ORF to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Norfolk International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 529 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORF or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Norfolk (ORF) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 80% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.3% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (82% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (70%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (92% on time); around 4pm did worst (65%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Friday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (55%).
Which airline is most on time from ORF 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Airlines | 85% | 0.0% | 6 min | 0.0% | 13 |
| Delta Air Lines | 82% | 1.3% | 18 min | 8.4% | 555 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 70% | 1.6% | 37 min | 16.1% | 126 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am88%134 flights
- 6am92%148 flights
- 12pm73%81 flights
- 1pm78%96 flights
- 4pm65%82 flights
- 5pm75%146 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday78%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday84%2.0% cancelled
- Wednesday80%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday83%0.0% cancelled
- Friday75%1.9% cancelled
- Saturday83%2.2% cancelled
- Sunday77%1.0% 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)55%
- Late-arriving aircraft24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)67%
- Extreme weather22%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Security0%
ORF to DTW: common questions
- How often are ORF to DTW flights on time?
- 80% 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 Norfolk to Detroit cancelled?
- 1.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (9 of 694).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 21 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 103 min behind schedule on average, and 9.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ORF?
- Flights on this route spent 16 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to ORF — 76% on time
More flights from Norfolk
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ORF → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.