Milwaukee to Detroit

What the Data Says About MKE to DTW

The Milwaukee to Detroit corridor (MKE → DTW) covers roughly 237 miles and is served by 22 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 8,178 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 87.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 92.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,871 flights were recorded on this pairing — 18 cancelled (0.6%) and 2 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 22 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 87.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 92.6-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 95% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 68% on-time — a 27-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MKE to DTW route, the combination of a 87.1% on-time rate, 92.6-minute average delay, 0.6% recent cancellation rate, and 22 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.