DTW to DFW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport · 986 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or DFW 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 Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.3% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- Spirit Airlines was the most punctual airline here (78% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (60%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (88% on time); around 8pm did worst (61%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (80% on time) and Sunday the least (70%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (40%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to DFW?
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. | 93% | 0.0% | 11 min | 6.7% | 15 |
| Spirit Airlines | 78% | 1.6% | 14 min | 7.5% | 191 |
| Delta Air Lines | 77% | 1.8% | 14 min | 8.1% | 1,405 |
| American Airlines | 76% | 2.8% | 22 min | 10.3% | 1,623 |
| Frontier Airlines | 60% | 3.1% | 35 min | 17.1% | 259 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am88%123 flights
- 6am87%159 flights
- 7am84%336 flights
- 8am79%374 flights
- 11am82%341 flights
- 12pm81%405 flights
- 1pm71%62 flights
- 3pm70%414 flights
- 4pm75%227 flights
- 5pm70%162 flights
- 6pm66%84 flights
- 7pm64%416 flights
- 8pm61%152 flights
- 9pm75%156 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%2.9% cancelled
- Tuesday80%2.0% cancelled
- Wednesday76%1.1% cancelled
- Thursday80%1.5% cancelled
- Friday74%2.8% cancelled
- Saturday73%2.7% cancelled
- Sunday70%3.3% 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 aircraft40%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather54%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)43%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion4%
- Security0%
DTW to DFW: common questions
- How often are DTW to DFW flights on time?
- 75% 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 Dallas/Fort Worth cancelled?
- 2.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (82 of 3,493).
- 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 75 min behind schedule on average, and 9.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DFW to DTW — 75% 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 → DFW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.