Chicago to Detroit

What the Data Says About ORD to DTW

The Chicago to Detroit corridor (ORD → DTW) covers roughly 235 miles and is served by 55 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 29,459 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 81.6% on-time rate with an average delay of 81.2 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 11,391 flights were recorded on this pairing — 191 cancelled (1.7%) and 4 diverted (0.0%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 55 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 29,459 total flights analyzed, the 81.6% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 81.2-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, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 90% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 55% on-time — a 34-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to DTW route, the combination of a 81.6% on-time rate, 81.2-minute average delay, 1.7% recent cancellation rate, and 55 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.