Detroit to Memphis

What the Data Says About DTW to MEM

The Detroit to Memphis corridor (DTW → MEM) covers roughly 610 miles and is served by 23 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 4,700 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83.8% on-time rate with an average delay of 77.4 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,811 flights were recorded on this pairing — 14 cancelled (0.8%) and 3 diverted (0.2%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 23 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 4,700 total flights analyzed, the 83.8% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 77.4-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, Dec 2023 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 61% on-time — a 30-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DTW to MEM route, the combination of a 83.8% on-time rate, 77.4-minute average delay, 0.8% recent cancellation rate, and 23 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.