SkyDuration

Flight Time Calculator

Distance and average speed in, estimated flight time out — a quick sanity check before you book.

Distance (miles)

Average cruising speed (mph)

Estimated flight time

5h 0m

Add ~30–45 min for taxi, takeoff, and landing

What you entered

Distance: 2500 miCruising speed: 500 mph

1
Flight time = distance ÷ cruising speed
2500 mi ÷ 500 mph= 5.00 hrs
2
Convert to hours and minutes
5h + 0.00h × 60= 5h 0m

Result

Flight time: 5h 0m

At 500 mph, covering 2500 miles takes about 5h 0m of flight time.

Flight time on common routes at 500 mph and 550 mph cruise

Pure cruise-speed flight time for twelve routes people search for most, using great-circle distance in statute miles. 500 mph is this calculator's default; 550 mph is a typical Boeing 737/787 or Airbus A320/A350 cruising speed. Enter the same two numbers above and you will get the same answer.

Route	Distance (mi)	Time at 500 mph	Time at 550 mph
London to Paris (LHR-CDG)	214	0h 26m	0h 23m
New York to Chicago (JFK-ORD)	740	1h 29m	1h 21m
New York to Miami (JFK-MIA)	1,090	2h 11m	1h 59m
Los Angeles to New York (LAX-JFK)	2,475	4h 57m	4h 30m
Los Angeles to Honolulu (LAX-HNL)	2,556	5h 7m	4h 39m
London to Dubai (LHR-DXB)	3,414	6h 50m	6h 12m
New York to London (JFK-LHR)	3,459	6h 55m	6h 17m
London to Delhi (LHR-DEL)	4,180	8h 22m	7h 36m
Los Angeles to Tokyo (LAX-HND)	5,478	10h 57m	9h 58m
London to Singapore (LHR-SIN)	6,764	13h 32m	12h 18m
San Francisco to Sydney (SFO-SYD)	7,417	14h 50m	13h 29m
Singapore to New York (SIN-JFK)	9,537	19h 4m	17h 20m

Times are distance divided by cruising speed and nothing else. They do not include taxi, climb, descent, or holding, which together usually add 30 to 45 minutes, and they assume still air. Jet stream winds of 100 to 200 mph make eastbound transatlantic and transpacific flights meaningfully faster than the same route westbound, so a scheduled block time is typically 10 to 20 percent longer than the numbers above. Distances are great-circle; a real routed track is longer. Use these as a planning sanity check, not as a booked schedule.

Why actual flight times differ

Real flights add taxi time, climb/descent, jet stream headwinds or tailwinds, and routing around weather — actual duration is usually 10–20% longer than pure cruise-speed math.

Frequently asked questions

New York to London is 3,459 miles — how long is the flight?

At a typical cruising speed of 550 mph, pure flight time is about 6 hours 17 minutes. Real flights take 7-8 hours eastbound (headwinds) and 6.5-7 hours westbound (tailwinds from the jet stream). Add 30-60 minutes for taxi, climb, and descent.

Why is my westbound flight shorter than eastbound?

The jet stream flows east at 100-200 mph across the Atlantic and Pacific. Westbound flights fight headwinds, adding time. Eastbound flights ride tailwinds. This is why a London-to-New York flight is often an hour longer than New York-to-London.

What cruising speed should I use for a commercial jet?

Most commercial jets cruise at 460-575 mph (Mach 0.78-0.85). Use 550 mph (885 km/h) as a reasonable default for Boeing 737/787 and Airbus A320/A350 types. Turboprops cruise at 300-400 mph.

Does this include layover time?

No — this calculates direct flight time only. For connecting itineraries, add each flight segment plus the layover duration. Minimum connection times vary by airport (45 minutes to 3 hours).