ORD to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 235 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORD or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Chicago (ORD) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 72% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3.2% were cancelled, and 13% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (80% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (65%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (88% on time); around 6pm did worst (57%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (76% on time) and Monday the least (67%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (37%).
Which airline is most on time from ORD 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 80% | 4.3% | 16 min | 9.1% | 438 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 78% | 3.2% | 11 min | 6.0% | 902 |
| Delta Air Lines | 78% | 3.1% | 20 min | 10.1% | 1,210 |
| United Airlines | 73% | 1.2% | 23 min | 11.6% | 805 |
| American Airlines | 71% | 12.8% | 40 min | 14.6% | 47 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 65% | 3.6% | 33 min | 16.8% | 2,531 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 60% | 0.0% | 27 min | 25.0% | 20 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am85%188 flights
- 7am88%730 flights
- 8am76%129 flights
- 9am70%261 flights
- 10am77%709 flights
- 11am82%201 flights
- 12pm69%143 flights
- 1pm69%248 flights
- 2pm74%649 flights
- 3pm70%249 flights
- 4pm63%201 flights
- 5pm64%683 flights
- 6pm57%299 flights
- 7pm63%599 flights
- 8pm65%143 flights
- 9pm66%407 flights
- 10pm73%111 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday67%4.7% cancelled
- Tuesday73%2.0% cancelled
- Wednesday73%2.3% cancelled
- Thursday76%2.8% cancelled
- Friday69%3.8% cancelled
- Saturday76%4.3% cancelled
- Sunday69%2.9% 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)37%
- Late-arriving aircraft32%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather15%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather62%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion26%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)11%
- Security0%
ORD to DTW: common questions
- How often are ORD to DTW flights on time?
- 72% 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 Chicago to Detroit cancelled?
- 3.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (193 of 5,953).
- 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 83 min behind schedule on average, and 12.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ORD?
- Flights on this route spent 28 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to ORD — 73% on time
More flights from Chicago
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ORD → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.