DTW to PHL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Philadelphia International Airport · 453 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or PHL 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 Philadelphia (PHL) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 3.3% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (80% on time); PSA Airlines was the least (78%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (89% on time); around 4pm did worst (64%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Sunday the least (76%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (38%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to PHL?
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. | 95% | 1.6% | 4 min | 1.6% | 62 |
| Delta Air Lines | 80% | 2.4% | 16 min | 8.6% | 1,578 |
| Spirit Airlines | 80% | 0.0% | 17 min | 10.1% | 109 |
| American Airlines | 80% | 0.7% | 31 min | 10.9% | 139 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 78% | 5.6% | 22 min | 10.2% | 921 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 62% | 2.9% | 36 min | 20.0% | 69 |
| Frontier Airlines | 58% | 2.7% | 45 min | 15.1% | 75 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am98%44 flights
- 6am85%267 flights
- 7am89%370 flights
- 10am85%488 flights
- 11am80%190 flights
- 12pm71%35 flights
- 1pm71%65 flights
- 2pm72%229 flights
- 3pm70%217 flights
- 4pm64%180 flights
- 5pm69%261 flights
- 6pm74%78 flights
- 7pm73%81 flights
- 8pm83%40 flights
- 9pm80%381 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday76%4.5% cancelled
- Tuesday83%2.4% cancelled
- Wednesday80%1.7% cancelled
- Thursday80%2.1% cancelled
- Friday77%2.9% cancelled
- Saturday81%2.7% cancelled
- Sunday76%6.3% 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)38%
- Late-arriving aircraft34%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather66%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)23%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Security0%
DTW to PHL: common questions
- How often are DTW to PHL flights on time?
- 79% 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 Philadelphia cancelled?
- 3.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (96 of 2,953).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 88 min behind schedule on average, and 9.5% 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: PHL 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 → PHL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.