DTW to PHX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport · 1,671 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or PHX 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 Phoenix (PHX) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.7% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (80% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (72%).
- Departures scheduled around 6pm did best (81% on time); around 7pm did worst (67%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Sunday the least (70%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (48%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to PHX?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Airlines | 86% | 2.1% | 11 min | 5.6% | 94 |
| American Airlines | 80% | 0.6% | 20 min | 6.3% | 628 |
| Southwest Airlines | 80% | 0.0% | 9 min | 0.0% | 30 |
| Delta Air Lines | 75% | 0.5% | 17 min | 9.1% | 1,334 |
| Frontier Airlines | 72% | 1.0% | 38 min | 13.4% | 310 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am80%111 flights
- 7am81%227 flights
- 8am80%494 flights
- 9am79%49 flights
- 12pm80%315 flights
- 1pm92%25 flights
- 4pm71%259 flights
- 5pm73%231 flights
- 6pm81%101 flights
- 7pm67%105 flights
- 8pm72%380 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%0.8% cancelled
- Tuesday79%0.7% cancelled
- Wednesday82%1.0% cancelled
- Thursday79%0.0% cancelled
- Friday75%0.8% cancelled
- Saturday77%0.3% cancelled
- Sunday70%1.1% 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)48%
- Late-arriving aircraft34%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)88%
- Extreme weather13%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DTW to PHX: common questions
- How often are DTW to PHX 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 Phoenix cancelled?
- 0.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (16 of 2,396).
- 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 81 min behind schedule on average, and 8.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 19 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: PHX 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 → PHX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.