ATL to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 594 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ATL or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (79% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (90% on time); around 9pm did worst (63%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Sunday the least (70%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (45%).
Which airline is most on time from ATL to DTW?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 79% | 0.5% | 14 min | 7.0% | 3,737 |
| Spirit Airlines | 78% | 2.2% | 19 min | 10.1% | 588 |
| Frontier Airlines | 67% | 1.5% | 24 min | 12.2% | 523 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am90%306 flights
- 7am90%398 flights
- 8am84%109 flights
- 9am82%395 flights
- 10am72%73 flights
- 11am79%441 flights
- 12pm74%98 flights
- 1pm86%356 flights
- 2pm77%229 flights
- 3pm76%321 flights
- 4pm76%360 flights
- 5pm70%144 flights
- 6pm76%378 flights
- 7pm69%249 flights
- 8pm69%315 flights
- 9pm63%222 flights
- 10pm66%430 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%1.4% cancelled
- Tuesday79%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday86%0.1% cancelled
- Thursday79%0.1% cancelled
- Friday75%0.7% cancelled
- Saturday79%0.6% cancelled
- Sunday70%2.7% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)45%
- Late-arriving aircraft36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)53%
- Extreme weather48%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
ATL to DTW: common questions
- How often are ATL to DTW flights on time?
- 77% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Atlanta to Detroit cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (40 of 4,848).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 64 min behind schedule on average, and 7.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ATL?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to ATL — 79% on time
More flights from Atlanta
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ATL → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.