DTW to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Los Angeles International Airport · 1,979 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or LAX 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 Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.9% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Spirit Airlines was the most punctual airline here (79% on time); Delta Air Lines was the least (77%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (88% on time); around 8pm did worst (66%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (81% on time) and Sunday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (53%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to LAX?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 2 |
| Spirit Airlines | 79% | 1.4% | 14 min | 9.2% | 485 |
| Delta Air Lines | 77% | 0.8% | 14 min | 6.3% | 1,962 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am83%365 flights
- 9am88%122 flights
- 11am76%38 flights
- 12pm82%365 flights
- 1pm93%29 flights
- 2pm83%103 flights
- 3pm75%144 flights
- 4pm78%255 flights
- 6pm75%436 flights
- 7pm68%41 flights
- 8pm66%336 flights
- 9pm71%170 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%1.1% cancelled
- Tuesday80%1.5% cancelled
- Wednesday81%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday78%0.0% cancelled
- Friday77%1.6% cancelled
- Saturday77%0.3% cancelled
- Sunday73%1.1% 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)53%
- Late-arriving aircraft22%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)86%
- Extreme weather14%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DTW to LAX: common questions
- How often are DTW to LAX flights on time?
- 77% 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 Los Angeles cancelled?
- 0.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (22 of 2,449).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 58 min behind schedule on average, and 6.9% 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: LAX to DTW — 83% 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 → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.