Detroit to Milwaukee

What the Data Says About DTW to MKE

The Detroit to Milwaukee corridor (DTW → MKE) covers roughly 237 miles and is served by 20 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 8,178 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83.3% on-time rate with an average delay of 75.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,870 flights were recorded on this pairing — 16 cancelled (0.6%) and 4 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 20 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 8,178 total flights analyzed, the 83.3% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 75.6-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, Oct 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 93% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 57% on-time — a 36-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DTW to MKE route, the combination of a 83.3% on-time rate, 75.6-minute average delay, 0.6% recent cancellation rate, and 20 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.