Route · RST → ORD · 2020–2025 BTS data
Rochester to Chicago
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), RST to ORD (Rochester to Chicago) ranks #2734 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 82.8%
- On-time
- +3.8 pts
- vs US avg
- 89 min
- Delay when late
- 4,388
- Flights
- #2734 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
2.5%
Best Month
Oct 2024 88%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 50%
Distance
268 mi
Carriers
8
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 90 | 45 | 8 | 0 | MQ,OO |
| Nov 2025 | 89 | 25 | 7 | 0 | OO,MQ |
| Oct 2025 | 87 | 38 | 0 | 0 | OO,MQ |
| Sep 2025 | 72 | 9 | 1 | 0 | MQ,OO |
| Aug 2025 | 83 | 26 | 4 | 0 | OO,MQ |
| Jul 2025 | 89 | 43 | 3 | 0 | OO |
| Jun 2025 | 94 | 37 | 2 | 0 | OO |
| May 2025 | 122 | 31 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Apr 2025 | 103 | 27 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Oct 2024 | 51 | 6 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Sep 2024 | 57 | 9 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Aug 2024 | 32 | 9 | 0 | 1 | MQ |
| Jul 2024 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| May 2024 | 57 | 18 | 2 | 0 | MQ,OO |
| Apr 2024 | 38 | 11 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Mar 2024 | 67 | 10 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Oct 2023 | 48 | 8 | 0 | 0 | YX |
| May 2023 | 66 | 10 | 0 | 0 | MQ,YX |
| Apr 2023 | 85 | 15 | 2 | 1 | YX,MQ |
| Mar 2023 | 92 | 17 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| Feb 2023 | 75 | 9 | 3 | 0 | MQ,YX |
| Jan 2023 | 70 | 23 | 4 | 0 | MQ |
| Dec 2022 | 61 | 21 | 3 | 0 | OO,MQ |
| Nov 2022 | 59 | 18 | 2 | 0 | OO,MQ |
RST–ORD seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (91.2%) · weakest: December (75.7%)
Strongest calendar month
September
91.2% on-time · ~64 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
June
~101 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
December
75.7% on-time · ~77 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
2.5%
43 of 1,726 flights
Diversion Rate
0.1%
2 of 1,726 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
RST - Rochester
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Rochester, MN.
RST on-time profileORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileCompare the two airports
See RST and ORD side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare RST vs ORDOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among RST departures
From RST, this corridor sits with 1 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 2 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (1 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 0 below 75%). Destination: Chicago · fleet on-time rank #2047 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to RST–ORD.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About RST to ORD
Bureau of Transportation Statistics records show Rochester to Chicago (RST to ORD) running a 82.8% on-time rate over 4,388 tracked flights, on the stronger end of a typical domestic pairing. When flights do run late, the average delay is 89.3 minutes. The 268-mile corridor is served by 8 carriers, and over the last 24 months 2.5% of 1,726 flights were cancelled, 0.1% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 88% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 50% - a 38-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, RST–ORD peaks in September at 91.2% on-time while June carries the heaviest traffic (~101 flights per month) ; the softest month is December at 75.7%, a 15.5-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does RST to ORD rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from RST to ORD? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for RST to ORD? ▼
How far is the flight from RST to ORD? ▼
When is the best time to fly from RST to ORD? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using RST–ORD data
RST–ORD runs 3.8 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare RST and ORD airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. RST airport
- If your dates flex, September (91.2% on-time) beats December (75.7%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 82.8% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.