Detroit to Richmond

What the Data Says About DTW to RIC

The Detroit to Richmond corridor (DTW → RIC) covers roughly 456 miles and is served by 21 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 4,954 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 84.5% on-time rate with an average delay of 78.9 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,833 flights were recorded on this pairing — 15 cancelled (0.8%) and 5 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 21 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 4,954 total flights analyzed, the 84.5% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 78.9-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, Mar 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Jan 2024 came in at 63% on-time — a 28-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DTW to RIC route, the combination of a 84.5% on-time rate, 78.9-minute average delay, 0.8% recent cancellation rate, and 21 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.