DEN to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 1,123 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (87% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (57%).
- Departures scheduled around 12am did best (93% on time); around 6pm did worst (51%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Monday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (53%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 1 |
| Delta Air Lines | 87% | 0.3% | 11 min | 5.4% | 1,245 |
| United Airlines | 80% | 0.0% | 13 min | 6.4% | 726 |
| Frontier Airlines | 80% | 0.4% | 16 min | 8.9% | 473 |
| Southwest Airlines | 57% | 0.8% | 23 min | 12.0% | 649 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 12am93%151 flights
- 5am90%90 flights
- 6am90%379 flights
- 7am96%79 flights
- 9am90%206 flights
- 10am82%636 flights
- 11am78%95 flights
- 12pm79%72 flights
- 1pm61%75 flights
- 2pm81%75 flights
- 3pm83%293 flights
- 4pm70%90 flights
- 5pm68%448 flights
- 6pm51%160 flights
- 7pm52%202 flights
- 8pm78%37 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%0.4% cancelled
- Tuesday81%0.2% cancelled
- Wednesday80%0.2% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.0% cancelled
- Friday78%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday82%0.2% cancelled
- Sunday76%0.7% 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)32%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)55%
- Extreme weather27%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion18%
- Security0%
DEN to DTW: common questions
- How often are DEN to DTW flights on time?
- 78% 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 Denver to Detroit cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (11 of 3,094).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 15 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 63 min behind schedule on average, and 7.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to DEN — 80% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.