John F Kennedy International to Fairbanks International JFK → FAI
2,841 nautical miles (3,269 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 326°, about 339° magnetic at the departure end (variation 13W). At 120 knots that is 22 h 55 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 4-knot tailwind), arriving about 9:39 pm AKDT (05:39 UTC), after sunset at the destination. For planning, not a briefing: the legal preflight briefing comes from Flight Service (1-800-WX-BRIEF) or the FAA's own tools. Airlines fly this pair: 29 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.
The route the straight line, the warnings crossed, restrictions, pilot reports and the airports along the way · click a mark for its words
Green, blue, red and purple airport dots are the flying conditions reported there now (VFR, marginal VFR, IFR, low IFR); grey means no report. Red areas are SIGMETs, orange areas AIRMETs, hatched red areas temporary flight restrictions. Map tiles: OpenFreeMap, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Warnings the route crosses SIGMETs and AIRMETs whose area the line passes through or comes within 25 nm of
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 209 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 229 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 70 to 179 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 1C: moderate icing up to 22,000 ft. Near the route, 209 nm along the route.
A SIGMET warns of weather hazardous to all aircraft; an AIRMET of weather that matters to small aircraft and to flying without instruments. "From 60 to 180 nm out" is measured along the route from JFK.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
Not fetched just now.
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 02:00–09:00 UTC · at 120 knots true airspeed
The westbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: even thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 10 forecast points nearest it (JFK, AVP, SYR, BUF, TVC, INL, MOT, GGW, GPI, SEA). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 060° at 7 kt | −4 kt | -1 °C | 124 kt | 22 h 55 min | 9:39 pm AKDT (05:39 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 040° at 5 kt | −2 kt | 4 °C | 122 kt | 23 h 17 min | 10:01 pm AKDT (06:01 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 280° at 2 kt | 0 | 2 °C | 120 kt | 23 h 40 min | 10:24 pm AKDT (06:24 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 280° at 5 kt | +1 kt | -1 °C | 119 kt | 23 h 52 min | 10:36 pm AKDT (06:36 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 290° at 8 kt | +3 kt | -3 °C | 117 kt | 24 h 17 min | 11:01 pm AKDT (07:01 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 300° at 12 kt | +6 kt | -7 °C | 114 kt | 24 h 55 min | 11:39 pm AKDT (07:39 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 300° at 16 kt | +9 kt | -10 °C | 111 kt | 25 h 36 min | 12:20 am AKDT (08:20 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 19 kt | +11 kt | -13 °C | 109 kt | 26 h 04 min | 12:48 am AKDT (08:48 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 21 kt | +11 kt | -23 °C | 109 kt | 26 h 04 min | 12:48 am AKDT (08:48 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 31 kt | +20 kt | -38 °C | 100 kt | 28 h 25 min | 3:09 am AKDT (11:09 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 33 kt | +22 kt | -45 °C | 98 kt | 28 h 59 min | 3:43 am AKDT (11:43 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 46 kt | +31 kt | -49 °C | 89 kt | 31 h 55 min | 6:39 am AKDT (14:39 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 00:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 06:00 UTC for use 02:00 to 09:00 UTC; temperatures above 24,000 ft are below zero. Heights are above sea level; a height is left out when the forecast has no wind for it over most of the line (the ground is higher). Ground speed is the airspeed less the headwind; the time en route is for the straight line and ignores climb, descent and routing around weather.
