NONSTOP

Direct Flights from Chicago to Rochester

Rochester · New York

Nonstop service from ORD and MDW to ROC on American, Southwest, United. Here's the schedule at a glance — plus what to do once you land.

Airlines
American, Southwest, United
Nonstop flights
~8/dayacross 2 airport pairs
Distance
526 mi
Flight time
~1h 35mgate to gate
Elevation
559 ftabout the same as home
Days operated
Daily (all week)
Great-circle flight path from Chicago (ORD) to Rochester (ROC), 526 miles nonstop.ORDROC

Which airports fly this route

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  • ORDROCChicago O'Hare International
    American, United~7/dayDaily (all week)526 mi
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  • MDWROCChicago Midway International
    Southwest~1/dayDaily (all week)522 mi
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How rare is this nonstop?

22 cities have a nonstop to Rochester, Chicago among them.

How long to go to Rochester for, from Chicago

1h 35m in the air, 526 miles — a Friday-evening departure still leaves you most of the evening in Rochester. Two nights works.

With roughly 8 departures a day, you are not tied to one flight: if a meeting overruns or the weather turns, there is another one behind it.

About Rochester

The skyline of downtown Rochester, New York , looking northeast from the middle of the Genesee River .
Photo by Theresa Marconi · CC BY-SA 3.0

Big-city culture and small-city charm combine in Rochester, a mid-sized city on the shore of Lake Ontario. The birthplace of amateur photography, Rochester was synonymous with Eastman Kodak for much of the 20th century, but the city's fame was established well before George Eastman came on the scene. Today, its historical treasures complement modern family-friendly attractions that rival those found in much larger communities.

Summary from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA).

Top things to do in Rochester

  1. The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States.
  2. The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as George Eastman House and the International Museum of Photography and Film, is a photography museum, located on the grounds of the George Eastman's estate in Rochester, New Y…
  3. The Sacred Heart Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in Rochester, New York, United States.
  4. Letchworth State Park is a 14,427-acre (5,838 ha) New York State Park located in Livingston and Wyoming Counties in western Upstate New York.
  5. The Strong National Museum of Play is part of The Strong in Rochester, New York, United States.
  6. The Memorial Art Gallery, colloquially referred to as the MAG, is a civic art museum in Rochester, New York. Founded in 1913, by Emily Sibley Watson and given in trust to the University of Rochester.
  7. Hamlin Beach State Park is a 1,287-acre (5.21 km2) state park located on the shore of Lake Ontario in the Town of Hamlin in Monroe County, New York, United States. The Lake Ontario State Parkway passes through the park.
  8. Seneca Park Zoo is a 20-acre zoo located in the city of Rochester, New York, US. The zoo is home to over 90 species including mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, fish, and arachnids.
  9. Seabreeze Amusement Park is an amusement park located in Irondequoit, New York. Seabreeze is the fourth-oldest operating amusement park in the United States and the thirteenth-oldest operating amusement park in the world…
  10. Ganondagan State Historic Site, also known as Boughton Hill, is a Native American historic site in Ontario County, New York in the United States.
  11. The Susan B. Anthony House is a historic house museum at 17 Madison Street in Rochester, New York, United States. The two-story Italianate brick house was the home of women's suffrage leader Susan B.
  12. Bristol Mountain, formally known as Bristol Mountain Winter Resort, is a ski resort located in South Bristol, New York, in the Finger Lakes region.

Attraction descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); place data from Wikidata (CC0).

Rochester weather, compared with Chicago

Within 1° of Chicago on the annual average, so pack much as you would at home — but the two cities do not track each other month to month:

January
Rochester 33°F · Chicago 31°F · 2° warmer
April
Rochester 56°F · Chicago 59°F · 3° colder
July
Rochester 82°F · Chicago 84°F · 2° colder
October
Rochester 60°F · Chicago 62°F · 2° colder

January bottoms out near 33°F — a real coat, not a layer.

Average daily highs, 1991–2020 station normals from Meteostat (CC BY 4.0), measured at each city's airport.

Planning a trip to Rochester

Best time to visit
The best time to visit Rochester is May–October, when daytime highs are a comfortable 60–82°F.
How long to stay
Rochester rewards a longer visit — a full week lets you explore its many sights, from Eastman School of Music, George Eastman Museum, and Sacred Heart Cathedral (Rochester, New York) and beyond.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a direct flight from Chicago to Rochester?
Yes — you can fly nonstop from Chicago (ORD, MDW) to Rochester (ROC) on American, Southwest, United.
Which airlines fly nonstop from Chicago to Rochester?
American, Southwest, United fly nonstop between Chicago (ORD, MDW) and Rochester (ROC).
Which Chicago airport has nonstop flights to Rochester?
You can leave from 2 Chicago airports: ORD (Chicago O'Hare International) on American, United; MDW (Chicago Midway International) on Southwest.
How many nonstop flights are there from Chicago to Rochester?
There are about 8 nonstop departures per day (roughly 56 per week) from Chicago to Rochester.
How far is Rochester from Chicago?
Rochester is about 526 miles from Chicago by air.
What is there to do in Rochester?
Popular things to do include Eastman School of Music, George Eastman Museum, Sacred Heart Cathedral (Rochester, New York), Letchworth State Park, and more.

More nonstop destinations from Chicago near Rochester

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