76% of flights leaving Roanoke (ROA) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 23 flights leave ROA on a typical day; 2.5% were cancelled. 77% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 6 a.m. (87% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (59%).
- Best month: October (85%). Worst: December (70%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (80%), vs American Airlines at 76%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (42% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (75% → 76%).
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 ROA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 45% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 33 three hours or more; 2.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early76%
- 15–30 min late6.2%
- 30–60 min late4.9%
- 1–2 hours late4.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.9%
- 3+ hours late3.1%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled2.5%
Share of all 8,323 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of ROA
Time of day matters more at ROA than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 87% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 59%, a 28-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 82% on time against 67% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). 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. Cancellations cluster too: 5 p.m. departures were cancelled 5.2% of the time, against 2.5% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at ROA was a 5 a.m. departure in April (95% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in July (43%). 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
December is the hardest month at ROA, with 70% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 11 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 10 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.9% of flights).
Airlines at ROA
American Airlines runs 49% of departures from ROA. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (80% on time) and American Airlines the least (76%), a 4-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 4,050 | 76% | 75% | 2.3% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 2,233 | 78% | 80% | 2.6% | −9 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,743 | 80% | 79% | 2.8% | −14 min |
| Allegiant Air | 297 | 57% | 58% | 2.0% | +5 min |
Why flights are late at ROA
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At ROA, 42% 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 38%. 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 207 cancellations, 60% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 21 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.
ROA vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROA Roanoke–Blacksburg | — | 8,323 | 76% | 2.5% |
| LYH Lynchburg - Preston Glenn | 43 mi | 2,287 | 86% | 1.8% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 76% of ROA departures were on time, against 75% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (84%); the worst, December 2025 (66%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 100% of 21 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2026 | 21 | 100% | 0% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 18 | 44% | 11% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 22 | 32% | 50% |
| Dec 8, 2025 | 23 | 30% | 26% |
| Feb 1, 2026 | 21 | 29% | 57% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 18 | 28% | 61% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 23 | 22% | 26% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 24 | 21% | 42% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 21 | 19% | 62% |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 22 | 18% | 55% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from ROA, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.7% of the time, against 1.9% for its earlier flights (1.4× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 2.7% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (4.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 5:52 p.m. | 4.4% | 5.8% | 61% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 3:10 p.m. | 1.9% | 3.1% | 69% |
| IAD Washington | United Airlines | 2:30 p.m. | 2.5% | 2.2% | 84% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 7:59 p.m. | 2.2% | 1.6% | 74% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 7:53 p.m. | 2.2% | 0.8% | 73% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of ROA
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At ROA the 6 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in December? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of ROA; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at ROA come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from ROA
Where you're going matters too. From ROA, the most reliable busy route was to Charlotte (CLT, 80% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 72%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LGA New York | 672 | 65% | 7.0% | −7 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 624 | 72% | 1.6% | −7 min |
| ORD Chicago | 1,492 | 72% | 3.1% | −5 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,419 | 80% | 2.0% | −14 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,662 | 80% | 1.7% | −12 min |
| IAD Washington | 1,069 | 86% | 1.8% | −12 min |
Flights into ROA
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Roanoke–Blacksburg, least reliable first. The weakest is from New York (62% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| LGA New York | 670 | 62% | 6.6% |
| ORD Chicago | 1,491 | 63% | 4.0% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,419 | 77% | 2.0% |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,661 | 77% | 1.8% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 625 | 78% | 1.6% |
| IAD Washington | 1,069 | 81% | 1.8% |
Questions about ROA delays
What is the best time to fly out of ROA?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 87% of ROA departures at that hour arrived on time, against 59% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at ROA?
December (70% on time). October is the best month (85%).
Which airline is most on time at ROA?
Delta Air Lines: 80% of its ROA departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 76%.
Why are flights delayed at ROA?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (42% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (38%).
How often are flights cancelled at ROA?
2.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.9%.
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.