DTW to RDU flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport · 501 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or RDU 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 Raleigh/Durham (RDU) arrived on time 84% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.7% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (84% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (80%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (92% on time); around 9pm did worst (74%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Sunday the least (78%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (59%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to RDU?
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 | 87% | 0.0% | 8 min | 3.8% | 53 |
| Delta Air Lines | 84% | 1.6% | 11 min | 5.6% | 1,335 |
| Frontier Airlines | 80% | 3.6% | 13 min | 7.5% | 111 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am92%259 flights
- 9am69%36 flights
- 10am89%378 flights
- 12pm90%21 flights
- 1pm94%18 flights
- 2pm84%123 flights
- 3pm84%177 flights
- 4pm77%53 flights
- 5pm83%24 flights
- 7pm82%36 flights
- 9pm74%348 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday85%0.9% cancelled
- Tuesday87%1.0% cancelled
- Wednesday86%1.5% cancelled
- Thursday83%0.9% cancelled
- Friday86%0.4% cancelled
- Saturday85%3.1% cancelled
- Sunday78%4.6% 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)59%
- Late-arriving aircraft22%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion18%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)62%
- Extreme weather38%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DTW to RDU: common questions
- How often are DTW to RDU flights on time?
- 84% 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 Raleigh/Durham cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (26 of 1,499).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 11 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 63 min behind schedule on average, and 5.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: RDU to DTW — 88% 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 → RDU, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.