Time difference between New York and London

The gap is not the same all year

Every converter gives one number for this pair. That number is right for most of the year and wrong for part of it, because New York goes forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November and London goes forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.

Both change their clocks and both are in the northern hemisphere, but not on the same weekend — New York goes forward on the second Sunday in March and London on the last Sunday in March. For the days in between, the gap is neither party's expected figure, and a standing meeting silently moves by an hour. That mismatch is a common cause of a missed international call.

About New York and London

New York is UTC−5 in winter and UTC−4 from March to November, and it changes clocks on different weekends from Europe — a fortnight in March and a week in autumn when the transatlantic gap is an hour off what everyone expects.

London is the reference the rest of the system is measured from: Greenwich sits inside the city, and UTC±0 is its winter time. It does not stay there — Britain moves to UTC+1 for seven months of the year, which is why "London is GMT" is wrong more often than it is right.

What 5 hours actually costs you

The window is 3 hours wide and that is all there is. 9:00 AM–12:00 PM in New York is 2:00 PM–5:00 PM in London, and anything outside it puts somebody at their desk when they are not meant to be. A pair this tight is worth putting in a calendar rather than agreeing each time.

When they can both be at their desks

Nine-to-five in both cities overlaps for 3 hours — 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in New York, the same moment as 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in London.

New York

London

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How far apart New York and London are

The shortest path over the Earth's surface between the two is 5,570 km (3,461 miles). Flown along that line, an airliner at cruising speed takes roughly 7 hours 15 minutes in the air — actual routings add to it, and whether a nonstop service exists depends on the airlines rather than the distance.

Over that distance you cross 5 hours of clock, which is where jet lag comes from: the body shifts by about an hour a day, so 5 hours takes most people 5 days or so to absorb. Flying east to London is the harder direction — you lose the hours and have to fall asleep earlier than your body wants.

New York to London, hour by hour

On the usual gap of 5 hours.

Frequently asked questions