Flight Time Calculator

Last Updated:

Find out exactly what time you land — in local time at your destination. Handles time zone crossings and date changes automatically.

🛫 Departure

⏱ Flight Duration

🛬 Destination

Local Arrival Time

—

Arrival Date—
Flight Duration—
Time Zone Shift—
Departure (UTC)—
Arrival (UTC)—

📐 How Arrival Time is Calculated

1. Convert departure local time → UTC (subtract departure timezone offset).
2. Add flight duration to get arrival UTC.
3. Convert arrival UTC → destination local time (add destination timezone offset).
Daylight saving offsets are applied automatically by date.

Common Flight Times from Major US Cities

Here are approximate flight durations for popular routes, useful for planning your arrival time. Enter these into the calculator above with your actual departure time and timezone for a precise local arrival time.

  • New York (JFK) → London (LHR): ~7h westbound
  • Los Angeles (LAX) → Tokyo (NRT): ~12h westbound
  • Chicago (ORD) → Paris (CDG): ~9h eastbound
  • Miami (MIA) → Cancun (CUN): ~2h
  • New York (JFK) → Los Angeles (LAX): ~5h 30m westbound
  • Los Angeles (LAX) → New York (JFK): ~5h eastbound
  • Dallas (DFW) → Honolulu (HNL): ~8h
  • San Francisco (SFO) → London (LHR): ~10h

Why Does Flying East Feel Harder than West?

Flying east shortens your day — you "lose" hours. Flying New York to London, you depart at 9 PM and arrive at 9 AM London time, but your body has only had 7 hours of night instead of a full sleep cycle. Flying west lengthens your day, which is easier for the body to adapt to because humans naturally run on a slightly-longer-than-24-hour internal clock.

How to Calculate Jet Lag Recovery Time

A common rule of thumb is one day of recovery per time zone crossed. Crossing 5 time zones (e.g. New York to London) typically requires 3–5 days for full adjustment. Eastward travel usually takes 1–2 days longer to recover from than equivalent westward travel.

How to Use the Flight Time Calculator

1

Enter departure city and local time

Input your departure location and the local time your flight departs. The calculator knows each city's time zone and UTC offset.

2

Enter flight duration

Input the total block time from your ticket — departure gate to arrival gate, including any scheduled ground delays. International flights typically add 30–60 minutes to air time.

3

Add layover time if applicable

For connecting flights, add the total layover duration. The calculator accumulates total elapsed travel time across legs.

4

Read the local arrival time

The result shows your arrival time in the destination's local time zone, accounting for time zone crossings and Daylight Saving Time if applicable.

Why Eastbound Flights Feel Harder Than Westbound

The human circadian rhythm (internal clock) runs on a cycle slightly longer than 24 hours — closer to 24.5 hours for most people. Flying west extends the day, which aligns with this natural tendency and is easier to adapt to. Flying east compresses the day, forcing the body clock to advance — fighting its natural preference. This asymmetry explains why eastbound jet lag typically takes longer to recover from: research suggests roughly one day of adaptation per time zone crossed eastbound, versus slightly faster recovery westbound.

Practical mitigation: for eastbound travel, shift your sleep schedule 1 hour earlier per day for 2–3 days before departure. Avoid napping on arrival, use bright light exposure in the morning at your destination, and use melatonin (0.5–3mg) 30 minutes before your target bedtime at the destination. Staying well-hydrated during the flight and avoiding alcohol reduce overall fatigue compounding the time zone adjustment.

Sources & Methodology

Calculations are based on the most current publicly available data from authoritative government and industry sources:

Frequently Asked Questions

Approximately 7 hours westbound (NY→London). Eastbound (London→NY) is about 8 hours due to jet stream direction. Departing JFK at 9:00 PM ET, you arrive Heathrow around 9:00 AM BST the following morning.

No — that's not physically possible. However, flying westward across the International Date Line (e.g. from Japan to Los Angeles) can make it appear as though you arrive on the calendar day before you departed, because you're moving backward through time zones faster than the clock advances.

Jet streams — fast-moving air currents at cruising altitude — flow predominantly west to east. Flying east (against the jet stream) adds headwind resistance, increasing flight time. Flying west (with the jet stream tailwind) reduces time. The difference on transatlantic routes can be 45–90 minutes.

A red-eye is an overnight flight that departs late at night and arrives early in the morning. The name comes from the bloodshot eyes passengers often have after a short, uncomfortable sleep on the plane. Common red-eyes include LAX→JFK (10:30 PM → 6:30 AM) and cross-Atlantic routes.