DTW to BUF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport · 241 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or BUF 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 Buffalo (BUF) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 1.7% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (78% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (78%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (87% on time); around 10pm did worst (56%).
- Thursday 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) (68%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to BUF?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 100% | 14.3% | 1 min | 0.0% | 7 |
| Delta Air Lines | 78% | 2.0% | 26 min | 9.7% | 443 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 78% | 1.3% | 21 min | 11.2% | 757 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am87%144 flights
- 8am77%48 flights
- 10am77%181 flights
- 11am78%41 flights
- 2pm85%129 flights
- 3pm70%119 flights
- 4pm76%38 flights
- 5pm75%144 flights
- 9pm85%263 flights
- 10pm56%100 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%2.8% cancelled
- Tuesday76%1.2% cancelled
- Wednesday81%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday84%0.6% cancelled
- Friday77%2.9% cancelled
- Saturday79%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday73%3.5% 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)68%
- Extreme weather17%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion9%
- Late-arriving aircraft7%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather65%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)20%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Security0%
DTW to BUF: common questions
- How often are DTW to BUF 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 Detroit to Buffalo cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (20 of 1,207).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 23 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 101 min behind schedule on average, and 10.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: BUF to DTW — 81% 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 → BUF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.