DTW to ORF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Norfolk International Airport · 529 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or ORF 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 Norfolk (ORF) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (78% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 10pm did best (80% on time); around 10am did worst (74%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (80% on time) and Friday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (56%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to ORF?
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 | 78% | 0.9% | 16 min | 7.9% | 555 |
| Spirit Airlines | 77% | 0.0% | 10 min | 7.7% | 13 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 67% | 1.6% | 27 min | 14.5% | 126 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 10am74%172 flights
- 2pm77%228 flights
- 3pm55%11 flights
- 4pm100%10 flights
- 5pm76%29 flights
- 9pm74%200 flights
- 10pm80%38 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday78%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday76%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday80%0.0% cancelled
- Friday73%2.8% cancelled
- Saturday76%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday74%1.9% 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)56%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Late-arriving aircraft17%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)71%
- Extreme weather29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DTW to ORF: common questions
- How often are DTW to ORF flights on time?
- 76% 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 Norfolk cancelled?
- 1.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (7 of 694).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 18 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 70 min behind schedule on average, and 9.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 16 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ORF to DTW — 80% 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 → ORF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.