74% of flights leaving Rochester (ROC) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 45 flights leave ROC on a typical day; 3.4% were cancelled. 75% 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: 7 a.m. (86% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (55%).
- Best month: October (87%). Worst: January (70%).
- Most reliable airline here: Southwest Airlines (75%), vs Delta Air Lines at 73%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (42% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (78% → 74%).
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 ROC: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 46% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 38 three hours or more; 3.4% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early74%
- 15–30 min late6.7%
- 30–60 min late5.8%
- 1–2 hours late4.9%
- 2–3 hours late2.1%
- 3+ hours late2.6%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled3.4%
Share of all 16,470 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of ROC
Time of day matters more at ROC than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 86% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 55%, a 32-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 85% on time against 60% 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: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 8.3% of the time, against 3.4% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at ROC was a 5 a.m. departure in October (97% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in July (46%). 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
January is the hardest month at ROC, with 70% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 87%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 13 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in July (5.6% of flights).
Airlines at ROC
American Airlines runs 33% of departures from ROC. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Southwest Airlines was the most reliable (75% on time) and Delta Air Lines the least (73%), a 2-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 | 5,382 | 75% | 77% | 3.3% | −11 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 4,406 | 73% | 73% | 4.2% | −8 min |
| United Airlines | 3,602 | 75% | 79% | 3.5% | −8 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 2,129 | 75% | 71% | 1.2% | −3 min |
| JetBlue | 721 | 76% | 77% | 5.0% | −10 min |
| Allegiant Air | 138 | 46% | 52% | 1.5% | +19 min |
Why flights are late at ROC
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At ROC, 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 28%. 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 558 cancellations, 53% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
ROC vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROC Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester | — | 16,470 | 74% | 3.4% |
| BUF Buffalo Niagara | 55 mi | 26,065 | 75% | 3.3% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 74% of ROC departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before, a decline of 4 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (84%); the worst, December 2025 (60%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 79% of 43 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 | 43 | 79% | 12% |
| Dec 29, 2025 | 41 | 51% | 32% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 41 | 49% | 10% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 44 | 41% | 48% |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 47 | 30% | 36% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 46 | 28% | 37% |
| Jul 21, 2026 | 47 | 28% | 55% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 47 | 28% | 38% |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 48 | 27% | 42% |
| Feb 24, 2026 | 42 | 26% | 60% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from ROC, each airline's final departure was cancelled 5.3% of the time, against 2.7% for its earlier flights (2.0× 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. 3.5% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Delta Air Lines to New York (12.2% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LGA New York | Delta Air Lines | 7:21 p.m. | 12.2% | 2.6% | 54% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 5:35 p.m. | 8.0% | 5.8% | 47% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 7:10 p.m. | 9.1% | 3.6% | 63% |
| JFK New York | Delta Air Lines | 4:26 p.m. | 8.9% | 3.1% | 64% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 5:52 p.m. | 2.7% | 8.5% | 47% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 8:26 p.m. | 6.6% | 2.5% | 57% |
| IAD Washington | United Airlines | 7:54 p.m. | 6.3% | 2.7% | 75% |
| JFK New York | JetBlue | 12:10 p.m. | 6.3% | 2.5% | 71% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 7:40 p.m. | 5.2% | 2.8% | 71% |
| BOS Boston | American Airlines | 6:00 p.m. | 3.9% | 2.7% | 58% |
| MDW Chicago | Southwest Airlines | 7:05 p.m. | 2.3% | 4.1% | 52% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 5:48 p.m. | 2.5% | 3.8% | 60% |
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 ROC
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At ROC the 7 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in January? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Southwest Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of ROC; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at ROC come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from ROC
Where you're going matters too. From ROC, the most reliable busy route was to Baltimore (BWI, 81% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 73%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCO Orlando | 506 | 61% | 1.6% | +4 min |
| DCA Washington | 1,033 | 62% | 6.7% | −2 min |
| LGA New York | 974 | 68% | 6.8% | −7 min |
| ORD Chicago | 2,472 | 73% | 2.4% | −6 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,318 | 73% | 2.2% | −6 min |
| BOS Boston | 866 | 74% | 3.0% | −13 min |
| MDW Chicago | 527 | 74% | 1.5% | −3 min |
| EWR Newark | 1,026 | 75% | 6.0% | −11 min |
| JFK New York | 1,677 | 76% | 6.0% | −11 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,043 | 78% | 2.3% | −8 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,012 | 80% | 1.7% | −11 min |
| IAD Washington | 1,250 | 80% | 3.0% | −10 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,303 | 80% | 2.6% | −17 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,102 | 81% | 1.3% | −5 min |
Flights into ROC
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester, least reliable first. The weakest is from Washington (64% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 1,032 | 64% | 6.1% |
| MDW Chicago | 527 | 65% | 1.7% |
| MCO Orlando | 505 | 65% | 1.6% |
| LGA New York | 974 | 65% | 7.2% |
| JFK New York | 1,677 | 69% | 5.9% |
| ORD Chicago | 2,475 | 72% | 2.3% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,012 | 72% | 1.6% |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,102 | 73% | 1.8% |
| BOS Boston | 867 | 74% | 3.7% |
| DTW Detroit | 1,318 | 75% | 1.8% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,043 | 76% | 2.2% |
| IAD Washington | 1,251 | 77% | 2.9% |
| EWR Newark | 1,023 | 78% | 6.2% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,302 | 79% | 2.8% |
Questions about ROC delays
What is the best time to fly out of ROC?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 86% of ROC departures at that hour arrived on time, against 55% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at ROC?
January (70% on time). October is the best month (87%).
Which airline is most on time at ROC?
Southwest Airlines: 75% of its ROC departures arrived on time over the past year. Delta Air Lines had the weakest record at 73%.
Why are flights delayed at ROC?
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 (28%).
How often are flights cancelled at ROC?
3.4% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in July at 5.6%.
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.