STL to DTW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · 440 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at STL or DTW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from St. Louis (STL) to Detroit (DTW) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.2% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (88% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (71%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (92% on time); around 7pm did worst (53%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Monday the least (77%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (48%).
Which airline is most on time from STL 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 | 88% | 1.7% | 13 min | 6.1% | 1,095 |
| Spirit Airlines | 84% | 0.0% | 54 min | 15.8% | 19 |
| Southwest Airlines | 72% | 0.2% | 17 min | 8.6% | 597 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 71% | 1.1% | 32 min | 14.9% | 183 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am92%364 flights
- 7am97%38 flights
- 8am98%40 flights
- 9am66%29 flights
- 10am84%427 flights
- 11am81%53 flights
- 1pm80%117 flights
- 2pm82%103 flights
- 5pm84%228 flights
- 6pm82%262 flights
- 7pm53%139 flights
- 8pm62%77 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%2.1% cancelled
- Tuesday86%0.4% cancelled
- Wednesday85%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday83%0.4% cancelled
- Friday80%2.4% cancelled
- Saturday82%0.9% cancelled
- Sunday77%1.8% 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)48%
- Late-arriving aircraft38%
- Extreme weather9%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion6%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)64%
- Extreme weather23%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Security0%
STL to DTW: common questions
- How often are STL to DTW flights on time?
- 81% 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 St. Louis to Detroit cancelled?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (22 of 1,894).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 83 min behind schedule on average, and 7.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at STL?
- Flights on this route spent 12 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DTW to STL — 77% on time
More flights from St. Louis
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: STL → DTW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.