LAX to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 1,979 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at LAX or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 83% 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 (84% on time); Spirit Airlines was the least (78%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (92% on time); around 1pm did worst (70%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Thursday the least (79%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (52%).
Which airline is most on time from LAX 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 100% | 0.0% | 8 min | 0.0% | 2 |
| Delta Air Lines | 84% | 0.8% | 11 min | 4.8% | 1,963 |
| Spirit Airlines | 78% | 2.3% | 20 min | 10.7% | 486 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am89%240 flights
- 6am91%197 flights
- 7am90%137 flights
- 8am89%74 flights
- 9am92%238 flights
- 10am87%60 flights
- 11am74%232 flights
- 12pm78%138 flights
- 1pm70%98 flights
- 3pm80%320 flights
- 4pm85%54 flights
- 9pm76%154 flights
- 10pm79%422 flights
- 11pm83%78 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday85%1.2% cancelled
- Wednesday85%0.9% cancelled
- Thursday79%0.3% cancelled
- Friday85%1.3% cancelled
- Saturday83%0.3% cancelled
- Sunday81%1.4% 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)52%
- Late-arriving aircraft29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)77%
- Extreme weather23%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
LAX to DTW: common questions
- How often are LAX to DTW flights on time?
- 83% 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 Los Angeles to Detroit cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (26 of 2,451).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 68 min behind schedule on average, and 6.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at LAX?
- Flights on this route spent 16 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to LAX — 77% on time
More flights from Los Angeles
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: LAX → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.