Historical on-time performance
Philadelphia to Detroit
453 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on PHL–DTW arrive on time 77% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate77%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay55 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled3.0%of scheduled flights
based on 2,650 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- Spirit AirlinesOn-time87%Medianon timep9030 minCancel1.6%Flights62
- Delta Air LinesbestOn-time81%Medianon timep9045 minCancel1.9%Flights1,556
- American AirlinesOn-time77%Medianon timep9050 minCancel1.1%Flights190
- PSA AirlinesOn-time71%Medianon timep9065 minCancel5.8%Flights747
- Republic AirwaysOn-time68%Medianon timep90140 minCancel3.2%Flights95
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline32%
- Weather4%
- Air traffic (NAS)17%
- Late aircraft47%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline27%
- Weather67%
- Air traffic (NAS)6%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 79 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 PHL → 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 — 87% on time.
- Mornings87% on time · p90 15 min · 2,854 flights
- Middays82% on time · p90 35 min · 2,492 flights
- Afternoons73% on time · p90 60 min · 789 flights
- Evenings72% on time · p90 75 min · 1,731 flights
- Overnights70% on time · p90 85 min · 1,187 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 77% to 84% on time.
- Tuesdays84% on time · p90 25 min · 1,198 flights
- Wednesdays82% on time · p90 40 min · 1,211 flights
- Mondays80% on time · p90 40 min · 1,364 flights
- Saturdays79% on time · p90 40 min · 1,143 flights
- Thursdays79% on time · p90 50 min · 1,370 flights
- Sundays77% on time · p90 55 min · 1,387 flights
- Fridays77% on time · p90 55 min · 1,380 flights
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