DTW to SNA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to John Wayne Orange County International Airport · 1,960 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or SNA 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 Santa Ana (SNA) arrived on time 70% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Spirit Airlines was the most punctual airline here (86% on time); Delta Air Lines was the least (69%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (78% on time); around 8am did worst (68%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (77% on time) and Tuesday the least (65%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (56%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to SNA?
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% | 0.0% | 5 min | 0.0% | 22 |
| Delta Air Lines | 69% | 0.6% | 20 min | 9.1% | 323 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am68%274 flights
- 9am78%70 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday69%1.8% cancelled
- Tuesday65%1.9% cancelled
- Wednesday77%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday73%0.0% cancelled
- Friday65%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday65%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday73%0.0% 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 congestion24%
- Late-arriving aircraft13%
- Extreme weather7%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)100%
- Extreme weather0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DTW to SNA: common questions
- How often are DTW to SNA flights on time?
- 70% 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 Santa Ana cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (2 of 345).
- 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 59 min behind schedule on average, and 8.5% 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: SNA to DTW — 64% 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 → SNA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.