The forecast points as issued
| Point | From | 3,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 | 34,000 | 39,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JFK | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 250/18 | 250/23 14° | 240/33 9° | 240/33 4° | 240/38 -10° | 240/45 -21° | 230/86 -32° | 230/102 -40° | 230/84 -51° |
| AVP | used from 50 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 150/5 | 350/13 12° | 270/20 8° | 260/17 4° | 260/25 -11° | 240/31 -22° | 240/54 -35° | 230/61 -41° | 240/55 -49° |
| SYR | used from 100 nm out; 57 nm from the line | 280/13 | 350/18 10° | 340/10 6° | 300/15 1° | 280/17 -12° | 270/16 -23° | 280/25 -38° | 250/40 -42° | 240/53 -50° |
| BUF | used from 299 nm out; 130 nm from the line | 320/10 | 010/16 10° | 360/10 6° | 340/13 2° | 330/22 -11° | 300/25 -23° | 320/31 -38° | 300/29 -44° | 280/36 -50° |
| TVC | used from 498 nm out; 260 nm from the line | 260/31 | 280/22 15° | 290/18 10° | 270/13 2° | 290/25 -10° | 300/35 -21° | 310/52 -37° | 320/59 -47° | 300/84 -54° |
| INL | used from 748 nm out; 350 nm from the line | 080/23 | L/V 9° | 260/22 5° | 260/27 0° | 260/43 -11° | 270/47 -21° | 270/57 -36° | 270/54 -47° | 270/69 -56° |
| MOT | used from 1395 nm out; 601 nm from the line | 120/14 5° | 200/20 4° | 230/33 1° | 250/39 -11° | 250/50 -21° | 240/61 -37° | 250/56 -45° | 260/68 -51° | |
| GGW | used from 1645 nm out; 737 nm from the line | 110/23 0° | 130/20 -2° | 170/24 -3° | 230/44 -11° | 220/51 -21° | 210/52 -39° | 220/64 -44° | 240/85 -48° | |
| GPI | used from 1794 nm out; 815 nm from the line | 070/19 -5° | 100/16 -7° | 080/10 -8° | 130/8 -19° | 170/37 -28° | 200/50 -40° | 210/43 -40° | 220/41 -42° | |
| SEA | used from 2243 nm out; 1016 nm from the line | 050/7 | 050/11 1° | 050/12 -5° | 030/31 -7° | 010/61 -15° | 010/69 -26° | 360/73 -40° | 360/62 -47° | 330/21 -43° |
The weather now: both ends and the airports along the way public airports with a weather report within 25 nm of the line, one for each stretch
| Airport | Where | Conditions | Wind | Visibility | Ceiling | Elevation | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JFK New York, NY | departure | no report just now | 13 ft | ||||
| SYR Syracuse, NY | 179 nm out, 2 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 421 ft | ||||
| CYYB North Bay, | 419 nm out, 4 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,215 ft | ||||
| CYTS Timmins, | 578 nm out, 22 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 967 ft | ||||
| EAA Eagle, AK | 2671 nm out, 14 nm south of the line | no report just now | 907 ft | ||||
| FAI Fairbanks, AK | destination | no report just now | 439 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,215 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At FAI when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:39 pm AKDT (05:39 UTC)
FAI has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 5/2811 NEW YORK, NY, Monday, October 20, 2025 through Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Local 2 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · until 20 October · ZNY
Daylight
Sunset at JFK 6:19 pm EDT (22:19 UTC), at FAI 6:39 pm AKDT (02:39 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:29 pm AKDT (03:29 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at FAI is after sunset there (6:39 pm AKDT (02:39 UTC)).
Each restriction opens the FAA's own page with the exact area, heights and times. Ordinary notices to air missions (closed runways, lights out) are not shown: the FAA's notice search is not open to sites like this one at this time.
Radar and forecast charts for the regions crossed government pictures, the latest each time the page loads
Sources: the Aviation Weather Center's data service (SIGMETs, AIRMETs, graphical AIRMETs, pilot reports, winds and temperatures aloft, observations and terminal forecasts), the National Weather Service radar, the Weather Prediction Center's charts, the FAA's temporary flight restriction list and shapes, and the FAA's airport file for the positions, elevations and magnetic variation. Fetched when the page is viewed and kept a few minutes. Each leg is the straight line between its two airports; airways, terrain and airspace are not considered. The airports in detail: John F Kennedy International, Fairbanks International.