DSM to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Des Moines International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 534 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DSM or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Des Moines (DSM) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 44% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0% were cancelled, and 31% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (88%).
Which airline is most on time from DSM 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. | 44% | 0.0% | 86 min | 31.3% | 16 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
Not enough departures across different hours to compare.
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday50%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday0%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday67%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday67%0.0% cancelled
- Friday33%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday50%0.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Monthly trend appears once two or more months of data are available.
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)88%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Extreme weather5%
- Late-arriving aircraft0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
No cancellation causes recorded in this period.
DSM to DTW: common questions
- How often are DSM to DTW flights on time?
- 44% 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 Des Moines to Detroit cancelled?
- 0.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (0 of 16).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 86 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 152 min behind schedule on average, and 31.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DSM?
- Flights on this route spent 24 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to DSM — 56% on time
More flights from Des Moines
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DSM → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.