Detroit to Dallas/Fort Worth

What the Data Says About DTW to DFW

The Detroit to Dallas/Fort Worth corridor (DTW → DFW) covers roughly 986 miles and is served by 27 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 19,999 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 79.9% on-time rate with an average delay of 78.0 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 7,525 flights were recorded on this pairing — 123 cancelled (1.6%) and 40 diverted (0.5%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 27 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 19,999 total flights analyzed, the 79.9% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 78.0-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, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 90% on-time, while May 2024 came in at 62% on-time — a 27-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DTW to DFW route, the combination of a 79.9% on-time rate, 78.0-minute average delay, 1.6% recent cancellation rate, and 27 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.