DTW to TPA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Tampa International Airport · 983 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or TPA 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 Tampa (TPA) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.8% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (73%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (88% on time); around 9pm did worst (66%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Sunday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (45%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to TPA?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 81% | 1.3% | 13 min | 5.9% | 1,718 |
| Spirit Airlines | 73% | 4.3% | 18 min | 10.5% | 461 |
| Frontier Airlines | 73% | 0.7% | 19 min | 8.4% | 144 |
| Southwest Airlines | 40% | 0.0% | 15 min | 0.0% | 5 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am83%26 flights
- 6am69%111 flights
- 7am88%415 flights
- 8am77%62 flights
- 9am69%36 flights
- 10am81%376 flights
- 12pm81%205 flights
- 2pm79%252 flights
- 3pm81%68 flights
- 4pm80%56 flights
- 5pm80%83 flights
- 6pm81%161 flights
- 7pm81%73 flights
- 8pm71%235 flights
- 9pm66%124 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%3.0% cancelled
- Tuesday81%1.3% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday83%0.0% cancelled
- Friday79%2.9% cancelled
- Saturday76%1.8% cancelled
- Sunday74%3.6% 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)45%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion26%
- Late-arriving aircraft25%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)65%
- Extreme weather23%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Security0%
DTW to TPA: common questions
- How often are DTW to TPA 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 Tampa cancelled?
- 1.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (43 of 2,328).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 63 min behind schedule on average, and 6.9% 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: TPA to DTW — 81% 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 → TPA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.