Detroit to Dayton

What the Data Says About DTW to DAY

The Detroit to Dayton corridor (DTW → DAY) covers roughly 166 miles and is served by 4 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 2,471 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 90.8% on-time rate with an average delay of 69.0 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,913 flights were recorded on this pairing — 12 cancelled (0.6%) and 1 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 4 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 2,471 total flights analyzed, the 90.8% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 69.0-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, May 2021 posted the best performance on this corridor at 99% on-time, while Dec 2021 came in at 79% on-time — a 19-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DTW to DAY route, the combination of a 90.8% on-time rate, 69.0-minute average delay, 0.6% recent cancellation rate, and 4 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.