Route Reliability

Route reliability

New York (LGA) to Detroit (DTW): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from New York, NY (LGA) to Detroit, MI (DTW), September 2025 to August 2026.

Historical performance Official DOT data through August 2026 · Not live flight status

New York, NYDetroit, MI

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Three-letter airport codes, nonstop U.S. domestic flights. One direction at a time.

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

LGA to DTW

New York, NY to Detroit, MI

On time
73.2%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
5.2%vs 1.9% U.S. average Worse than average
60+ min late
9.8%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
3,861in 12 months3 airlines
Most reliable airline
Delta Air Lines77.6% on time · 1,982 flights

On time less often than the U.S. average, with more cancellations.

Compared with all U.S. flights, September 2025 to August 2026. “About average” means within 1.5 points for on time, 0.3 for cancelled and 1 for 60+ minutes late.

Airlines on this route

Ranked by on-time arrival

Airlines from LGA to DTW, September 2025 to August 2026. Rates are shares of all scheduled flights.
Airline On time Cancelled 60+ min late Avg delay when late Diverted Flights
1. Delta Air Lines Most reliable 77.6% 4.1% 7.9% 87 min 0.1% 1,982
2. Republic Airways Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle, Delta Connection, United Express 70.3% 5.1% 10.4% 74 min 0.0% 1,052
3. Spirit Airlines 66.3% 8.1% 13.8% 88 min 0.0% 827

On time = arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Avg delay when late = average arrival delay of flights 15+ minutes late. "Most reliable" needs at least 300 flights in 12 months. Tap a heading to sort.

What this means

Delta Air Lines has the strongest record on this route.

  • Delta Air Lines had the best on-time record from New York (LGA) to Detroit (DTW): 77.6% of its 1,982 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 66.3% for Spirit Airlines.
  • 5.2% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 19), 3.3 points higher than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 9.8% of flights, about 1 in 10, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 83 min.
  • Overall, 73.2% of flights on this route arrived on time, 2.4 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, September was the most reliable month on this route (85.6% on time) and July the least reliable (66.8%).
  • Cancellations peaked in July, when 8.4% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (90.2% on time); flights scheduled to depart 6 pm to 7 pm were the least (53.5%).
  • In the other direction, Detroit (DTW) to New York (LGA), 70.5% of flights were on time and 5.4% were cancelled. Compare airlines DTW to LGA.

Best and worst months to fly LGA to DTW

Jan 76.0%
Feb 78.7%
Mar 78.6%
Apr 80.5%
May 78.4%
Jun 71.1%
Jul 66.8%
Aug 75.4%
Sep 85.6%
Oct 84.7%
Nov 83.4%
Dec 77.0%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 73.2%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 76.0% 1,011
February 78.7% 912
March 78.6% 975
April 80.5% 944
May 78.4% 937
June 71.1% 895
July 66.8% 958
August 75.4% 942
September 85.6% 1,099
October 84.7% 1,153
November 83.4% 1,109
December 77.0% 1,070
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
Delta Air Lines September (86.2%) July (66.2%)
Republic Airways September (85.8%) July (65.8%)
Spirit Airlines October (85.0%) July (69.8%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 88.2%
Oct 72.8%
Nov 70.9%
Dec 60.6%
Jan 75.1%
Feb 72.2%
Mar 63.4%
Apr 80.1%
May 83.7%
Jun 72.2%
Jul 68.4%
Aug 71.0%
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
All airlines combined, September 2025 to August 2026. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Sep 2025 88.2% 365
Oct 2025 72.8% 386
Nov 2025 70.9% 371
Dec 2025 60.6% 355
Jan 2026 75.1% 349
Feb 2026 72.2% 324
Mar 2026 63.4% 333
Apr 2026 80.1% 331
May 2026 83.7% 270
Jun 2026 72.2% 255
Jul 2026 68.4% 263
Aug 2026 71.0% 259

Best and worst departure times

<6a 76.2%
6a 90.2%
7a Insufficient sample
8a 74.5%
9a 82.6%
10a Insufficient sample
11a 75.4%
12p 75.1%
1p 81.9%
2p 71.3%
3p 64.9%
4p 69.3%
5p 69.2%
6p 53.5%
7p 62.7%
8p 60.3%
9p 54.7%
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at LGA, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing before 6 am 76.2% 122
Departing 6 am to 7 am 90.2% 419
Departing 7 am to 8 am Insufficient sample 29
Departing 8 am to 9 am 74.5% 263
Departing 9 am to 10 am 82.6% 546
Departing 10 am to 11 am Insufficient sample 44
Departing 11 am to noon 75.4% 57
Departing noon to 1 pm 75.1% 233
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 81.9% 188
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 71.3% 481
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 64.9% 245
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 69.3% 241
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 69.2% 201
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 53.5% 127
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 62.7% 134
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 60.3% 456
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm 54.7% 75
Woman at an airport window watching a plane take off
Photo: Depositphotos (licensed stock, illustrative only). Credits

Sources & data dates

Source
U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
Period
September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
Data through
August 2026
Processed
2026-11-03
Scope
Nonstop scheduled flights from New York, NY (LGA) to Detroit, MI (DTW), one direction. Airlines that report to the DOT only.
Method
Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.

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