DTW to SDF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport · 306 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or SDF 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 Louisville (SDF) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.2% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (80% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (78%).
- Departures scheduled around 9pm did best (90% on time); around 3pm did worst (71%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Friday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (55%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to SDF?
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 | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 10 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 80% | 1.0% | 19 min | 7.9% | 408 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 78% | 1.4% | 19 min | 10.0% | 699 |
| Delta Air Lines | 45% | 0.0% | 49 min | 18.2% | 11 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am82%348 flights
- 11am67%12 flights
- 12pm78%153 flights
- 1pm94%32 flights
- 3pm71%94 flights
- 4pm71%100 flights
- 5pm67%21 flights
- 7pm77%320 flights
- 9pm90%42 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%0.6% cancelled
- Tuesday78%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday83%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday76%0.0% cancelled
- Friday73%1.8% cancelled
- Saturday87%2.1% cancelled
- Sunday79%2.4% 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)55%
- Extreme weather18%
- Late-arriving aircraft17%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion10%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather57%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Security0%
DTW to SDF: common questions
- How often are DTW to SDF 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 Louisville cancelled?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (14 of 1,128).
- 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 86 min behind schedule on average, and 9.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SDF to DTW — 83% 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 → SDF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.