68% of flights leaving Worcester (ORH) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 7 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 4 flights leave ORH on a typical day; 3.5% were cancelled. 72% pushed back from the gate on time, so a fair share of the lateness builds up after departure, on the taxiway or in the air.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 4 p.m. (64% on time). Worst: 4 p.m. (64%).
- Best month: October (81%). Worst: July (58%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (48% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (72% → 68%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving ORH: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 41% of the time. About 1 in 8 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 26 three hours or more; 3.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early68%
- 15–30 min late7.8%
- 30–60 min late6.7%
- 1–2 hours late6.3%
- 2–3 hours late3.1%
- 3+ hours late3.9%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled3.5%
Share of all 1,457 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of ORH
ORH is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 4 p.m. arrived on time 64% of the time; at 4 p.m. it was 64%, a 0-point gap. Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at ORH was a 1 p.m. departure in April (79% on time); the least, 4 p.m. in January (62%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at ORH, with 58% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 81%. Summer (June–August) runs 13 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 10 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (6.7% of flights).
Airlines at ORH
JetBlue runs 54% of departures from ORH, so ORH is effectively its hub. When JetBlue has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JetBlue | 794 | 67% | 74% | 1.9% | −5 min |
| American Airlines | 364 | 74% | 75% | 3.9% | −13 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 299 | 65% | 67% | 7.4% | −7 min |
Why flights are late at ORH
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At ORH, 48% of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft: the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Next is the airlines themselves at 27%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 51 cancellations, 49% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 20 minutes, longer than at most large U.S. airports. Airlines pad schedules for it, but a long queue on a busy afternoon still eats into the buffer.
ORH vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORH Worcester | — | 1,457 | 68% | 3.5% |
| PVD Rhode Island T. F. Green | 44 mi | 17,337 | 76% | 3.1% |
| BOS Boston Logan | 45 mi | 144,991 | 72% | 3.0% |
| BDL Bradley | 47 mi | 23,364 | 76% | 2.5% |
| MHT Manchester-Boston | 51 mi | 7,909 | 78% | 2.5% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 68% of ORH departures were on time, against 72% in the 12 months before, a decline of 4 points. The best recent month was August 2025 (77%); the worst, July 2026 (50%).
Tips for flying out of ORH
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At ORH the 4 p.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Delayed already? Most delays at ORH come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Questions about ORH delays
What is the best time to fly out of ORH?
Flights scheduled at 4 p.m.: over the past year 64% of ORH departures at that hour arrived on time, against 64% at 4 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at ORH?
July (58% on time). October is the best month (81%).
Why are flights delayed at ORH?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (48% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (27%).
How often are flights cancelled at ORH?
3.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 6.7%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.