Detroit to Lansing

What the Data Says About DTW to LAN

The Detroit to Lansing corridor (DTW → LAN) covers roughly 74 miles and is served by 4 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 5,909 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 86% on-time rate with an average delay of 89.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,929 flights were recorded on this pairing — 14 cancelled (0.7%) 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 5,909 total flights analyzed, the 86% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 89.6-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, May 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Jun 2024 came in at 50% on-time — a 41-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DTW to LAN route, the combination of a 86% on-time rate, 89.6-minute average delay, 0.7% recent cancellation rate, and 4 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.