Buffalo to Detroit

What the Data Says About BUF to DTW

The Buffalo to Detroit corridor (BUF → DTW) covers roughly 241 miles and is served by 19 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 7,310 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 87.7% on-time rate with an average delay of 92.4 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,279 flights were recorded on this pairing — 26 cancelled (1.1%) and 0 diverted (0.0%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 19 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 7,310 total flights analyzed, the 87.7% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 92.4-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Sep 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 96% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 61% on-time — a 35-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the BUF to DTW route, the combination of a 87.7% on-time rate, 92.4-minute average delay, 1.1% recent cancellation rate, and 19 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.