Route · ORD → DTW · 2020–2025 BTS data
Chicago to Detroit
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), ORD to DTW (Chicago to Detroit) ranks #135 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 81.6%
- On-time
- +2.6 pts
- vs US avg
- 81 min
- Delay when late
- 29,459
- Flights
- #135 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.7%
Best Month
Feb 2024 90%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 55%
Distance
235 mi
Carriers
55
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 419 | 188 | 12 | 0 | DL,YX,OH,MQ,UA,OO |
| Nov 2025 | 472 | 109 | 46 | 0 | OO,UA,DL,MQ,AA,YX |
| Oct 2025 | 520 | 133 | 0 | 0 | DL,OO,UA,YX,MQ |
| Sep 2025 | 482 | 99 | 1 | 0 | MQ,UA,OO,DL,YX |
| Aug 2025 | 499 | 105 | 11 | 0 | OO,YX,MQ,UA,DL |
| Jul 2025 | 536 | 187 | 14 | 0 | OO,UA,YX,DL,MQ |
| Jun 2025 | 528 | 147 | 5 | 0 | DL,OO,UA,YX,MQ |
| May 2025 | 531 | 91 | 4 | 0 | OO,UA,YX,DL,MQ |
| Apr 2025 | 533 | 85 | 9 | 0 | DL,MQ,OO,UA,YX |
| Mar 2025 | 494 | 104 | 2 | 0 | AA,DL,YX,OO,UA,MQ |
| Feb 2025 | 390 | 78 | 12 | 1 | AA,DL,OO,UA,YX,MQ |
| Jan 2025 | 424 | 92 | 2 | 0 | AA,DL,YX,OO,UA,MQ |
| Dec 2024 | 429 | 93 | 10 | 0 | AA,DL,MQ,OO,UA,YX |
| Nov 2024 | 458 | 53 | 2 | 0 | OO,9E,UA,MQ,NK,YX,DL,AA |
| Oct 2024 | 553 | 70 | 0 | 0 | UA,MQ,OO,DL,YX,NK,AA |
| Sep 2024 | 517 | 63 | 0 | 0 | NK,OO,UA,AA,DL,MQ |
| Aug 2024 | 533 | 139 | 3 | 0 | AA,DL,MQ,NK,YX,OO,UA |
| Jul 2024 | 472 | 129 | 16 | 1 | 9E,AA,DL,MQ,OO,UA,YX |
| Jun 2024 | 464 | 113 | 2 | 0 | 9E,AA,DL,MQ,OO,UA,YX |
| May 2024 | 485 | 135 | 10 | 0 | AA,DL,MQ,YX,OO,UA |
| Apr 2024 | 464 | 91 | 1 | 0 | AA,DL,MQ,OO,UA,YX |
| Mar 2024 | 450 | 73 | 0 | 0 | AA,DL,MQ,OO,UA,YX |
| Feb 2024 | 382 | 40 | 3 | 1 | AA,DL,MQ,OO,UA,YX |
| Jan 2024 | 356 | 130 | 26 | 1 | 9E,AA,DL,MQ,NK,YX,OO,UA |
ORD–DTW seasonal on-time pattern
Best: April (85.7%) · weakest: July (75.5%)
Strongest calendar month
April
85.7% on-time · ~392 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
October
~442 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
75.5% on-time · ~415 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.7%
191 of 11,391 flights
Diversion Rate
0.0%
4 of 11,391 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
ORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileDTW - Detroit
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Detroit, MI.
DTW on-time profileCompare the two airports
See ORD and DTW side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare ORD vs DTWOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among ORD departures
From ORD, this corridor sits with 147 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 168 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (10 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 11 below 75%). Destination: Detroit · fleet on-time rank #2521 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to ORD–DTW.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About ORD to DTW
29,459 tracked flights put the ORD to DTW pairing (Chicago to Detroit) at a 81.6% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 81.2 minutes on average. Across the 235-mile route and its 55 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 1.7% cancelled and 0.0% diverted (11,391 flights sampled).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Feb 2024 posted the strongest performance at 90% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 55% - a 34-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, ORD–DTW peaks in April at 85.7% on-time while October carries the heaviest traffic (~442 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 75.5%, a 10.2-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does ORD to DTW rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from ORD to DTW? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for ORD to DTW? ▼
How far is the flight from ORD to DTW? ▼
When is the best time to fly from ORD to DTW? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using ORD–DTW data
ORD–DTW is mid-pack at 81.6% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare ORD and DTW airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. ORD airport
- If your dates flex, April (85.7% on-time) beats July (75.5%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 81.6% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.