SFO to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 2,079 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.7% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (85% on time); Delta Air Lines was the least (77%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (94% on time); around 11pm did worst (48%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Sunday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (52%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 85% | 0.2% | 9 min | 4.7% | 406 |
| Delta Air Lines | 77% | 0.8% | 13 min | 7.2% | 1,388 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am94%343 flights
- 7am91%22 flights
- 8am86%177 flights
- 10am81%21 flights
- 11am78%311 flights
- 12pm75%82 flights
- 1pm88%77 flights
- 2pm63%265 flights
- 4pm80%41 flights
- 9pm86%58 flights
- 10pm77%306 flights
- 11pm48%88 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday78%1.2% cancelled
- Tuesday84%0.8% cancelled
- Wednesday79%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday77%0.0% cancelled
- Friday77%0.8% cancelled
- Saturday82%0.4% cancelled
- Sunday75%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 aircraft52%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)31%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)83%
- Extreme weather8%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Security0%
SFO to DTW: common questions
- How often are SFO to DTW flights on time?
- 79% 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 Francisco to Detroit cancelled?
- 0.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (12 of 1,794).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 12 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 52 min behind schedule on average, and 6.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to SFO — 67% on time
More flights from San Francisco
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SFO → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.