IAH to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 1,075 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at IAH or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Houston (IAH) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (82% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (69%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (89% on time); around 7pm did worst (67%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Sunday the least (76%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (44%).
Which airline is most on time from IAH 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 3 |
| Delta Air Lines | 82% | 0.8% | 14 min | 4.9% | 1,322 |
| Spirit Airlines | 76% | 2.8% | 19 min | 6.3% | 357 |
| United Airlines | 70% | 0.7% | 19 min | 11.2% | 280 |
| Frontier Airlines | 69% | 1.3% | 25 min | 8.1% | 152 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am89%410 flights
- 6am86%90 flights
- 7am82%22 flights
- 8am72%28 flights
- 11am77%164 flights
- 12pm85%203 flights
- 2pm73%125 flights
- 3pm81%355 flights
- 4pm71%75 flights
- 6pm76%160 flights
- 7pm67%268 flights
- 8pm68%206 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday76%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday81%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.7% cancelled
- Thursday78%0.7% cancelled
- Friday79%1.2% cancelled
- Saturday76%0.8% cancelled
- Sunday76%2.6% 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)44%
- Late-arriving aircraft36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)71%
- Extreme weather29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
IAH to DTW: common questions
- How often are IAH to DTW 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 Houston to Detroit cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (24 of 2,114).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 72 min behind schedule on average, and 6.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at IAH?
- Flights on this route spent 16 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to IAH — 79% on time
More flights from Houston
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: IAH → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.