SAN to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Diego International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 1,956 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
- SAN: Airport closed. Closed, expected to reopen Oct 11 at 13:00 UTC.
On-time arrivals
85%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.0%
13 flights
Avg arrival delay
9 min
51 min when late
Airlines
2
1,290 flights tracked
Key facts
- Flights from San Diego (SAN) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 85% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1% were cancelled, and 3% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (92% on time); around 11am did worst (77%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (93% on time) and Thursday the least (82%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (36%).
Which airline is most on time from SAN 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 | 86% | 1.0% | 9 min | 2.7% | 1,253 |
| Spirit Airlines | 72% | 2.7% | 14 min | 5.6% | 37 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am89%274 flights
- 7am92%91 flights
- 11am77%310 flights
- 12pm81%91 flights
- 2pm82%67 flights
- 3pm85%119 flights
- 10pm89%338 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday85%1.5% cancelled
- Tuesday93%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday86%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday82%0.0% cancelled
- Friday85%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday84%1.9% cancelled
- Sunday84%1.5% 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 aircraft36%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)34%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion30%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)77%
- Extreme weather23%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SAN to DTW: common questions
- How often are SAN to DTW flights on time?
- 85% 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 San Diego to Detroit cancelled?
- 1.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (13 of 1,290).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 9 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 51 min behind schedule on average, and 2.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SAN?
- Flights on this route spent 24 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to SAN — 75% on time
More flights from San Diego
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SAN → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.