Route · PHL → DTW · 2020–2025 BTS data
Philadelphia to Detroit
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), PHL to DTW (Philadelphia to Detroit) ranks #567 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 84.4%
- On-time
- +5.4 pts
- vs US avg
- 95 min
- Delay when late
- 15,938
- Flights
- #567 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.9%
Best Month
Feb 2024 93%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 67%
Distance
453 mi
Carriers
59
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 232 | 77 | 8 | 0 | DL,OH,F9,NK,OO |
| Nov 2025 | 239 | 46 | 3 | 0 | DL,F9,NK,OH,AA,YX |
| Oct 2025 | 282 | 38 | 0 | 0 | AA,DL,OH,YX,NK |
| Sep 2025 | 267 | 30 | 2 | 0 | OH,DL,NK,F9,AA |
| Aug 2025 | 268 | 51 | 3 | 0 | AA,YX,F9,NK,OH,DL |
| Jul 2025 | 281 | 87 | 12 | 1 | AA,NK,OH,YX,DL,F9 |
| Jun 2025 | 252 | 51 | 6 | 0 | AA,NK,OH,OO,YX,DL,F9 |
| May 2025 | 252 | 51 | 4 | 0 | AA,NK,OH,OO,YX,DL |
| Apr 2025 | 205 | 46 | 1 | 0 | DL,NK,OH,OO,AA |
| Mar 2025 | 189 | 22 | 6 | 0 | OH,OO,DL,NK |
| Feb 2025 | 199 | 44 | 6 | 0 | DL,OH,OO,NK |
| Jan 2025 | 220 | 45 | 6 | 0 | DL,OH,OO,NK |
| Dec 2024 | 242 | 53 | 1 | 1 | 9E,AA,DL,F9,NK,OH,OO,YX |
| Nov 2024 | 263 | 21 | 0 | 0 | OO,9E,NK,YX,DL,OH,F9,AA |
| Oct 2024 | 315 | 36 | 0 | 0 | DL,YX,NK,F9,AA,OH |
| Sep 2024 | 300 | 44 | 1 | 0 | OH,AA,DL,F9,NK |
| Aug 2024 | 340 | 100 | 18 | 0 | AA,DL,F9,NK,YX,OH |
| Jul 2024 | 342 | 88 | 24 | 0 | AA,DL,F9,NK,OH,YX |
| Jun 2024 | 329 | 74 | 5 | 0 | AA,DL,F9,NK,OH,OO,YX |
| May 2024 | 271 | 38 | 1 | 0 | AA,DL,F9,NK,OH,OO,YX |
| Apr 2024 | 242 | 39 | 2 | 0 | AA,DL,NK,OH,OO,YX |
| Mar 2024 | 237 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 9E,AA,DL,NK,YX,OH,OO |
| Feb 2024 | 197 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 9E,AA,DL,OH,OO |
| Jan 2024 | 228 | 60 | 10 | 0 | 9E,AA,DL,NK,OH,OO |
PHL–DTW seasonal on-time pattern
Best: March (90.1%) · weakest: July (77.0%)
Strongest calendar month
March
90.1% on-time · ~198 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
August
~268 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
77.0% on-time · ~256 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.9%
119 of 6,192 flights
Diversion Rate
0.0%
2 of 6,192 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
PHL - Philadelphia
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Philadelphia, PA.
PHL on-time profileDTW - Detroit
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Detroit, MI.
DTW on-time profileCompare the two airports
See PHL and DTW side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare PHL vs DTWOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among PHL departures
From PHL, this corridor sits with 60 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 65 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (4 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 1 below 75%). Destination: Detroit · fleet on-time rank #1442 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to PHL–DTW.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About PHL to DTW
Bureau of Transportation Statistics records show Philadelphia to Detroit (PHL to DTW) running a 84.4% on-time rate over 15,938 tracked flights, on the stronger end of a typical domestic pairing. When flights do run late, the average delay is 95.3 minutes. The 453-mile corridor is served by 59 carriers, and over the last 24 months 1.9% of 6,192 flights were cancelled, 0.0% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Feb 2024 posted the strongest performance at 93% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 67% - a 27-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, PHL–DTW peaks in March at 90.1% on-time while August carries the heaviest traffic (~268 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 77.0%, a 13.1-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does PHL to DTW rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from PHL to DTW? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for PHL to DTW? ▼
How far is the flight from PHL to DTW? ▼
When is the best time to fly from PHL 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 PHL–DTW data
PHL–DTW runs 5.4 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare PHL and DTW airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. PHL airport
- If your dates flex, March (90.1% on-time) beats July (77.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 84.4% 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.