ON TIMEBOARD

MCO → RIC on time

Orlando (Orlando, FL) to Richmond (Richmond, VA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
68%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.3%
1,189 flights
Typical arrival
0 min
median vs schedule
When late
+67 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
4 airlines

68% of flights from Orlando to Richmond arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 7 a.m. departures ran on time 89% of the time; the 3 p.m. ones 51%. Most reliable airline: JetBlue (74%). 13% 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 MCO → RIC: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 46 three hours or more; 2.3% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,189 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
JetBlue68874%2.2%−5 min9.4%+68 minJetBlue
Southwest Airlines31160%1.0%+7 min11.9%+59 minSouthwest Airlines
Spirit Airlines16358%5.5%+5 min13.5%+77 minSpirit Airlines
Frontier Airlines27—————Frontier Airlines

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 MCO). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: too few flights (21 flights)6a7 a.m. departures: 89% on time (128 flights)897a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (29 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (48 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 76% on time (141 flights)7610a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (40 flights)11anoon departures: 66% on time (110 flights)6612p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (56 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 73% on time (105 flights)732p3 p.m. departures: 51% on time (140 flights)513p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (15 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (84 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (64 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (97 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (96 flights)8p
MCO → RIC, 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

By airline and hour

DepartsJetBlue
7 a.m.90%
10 a.m.79%

Last flight of the day

On MCO → RIC, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 2.8% of the time, against 2.2% for its earlier flights (1.3× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 2.8% of the time (earlier flights: 1.9%). 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
JetBlue12:04 p.m.2.8%2.8%2.2%first flight 10:25 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.

If you need to be in RIC tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (81%). Worst: March (61%).

40%70%100%Jan: 72% on time (234 flights)72JanFeb: 66% on time (223 flights)66FebMar: 61% on time (291 flights)61MarApr: 78% on time (305 flights)78AprMay: 78% on time (312 flights)78MayJun: 70% on time (263 flights)70JunJul: 64% on time (267 flights)64JulAug: 67% on time (257 flights)67AugSep: 81% on time (186 flights)81SepOct: 80% on time (204 flights)80OctNov: 79% on time (276 flights)79NovDec: 65% on time (274 flights)65Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday19361%4.2%
Tuesday12877%0.8%
Wednesday12477%2.4%
Thursday18969%0.5%
Friday18770%1.6%
Saturday17470%1.1%
Sunday19457%4.6%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 39%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 35%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 23%Severe weather 3%

Cancellations: weather 17 · airline 7 · air traffic/airport 3

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Apr 2024: 80% on time, 0.9% cancelledMay 2024: 81% on time, 0.8% cancelledMay 2025: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 68% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 65% on time, 0.9% cancelledNov 2025: 73% on time, 0.8% cancelledDec 2025: 63% on time, 1.6% cancelledJan 2026: 58% on time, 10.2% cancelledMar 2026: 62% on time, 5.1% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
MCO → RIC, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

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
B6 7701:10 p.m.15775%1.9%−8 minJetBlue

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jan 25, 202640%4
Aug 2, 202640%0
Dec 30, 202540%0
Jan 4, 202640%0
Mar 16, 202640%3

Questions

How often are flights from MCO to RIC on time?

68% of 1,189 scheduled flights from Orlando, FL to Richmond, VA 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 MCO to RIC?

Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. were the most reliable (89% on time). The 3 p.m. departures were the least (51%).

Which airline is most on time from MCO to RIC?

JetBlue: 74% of its 688 flights on the route arrived on time. Southwest Airlines: 60%. Spirit Airlines: 58%.

What month has the most delays from MCO to RIC?

March (61% on time). The best month is September (81%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from MCO to RIC more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last MCO–RIC flight of the day was cancelled 2.8% of the time over the past year, against 2.2% 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.