Roanoke to Chicago

What the Data Says About ROA to ORD

The Roanoke to Chicago corridor (ROA → ORD) covers roughly 531 miles and is served by 6 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 2,340 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 79.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 98.0 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,576 flights were recorded on this pairing — 30 cancelled (1.9%) and 4 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 6 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 2,340 total flights analyzed, the 79.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 98.0-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, Apr 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 95% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 64% on-time — a 31-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ROA to ORD route, the combination of a 79.1% on-time rate, 98.0-minute average delay, 1.9% recent cancellation rate, and 6 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.