Accra ⇄ USA · Delta to New York JFK · United to Washington Dulles · Delta to Atlanta (seasonal)
Two American airlines fly nonstop between Ghana and the United States: Delta every day to New York, and United to Washington, plus a seasonal Delta flight to Atlanta. Between them they carry the families of more than 200,000 Ghanaians in America, students heading to university, business travellers, and African Americans coming home to the coast their ancestors were taken from. Here are both routes side by side, the honest truth about the US visa, and where each airline takes you next.
| Delta Air Lines | United Airlines | |
|---|---|---|
| US airport | New York JFK, plus Atlanta in peak season | Washington Dulles |
| Frequency | Daily | Five a week in summer 2026; daily in past peak seasons |
| Aircraft | Airbus A330-900neo | Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner |
| Cabins | Delta One suites, Premium Select, Comfort+, Main Cabin | Polaris business, Premium Plus, Economy |
| Leaves Accra | Morning, about 09:30 | Late evening, about 22:20 |
| Arrives in the US | New York afternoon | Washington before dawn, about 05:00 |
| Flight time | about 10 h 35 min | about 10 h 40 min |
| Alliance | SkyTeam, with KLM, Air France, Kenya Airways | Star Alliance, with Ethiopian, Turkish, Brussels Airlines |
| Frequent flyer | SkyMiles | MileagePlus |
| Best for | New York, New Jersey, the Northeast, and the South via Atlanta | Washington, Maryland, Virginia, and early connections across the US |
The short answer
Choose by where you are going, not by the airline. Family in the Bronx or New Jersey: Delta. Family in the DMV, the Washington area where most Ghanaian Americans live: United. Going on to the South or the West: compare Delta via Atlanta with United via Dulles, which lands early enough for the morning connections.
New York and Washington are five hours behind Ghana in winter and four in American summer time.
| Flight | Route | Times (local) | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| DL157 | Accra → New York JFK | 09:30 → about 15:30–16:05 | Daily |
| DL156 | New York JFK → Accra | about 16:40–17:05 → about 06:30–07:00 next day | Daily |
| UA997 | Accra → Washington Dulles | about 22:20 → about 05:00 next day | Five a week; more in peak season |
| UA996 | Washington Dulles → Accra | about 18:40 → about 09:00 next day | Five a week; more in peak season |
| Delta | Accra ⇄ Atlanta | seasonal | Peak season only; check delta.com for 2026/27 |
Read this before booking
Times come from flight logs for summer and autumn 2026 and shift slightly by season. Both airlines add capacity for December and the holidays. Always confirm on delta.com or united.com.
For Ghanaians
The bond between Ghana and Black America runs deep: Nkrumah's student years in Pennsylvania, W. E. B. Du Bois's last home in Accra, the Year of Return in 2019. These are the places where that story is told.
Guided tours across the USA: New York, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando and New Orleans, with local guides. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but always welcome, and in America a tip for the guide is expected.
You clear US immigration and customs at your first airport, New York or Washington, then re-check your bags. Both hubs connect to almost every city in North America.
Nonstop is fastest, but not always cheapest. Several airlines fly from Accra to the US with one change, often at lower fares. Check the transit rules: changing planes in London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon or Rome usually needs an airport transit visa for Ghanaians, unless you already hold a valid US visa, which in many cases exempts you.
Delta lands in Accra at breakfast time and United in the morning, so you have the whole first day. For many African American travellers this is the journey of a lifetime. These are the places where the diaspora story is told honestly.
Ghana's slave history, without the marketing December in Ghana
Airport pickup with free internet, ideal after an overnight flight, private vehicle hire and a three-destination tour, booked before you land. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but always welcome.
Before you fly, tune in to the country you are going to. Live radio from all over the continent, in one place.
Landed in Accra and travelling on within Africa? These city pages show the regional flights.
Top destinations by frequency Airlines overview Accra International Airport
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GhanaFlights.info belongs to an independent network of more than 70 African travel, heritage and information websites, online since December 2000. No Google advertising, no sponsored praise: just the routes and the countries, as they are.
Ghana-Net.com · Cape Coast Castle Museum · Elmina Castle · Du Bois Centre · Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park · James Fort and Jamestown · MyGhana2027.com · GhanaMuseums.com · GhanaTrails.com · AfricanIndependence.com
Updated and fact-checked: 29 October 2026. Timetables from flight logs for summer and autumn 2026; US visa information checked against official announcements up to October 2026. Always confirm times with the airline and visa rules at travel.state.gov before booking. Text and research by Remo Kurka for GhanaFlights.info. This website carries no Google advertising.