RDU to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 501 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at RDU or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 88% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.5% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (88% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (87%).
- Departures scheduled around 10am did best (95% on time); around 6pm did worst (79%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (92% on time) and Sunday the least (83%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (45%).
Which airline is most on time from RDU 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 | 89% | 0.0% | 8 min | 5.7% | 53 |
| Delta Air Lines | 88% | 1.6% | 11 min | 5.1% | 1,335 |
| Frontier Airlines | 87% | 0.9% | 8 min | 4.5% | 111 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am93%341 flights
- 7am90%21 flights
- 9am91%270 flights
- 10am95%65 flights
- 12pm91%57 flights
- 1pm86%303 flights
- 3pm79%19 flights
- 4pm90%59 flights
- 5pm82%119 flights
- 6pm79%223 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday84%1.3% cancelled
- Tuesday92%0.5% cancelled
- Wednesday91%2.0% cancelled
- Thursday91%0.4% cancelled
- Friday87%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday88%1.9% cancelled
- Sunday83%4.2% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft45%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion24%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)68%
- Extreme weather32%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
RDU to DTW: common questions
- How often are RDU to DTW flights on time?
- 88% 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 Raleigh/Durham to Detroit cancelled?
- 1.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (22 of 1,499).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 80 min behind schedule on average, and 5.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at RDU?
- Flights on this route spent 15 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to RDU — 84% on time
More flights from Raleigh/Durham
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: RDU → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.