IAD to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 383 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at IAD or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Washington (IAD) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 1.2% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); Republic Airways was the least (77%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (93% on time); around 5pm did worst (70%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Monday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (71%).
Which airline is most on time from IAD to DTW?
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% | 2.0% | 16 min | 10.4% | 147 |
| United Airlines | 79% | 0.0% | 11 min | 7.7% | 39 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 77% | 1.0% | 29 min | 12.3% | 708 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 77% | 1.7% | 16 min | 9.0% | 239 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am85%278 flights
- 8am92%13 flights
- 9am93%60 flights
- 11am89%103 flights
- 12pm72%150 flights
- 5pm70%438 flights
- 6pm93%14 flights
- 10pm74%77 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday78%1.3% cancelled
- Wednesday76%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday84%0.0% cancelled
- Friday75%1.1% cancelled
- Saturday79%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday77%3.7% 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)71%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion10%
- Late-arriving aircraft10%
- Extreme weather9%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather64%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion21%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)14%
- Security0%
IAD to DTW: common questions
- How often are IAD to DTW flights on time?
- 78% 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 Washington to Detroit cancelled?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (14 of 1,133).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 24 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 104 min behind schedule on average, and 11.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at IAD?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to IAD — 75% on time
More flights from Washington
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: IAD → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.