DCA to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 405 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Washington (DCA) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3.7% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); PSA Airlines was the least (68%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (94% on time); around 8pm did worst (58%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Thursday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (53%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 2 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 81% | 3.3% | 14 min | 6.8% | 276 |
| Delta Air Lines | 80% | 2.8% | 18 min | 8.3% | 1,741 |
| American Airlines | 75% | 0.0% | 99 min | 25.0% | 4 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 68% | 5.4% | 26 min | 14.6% | 953 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am94%366 flights
- 7am87%243 flights
- 8am67%68 flights
- 9am86%352 flights
- 10am85%61 flights
- 11am76%107 flights
- 12pm85%433 flights
- 2pm61%115 flights
- 3pm73%40 flights
- 4pm66%74 flights
- 5pm62%444 flights
- 7pm69%309 flights
- 8pm58%254 flights
- 9pm67%46 flights
- 10pm71%35 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%4.5% cancelled
- Tuesday80%3.4% cancelled
- Wednesday75%2.7% cancelled
- Thursday73%1.8% cancelled
- Friday73%4.4% cancelled
- Saturday85%3.5% cancelled
- Sunday74%5.4% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft53%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather52%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Security2%
DCA to DTW: common questions
- How often are DCA to DTW flights on time?
- 76% 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 Washington to Detroit cancelled?
- 3.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (109 of 2,976).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 20 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 81 min behind schedule on average, and 10.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to DCA — 69% on time
More flights from Washington
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DCA → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.