DTW to MEM flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Frederick W. Smith International Airport · 610 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or MEM 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 Memphis (MEM) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.7% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (79% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (77%).
- Departures scheduled around 12pm did best (87% on time); around 3pm did worst (67%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Sunday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (67%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to MEM?
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 | 79% | 2.1% | 18 min | 10.0% | 379 |
| Spirit Airlines | 77% | 7.1% | 11 min | 7.7% | 14 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 77% | 0.0% | 9 min | 0.0% | 13 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 77% | 1.3% | 22 min | 10.9% | 606 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am81%281 flights
- 10am75%54 flights
- 12pm87%85 flights
- 3pm67%82 flights
- 4pm74%138 flights
- 8pm76%333 flights
- 9pm78%23 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%1.3% cancelled
- Tuesday77%0.7% cancelled
- Wednesday80%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday82%0.6% cancelled
- Friday76%3.8% cancelled
- Saturday80%2.5% cancelled
- Sunday73%2.6% 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)67%
- Extreme weather12%
- Late-arriving aircraft12%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion9%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather53%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Security0%
DTW to MEM: common questions
- How often are DTW to MEM 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 Memphis cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (17 of 1,012).
- 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 84 min behind schedule on average, and 10.4% 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: MEM 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 → MEM, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.