Chicago to Rochester

What the Data Says About ORD to ROC

The Chicago to Rochester corridor (ORD → ROC) covers roughly 528 miles and is served by 33 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 9,405 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 81% on-time rate with an average delay of 67.1 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 3,688 flights were recorded on this pairing — 47 cancelled (1.3%) and 8 diverted (0.2%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 33 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 9,405 total flights analyzed, the 81% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 67.1-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Mar 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 90% on-time, while May 2024 came in at 63% on-time — a 27-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to ROC route, the combination of a 81% on-time rate, 67.1-minute average delay, 1.3% recent cancellation rate, and 33 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.