DTW to LEX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Blue Grass Airport · 296 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or LEX 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 Lexington (LEX) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 1.5% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (87% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (75%).
- Departures scheduled around 4pm did best (94% on time); around 7pm did worst (72%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Friday the least (71%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (75%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to LEX?
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. | 87% | 1.2% | 9 min | 5.4% | 244 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 75% | 1.7% | 28 min | 12.4% | 543 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am77%158 flights
- 3pm82%249 flights
- 4pm94%33 flights
- 7pm72%87 flights
- 8pm75%169 flights
- 9pm79%84 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%0.9% cancelled
- Tuesday84%1.8% cancelled
- Wednesday81%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday83%0.0% cancelled
- Friday71%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday82%2.8% cancelled
- Sunday74%5.4% 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)75%
- Extreme weather15%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion7%
- Late-arriving aircraft3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather67%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Security0%
DTW to LEX: common questions
- How often are DTW to LEX 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 Lexington cancelled?
- 1.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (12 of 787).
- 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 100 min behind schedule on average, and 10.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: LEX to DTW — 84% 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 → LEX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.