westbound ones longer.

Examples

Route	Great-circle miles	Estimated gate to gate
New York JFK – London LHR	3,442	7h 04m
Chicago ORD – Los Angeles LAX	1,741	4h 11m
San Francisco SFO – Tokyo NRT	5,112	10h 10m
Hong Kong HKG – Singapore SIN	1,594	3h 53m
Singapore SIN – New York JFK	9,532	18h 22m

Search 3,163 airports, set your departure time and wind, and get the flight time and local arrival time.

Summary

This calculator estimates gate-to-gate flight time between two airports: the great-circle distance, plus a routing allowance because airways are rarely straight, divided by a realistic cruise speed adjusted for wind, plus time for taxi, climb and descent. Enter the departure time and it converts the arrival into the destination's local time, including daylight saving, the day change and the time difference. Airport coordinates come from OurAirports and time zones from the IANA database.

How it works

Type a city, airport name or IATA code (such as JFK or SGN) in From and To and pick from the list.
Keep the Auto speed (narrow-body under 2,500 miles, wide-body beyond) or choose an aircraft or your own speed.
Optionally set an average wind component, the routing allowance and the taxi/climb/descent time.
Set the local departure date and time to get the arrival time in the destination time zone.
Click Calculate to see distance, cruise time, total gate-to-gate time, arrival time and the return leg with the wind reversed.

Use cases

Estimate how long a nonstop flight will take before booking.
Work out the local arrival time and date on long-haul and date-line routes.
See how much the jet stream can change eastbound and westbound times.
Plan connection windows from segment durations.
Estimate flight time for a route with no direct service.
Check private or light-aircraft trips with a custom speed in knots.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-10-09 · Reviewed by Nham Vu