DTW to ORD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 235 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or ORD 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 Chicago (ORD) arrived on time 73% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3.2% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (83% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (69%).
- Departures scheduled around 10am did best (88% on time); around 6pm did worst (50%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (76% on time) and Friday the least (69%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (44%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to ORD?
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 | 90% | 12.8% | 15 min | 7.3% | 47 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 83% | 5.5% | 17 min | 8.2% | 439 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 79% | 3.4% | 19 min | 9.0% | 902 |
| United Airlines | 72% | 1.4% | 21 min | 6.9% | 806 |
| Delta Air Lines | 72% | 3.0% | 24 min | 12.6% | 1,210 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 69% | 3.4% | 31 min | 13.5% | 2,530 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 60% | 0.0% | 42 min | 25.0% | 20 |
| Spirit Airlines | 0% | 0.0% | 1287 min | 100.0% | 2 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am84%282 flights
- 6am87%463 flights
- 7am73%593 flights
- 8am74%408 flights
- 9am79%463 flights
- 10am88%356 flights
- 11am87%285 flights
- 12pm68%383 flights
- 1pm70%371 flights
- 2pm73%321 flights
- 3pm74%209 flights
- 4pm69%307 flights
- 5pm61%410 flights
- 6pm50%464 flights
- 7pm62%188 flights
- 8pm65%398 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday71%4.7% cancelled
- Tuesday75%2.8% cancelled
- Wednesday73%2.7% cancelled
- Thursday75%2.4% cancelled
- Friday69%3.7% cancelled
- Saturday76%3.5% cancelled
- Sunday70%2.8% 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)44%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion27%
- Late-arriving aircraft21%
- Extreme weather8%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather61%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion28%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)11%
- Security0%
DTW to ORD: common questions
- How often are DTW to ORD flights on time?
- 73% 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 Chicago cancelled?
- 3.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (193 of 5,956).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 26 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 90 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: ORD to DTW — 72% 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 → ORD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.