MEM to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Frederick W. Smith International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 610 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MEM or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Memphis (MEM) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 83% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.7% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (90% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (79%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (92% on time); around 5pm did worst (70%).
- Friday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Monday the least (80%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (67%).
Which airline is most on time from MEM 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 | 90% | 2.1% | 12 min | 4.6% | 377 |
| Spirit Airlines | 83% | 7.7% | 6 min | 0.0% | 13 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 79% | 1.3% | 24 min | 12.4% | 607 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 69% | 0.0% | 9 min | 0.0% | 13 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am92%364 flights
- 10am81%280 flights
- 12pm70%51 flights
- 2pm88%84 flights
- 4pm83%13 flights
- 5pm70%211 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%1.3% cancelled
- Tuesday84%0.7% cancelled
- Wednesday82%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday82%0.0% cancelled
- Friday86%3.2% cancelled
- Saturday85%3.3% cancelled
- Sunday80%3.3% 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)67%
- Extreme weather24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion7%
- Late-arriving aircraft2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather53%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion18%
- Security0%
MEM to DTW: common questions
- How often are MEM 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 Memphis to Detroit cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (17 of 1,010).
- 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 107 min behind schedule on average, and 9.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MEM?
- Flights on this route spent 15 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to MEM — 77% on time
More flights from Memphis
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MEM → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.