DTW to IAD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport · 383 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or IAD 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 Washington (IAD) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (88% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (69%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (94% on time); around 9pm did worst (66%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (80% on time) and Monday the least (69%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (70%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to IAD?
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 | 88% | 1.4% | 11 min | 5.5% | 147 |
| United Airlines | 87% | 0.0% | 18 min | 5.1% | 39 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 85% | 1.2% | 11 min | 5.5% | 259 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 69% | 1.0% | 28 min | 15.1% | 708 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am76%18 flights
- 6am93%40 flights
- 7am93%60 flights
- 8am94%103 flights
- 10am76%170 flights
- 2pm70%185 flights
- 3pm70%169 flights
- 4pm86%14 flights
- 7pm79%116 flights
- 9pm66%278 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday69%1.2% cancelled
- Tuesday78%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday78%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.0% cancelled
- Friday74%1.1% cancelled
- Saturday80%0.6% cancelled
- Sunday74%3.0% 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)70%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather9%
- Late-arriving aircraft5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather75%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)8%
- Security0%
DTW to IAD: common questions
- How often are DTW to IAD 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 Washington cancelled?
- 1.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (12 of 1,153).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 22 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 84 min behind schedule on average, and 11.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: IAD to DTW — 78% 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 → IAD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.