Detroit (DTW) Flight Delays: Rate, Worst Hours and Live Risk
Detroit (DTW) is ranked 18 of 22 for delays among DelayGuard's guide airports (1 is the highest rate): 19.3% of flights departing DTW arrived 15 or more minutes late across 374,952 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. Delta Air Lines operated 47.0% of those departures. The worst scheduled departure hours are 11 PM (33.7%) and 7 PM (28.4%); 5 AM is the best at 10.2%. 1.07% of scheduled DTW departures were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the delay risk check for your flight before you book.
Delay window: January 2023 to December 2025. Cancellation window: 2024 to 2025. Last updated: 2026-10-18. Delayed means a flight arrived 15 or more minutes after its scheduled arrival, the BTS and DOT on-time standard. Cancelled and diverted flights are excluded from delay rates. Historical BTS figures are separate from DelayGuard's per-flight model probability and from live FAA, weather and ground-delay status.
Layover buffer
Chance an inbound arrival is 45+ min late at DTW: 9.08%.
34,056 of 375,215 arrivals, January 2023 to December 2025. Not a missed-connection rate.
Flight delays today at DTW
FAA now: No FAA program
Tomorrow: Typical
October delay rate: 12.4%
FAA now is the current National Airspace System program.
Historical delay rate (15+ min late) at DTW
Sample size: 374,952 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 19.3%. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Cancellation rate 1.07% of 253,900 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why DTW runs the way it does
Delta Air Lines flew 47.0% of DTW departures in the window, and its flights ran 19.5% late, in line with the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, DTW's delay record largely follows how Delta Air Lines runs its schedule.
DTW delays peak in July (26.4%), January (25.3%) and December (23.8%) and are lowest in October (12.4%). That shape points to winter weather as the main seasonal driver.
Delays build through the day: 12.2% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 22.9% after 8 PM. That is the pattern BTS describes as late-arriving aircraft, where a previous flight with the same aircraft arriving late makes the next departure late.
Spirit Airlines flew 8.7% of DTW departures in this history. Spirit stopped flying on 2 May 2026, so today's carrier mix differs from the one behind these figures.
Best and worst times to fly from DTW
| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| 5 AM | 10.2% | 6,266 |
| 6 AM | 12.3% | 13,029 |
| 7 AM | 12.6% | 25,326 |
| 8 AM | 13.9% | 44,588 |
| 9 AM | 14.9% | 9,167 |
| 10 AM | 15.9% | 38,346 |
| 11 AM | 15.1% | 7,380 |
| 12 PM | 16.7% | 34,151 |
| 1 PM | 19.3% | 9,858 |
| 2 PM | 21.2% | 19,989 |
| 3 PM | 22.2% | 23,368 |
| 4 PM | 22.6% | 33,724 |
| 5 PM | 28.0% | 14,710 |
| 6 PM | 28.2% | 15,045 |
| 7 PM | 28.4% | 13,641 |
| 8 PM | 24.7% | 25,018 |
| 9 PM | 20.6% | 35,019 |
| 10 PM | 26.7% | 5,144 |
| 11 PM | 33.7% | 1,183 |
DTW delays and cancellations by month
| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.3% | 28,024 | 2.46% |
| Feb | 17.7% | 26,459 | 0.53% |
| Mar | 18.9% | 31,557 | 0.54% |
| Apr | 16.9% | 30,892 | 0.52% |
| May | 17.0% | 32,313 | 0.41% |
| Jun | 23.0% | 32,247 | 0.87% |
| Jul | 26.4% | 32,995 | 3.07% |
| Aug | 20.9% | 33,422 | 1.06% |
| Sep | 13.3% | 31,772 | 0.24% |
| Oct | 12.4% | 33,750 | 0.37% |
| Nov | 16.2% | 30,887 | 1.28% |
| Dec | 23.8% | 30,634 | 1.45% |
Airlines at DTW
| Airline | Share of departures | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 47.0% | 19.5% | 176,165 | 0.80% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 18.9% | 20.7% | 70,716 | 0.97% |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased 2 May 2026) | 8.7% | 19.8% | 32,500 | 1.27% |
| Endeavor Air | 7.7% | 12.9% | 28,988 | 0.93% |
| American Airlines | 4.1% | 19.4% | 15,191 | 1.67% |
| Republic Airways | 3.8% | 14.4% | 14,382 | 2.07% |
| Southwest Airlines | 3.2% | 18.0% | 12,125 | 0.70% |
| United Airlines | 1.9% | 19.9% | 7,008 | 1.16% |
| Frontier Airlines | 1.8% | 29.0% | 6,684 | 2.48% |
| JetBlue Airways | 1.1% | 25.5% | 4,079 | 1.49% |
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from DTW
| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTW to ORD | 20.6% | 15,834 | 1.69% | Predict |
| DTW to ATL | 18.7% | 15,094 | 0.87% | Predict |
| DTW to LGA | 19.2% | 12,188 | 2.10% | Predict |
| DTW to MCO | 22.2% | 11,662 | 1.02% | Predict |
| DTW to DFW | 23.9% | 10,669 | 1.63% | Predict |
| DTW to CLT | 15.6% | 10,512 | 0.85% | Predict |
| DTW to EWR | 21.1% | 9,762 | 2.87% | Predict |
| DTW to LAS | 20.6% | 9,475 | 0.45% | Predict |
| DTW to DEN | 20.0% | 8,829 | 0.58% | Predict |
| DTW to PHL | 18.0% | 8,819 | 1.87% | Predict |
| DTW to BOS | 22.6% | 8,158 | 1.13% | Predict |
| DTW to LAX | 18.7% | 8,128 | 0.70% | Predict |
| DTW to DCA | 22.3% | 8,091 | 2.19% | Predict |
| DTW to FLL | 22.2% | 7,463 | 0.99% | Predict |
| DTW to PHX | 20.9% | 7,051 | 0.74% | Predict |
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Questions
- How often are flights delayed at DTW?
- 19.3% of flights departing DTW arrived 15 or more minutes late across 374,952 flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). Across all US domestic flights in the data, the rate is 21.2%.
- What is the best time to fly from DTW?
- Early departures run best. 5 AM flights ran 10.2% late (6,266 flights), 6 AM flights ran 12.3% late (13,029 flights) and 7 AM flights ran 12.6% late (25,326 flights). The worst hours are 11 PM (33.7%), 7 PM (28.4%) and 6 PM (28.2%).
- Which month is worst for delays at DTW?
- July has the highest delay rate at 26.4%. October is the lowest at 12.4%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at DTW?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from DTW, Endeavor Air has the lowest delay rate at 12.9% (28,988 flights). Frontier Airlines is highest at 29.0%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are DTW flights cancelled?
- 1.07% of 253,900 scheduled departures from DTW were cancelled in 2024 to 2025. The US figure over the same period is 1.41%. See the full ranking on the cancellation rates page.
- Does DelayGuard show live delays at DTW?
- Yes. The live module on this page shows DelayGuard's hourly risk score and any active FAA ground stop or ground delay program. It is separate from the historical BTS figures above. For a specific flight, the predictor gives a model probability that combines history, weather and FAA data.
- Why does DTW have delays?
- Delta Air Lines flew 47.0% of DTW departures in the window, and its flights ran 19.5% late, in line with the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, DTW's delay record largely follows how Delta Air Lines runs its schedule. DTW delays peak in July (26.4%), January (25.3%) and December (23.8%) and are lowest in October (12.4%). That shape points to winter weather as the main seasonal driver.