EWR to DTW flight delays

EWR DTW Newark Liberty to Detroit Wayne · 488 miles

10,084 flights were scheduled from EWR to DTW over July 2023 through June 2026. Of the 9,731 that made the trip, 79.7% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. These are arrival figures: “on time” means the flight reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Arrivals are what decide whether you make the connection, so route and airline pages are scored on them rather than on pushback.

Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics

The route in brief

Flights in the window
10,084
Arrived on time
79.7%
Cancelled
3.4%
Scheduled distance
488 miles

Cancellations are counted against everything scheduled. Diverted flights are counted with them rather than as very late arrivals, which is why the on-time share and the cancellation rate do not add up to everything that happened.

Airline by airline

Airlines with at least 100 flights on EWR–DTW, busiest first. Same route, same weather, same air traffic — which makes this the fairest comparison on the site.

Airline Arrived on time Typical delay Cancelled Flights
Delta Air Lines 78.3% 109 min 2% 4,736
Republic Airways 84.7% 66 min 5% 3,451
Spirit Airlines 69% 85 min 5.8% 1,071
United Airlines 81.2% 60 min 2.1% 819

Month by month

July was the month to avoid on EWR–DTW: 66.2% of flights arrived on time, against 86.1% in February. Each bar pools three years of that calendar month.

Share of flights that arrived on time, by calendar month. Best month in green, worst in amber. The hairline sits at the overall rate, 79.7%.
Arrival on-time share, EWR to DTW, by calendar month
Month Share flights that arrived on time Flights
January 79.1% 742
February 86.1% 733
March 85.7% 815
April 81.9% 740
May 80.2% 742
June 74.5% 835
July 66.2% 917
August 79.2% 937
September 83.7% 1,019
October 82.4% 981
November 82.6% 860
December 74.9% 763

Both ends of the route

A route’s record is built out of two airports’ habits. The hour-by-hour grid for each is on its own page.

EWR to DTW in one number

EWR → DTW

When a flight on this route was late, it was late by about 91 min.

July 2023–June 2026 · 10,084 flights

79.7% of flights arrived on time

Questions about EWR to DTW

Which airline is most reliable from EWR to DTW?
Republic Airways — its flights on this pairing arrived on time 84.7% of the time, with 3,451 scheduled. Spirit Airlines came in at 69% over 1,071 scheduled. Airlines with fewer than 100 flights on the route are not rated.
What is the worst month to fly EWR to DTW?
July, at 66.2% of arrivals on time, with 917 flights scheduled. February was the best of the year at 86.1%.
How late are EWR–DTW flights when they are late?
91 min on average, counting only the flights that arrived 15 minutes or more behind schedule. The on-time flights are left out of that average on purpose — mixing them in would flatter it.
How often is the EWR to DTW flight cancelled?
3.4% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled, July 2023 through June 2026. Diverted flights are counted with the cancellations rather than as late arrivals.
Are these departure or arrival numbers?
Arrival. A flight counts as on time here if it reached the gate at DTW less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Airport pages score departures instead, because that is the number you can act on when you pick a booking time.