SEA to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 1,927 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SEA or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Seattle (SEA) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 85% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (86% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (84%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (92% on time); around 11am did worst (77%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (90% on time) and Sunday the least (80%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (52%).
Which airline is most on time from SEA 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% | 10 min | 3.9% | 1,517 |
| Alaska Airlines | 84% | 0.2% | 9 min | 4.5% | 543 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am87%95 flights
- 6am92%270 flights
- 8am85%219 flights
- 9am86%351 flights
- 11am77%211 flights
- 12pm74%31 flights
- 1pm79%110 flights
- 2pm84%55 flights
- 3pm88%150 flights
- 9pm79%61 flights
- 10pm86%142 flights
- 11pm87%345 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday88%1.0% cancelled
- Tuesday90%0.7% cancelled
- Wednesday88%0.7% cancelled
- Thursday83%0.3% cancelled
- Friday84%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday86%1.1% cancelled
- Sunday80%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)52%
- Late-arriving aircraft29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)88%
- Extreme weather13%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SEA to DTW: common questions
- How often are SEA 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 Seattle to Detroit cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (16 of 2,060).
- 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 61 min behind schedule on average, and 4.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SEA?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to SEA — 73% on time
More flights from Seattle
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SEA → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.