ON TIMEBOARD

ROC → ATL on time

Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester (Rochester, NY) to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (Atlanta, GA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
78%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.3%
1,043 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+76 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
1 airline

78% of flights from Rochester to Atlanta arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 83% of the time; the noon ones 73%. 10% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for ROC → ATL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 52% of the time. About 1 in 13 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 61 three hours or more; 2.3% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,043 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,04378%2.3%−8 min7.6%+76 minDelta Air Lines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at ROC). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 83% on time (365 flights)836a7 a.m. departures: too few flights7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)11anoon departures: 73% on time (252 flights)7312p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (58 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (50 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: 76% on time (305 flights)766p
ROC → ATL, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On ROC → ATL, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.9% of the time, against 2.5% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.2% of the time (earlier flights: 1.3%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Delta Air Lines6:15 p.m.1.9%2.2%2.5%first flight 6:00 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (92%). Worst: July (66%).

40%70%100%Jan: 69% on time (237 flights)69JanFeb: 81% on time (232 flights)81FebMar: 86% on time (269 flights)86MarApr: 84% on time (264 flights)84AprMay: 78% on time (270 flights)78MayJun: 83% on time (266 flights)83JunJul: 66% on time (274 flights)66JulAug: 80% on time (269 flights)80AugSep: 92% on time (243 flights)92SepOct: 88% on time (258 flights)88OctNov: 86% on time (243 flights)86NovDec: 70% on time (258 flights)70Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday15877%5.1%
Tuesday15380%0.7%
Wednesday15179%0.7%
Thursday15278%0.0%
Friday15380%1.3%
Saturday12480%3.2%
Sunday15269%5.3%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 37%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 30%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 23%Severe weather 11%

Cancellations: airline 18 · weather 6

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
DL 12006:00 a.m.36583%3.0%−8 minDelta Air Lines
DL 251112:26 p.m.36175%1.9%−5 minDelta Air Lines
DL 20476:15 p.m.31775%1.9%−11 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jul 22, 202630%0
Nov 10, 202530%1
Jul 10, 202630%1
Dec 7, 202530%0
Nov 9, 202530%2

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Rochester or Atlanta. None has been clearly more reliable than ROC → ATL.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
ROC → ATL (this route)1,04378%2.3%
BUF → ATL Buffalo Niagara to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson1,53378%2.0%

Questions

How often are flights from ROC to ATL on time?

78% of 1,043 scheduled flights from Rochester, NY to Atlanta, GA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 2.3% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly ROC to ATL?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (83% on time). The noon departures were the least (73%).

What month has the most delays from ROC to ATL?

July (66% on time). The best month is September (92%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from ROC to ATL more likely to be cancelled?

No, the opposite. Each airline's last ROC–ATL flight of the day was cancelled 1.9% of the time over the past year, against 2.5% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.