DTW to ATL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport · 594 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or ATL right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Detroit (DTW) to Atlanta (ATL) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better 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 (81% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (66%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (89% on time); around 5pm did worst (63%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Sunday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (44%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to ATL?
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 | 81% | 0.5% | 14 min | 6.4% | 3,742 |
| Spirit Airlines | 75% | 2.0% | 18 min | 8.5% | 592 |
| Frontier Airlines | 66% | 1.7% | 37 min | 15.2% | 523 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am89%424 flights
- 6am85%366 flights
- 7am85%457 flights
- 8am86%308 flights
- 9am86%309 flights
- 10am85%406 flights
- 11am78%51 flights
- 12pm71%381 flights
- 2pm78%428 flights
- 3pm73%125 flights
- 4pm77%377 flights
- 5pm63%186 flights
- 6pm71%397 flights
- 7pm73%231 flights
- 8pm66%161 flights
- 9pm76%191 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%1.0% cancelled
- Tuesday79%0.3% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.1% cancelled
- Thursday83%0.0% cancelled
- Friday78%0.9% cancelled
- Saturday82%1.2% cancelled
- Sunday73%2.0% 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)44%
- Late-arriving aircraft35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion19%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)56%
- Extreme weather41%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion3%
- Security0%
DTW to ATL: common questions
- How often are DTW to ATL flights on time?
- 79% 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 Detroit to Atlanta cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (39 of 4,857).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 17 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 75 min behind schedule on average, and 7.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ATL to DTW — 77% on time
More flights from Detroit
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DTW → ATL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.