Detroit to Buffalo

What the Data Says About DTW to BUF

The Detroit to Buffalo corridor (DTW → BUF) covers roughly 241 miles and is served by 19 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 7,311 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 84.5% on-time rate with an average delay of 78.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,280 flights were recorded on this pairing — 27 cancelled (1.2%) and 3 diverted (0.1%). 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 7,311 total flights analyzed, the 84.5% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 78.6-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, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 97% 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 DTW to BUF route, the combination of a 84.5% on-time rate, 78.6-minute average delay, 1.2% recent cancellation rate, and 19 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.