Historical on-time performance
Washington to Detroit
Flights on DCA–DTW arrive on time 73% of the time over the last 12 months.
based on 2,939 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
Too close to call — no single carrier is clearly more on-time here.
- Delta Air LinesOn-time77%Medianon timep9055 minCancel2.4%Flights1,744
- Republic AirwaysOn-time77%Medianon timep9050 minCancel3.8%Flights239
- PSA AirlinesOn-time65%Medianon timep9090 minCancel6.7%Flights956
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline26%
- Weather5%
- Air traffic (NAS)14%
- Late aircraft55%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline21%
- Weather66%
- Air traffic (NAS)11%
- Security2%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 114 cancellations with a reported cause (BTS reports causes from June 2003).
Over time
On-time trend
By season
On-time rate by month
When to fly
Best time to fly DCA → DTW
All airlines · rolling 36 months (2023-06 .. 2026-05).
Best time of day
Mornings are the most reliable time of day to fly this route — 88% on time.
- Mornings88% on time · p90 10 min · 2,568 flights
- Middays82% on time · p90 30 min · 1,852 flights
- Afternoons72% on time · p90 70 min · 972 flights
- Overnights68% on time · p90 70 min · 1,484 flights
- Evenings65% on time · p90 80 min · 1,535 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 74% to 83% on time.
- Saturdays83% on time · p90 35 min · 948 flights
- Tuesdays80% on time · p90 35 min · 1,247 flights
- Wednesdays78% on time · p90 50 min · 1,265 flights
- Sundays76% on time · p90 55 min · 1,151 flights
- Mondays75% on time · p90 50 min · 1,271 flights
- Thursdays75% on time · p90 55 min · 1,260 flights
- Fridays74% on time · p90 65 min · 1,269 flights
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