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Flights Denver → Detroit

DEN → DTW

17.4
Average risk (Medium)
79%
On-time
10 min
Average delay
0.5%
Cancellations
5
Airlines

Route overview

The flight route from Denver to Detroit operates with an average on-time performance of 81%, with flights typically experiencing a mean delay of 9.4 minutes. Over the past period, there have been 750 total flights on this route using various aircraft models including the McDonnell Douglas MD-90, Airbus A320, Airbus A319, Canadair Regional Jet 700, and Embraer 170.

Your rights on this US flight (DOT)

US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.

US flight refund rules & checker →

General information, not legal advice.

The Denver (DEN) → Detroit (DTW) route is operated by Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines. Across 986 flights monitored in recent months, 79% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 10 minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.51%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 17.4/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Detroit the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Denver the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.

Heading to Detroit: what to expect in this direction

Flying from Denver (DEN) to Detroit (DTW) heads east for about 1,802 km, a flight time of roughly 2h 40m.

Departures from Denver on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 51% of DEN-DTW flights take off then.

Air-traffic congestion: departing Denver the average ATFM delay is 2.0 min (atfm); arriving into Detroit it is 2.0 min (atfm).

Across 986 tracked DEN-DTW flights, 79% left on time with an average delay of 10 min and a 0.5% cancellation rate.

Route facts

Time difference
2h ahead
Arrival (dest. local time)
10:40
Elevation DTW
645 ft
Typical aircraft
McDonnell Douglas MD-90, Airbus A320
Est. CO₂/passenger
~180 kg

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Airline punctuality on this route

Airline On-time Average delay Cancellations
Delta Air Lines (DL) 80% 8 min 1.8%
United Airlines (UA) 74% 10 min 6.9%
Spirit Airlines (NK) 74% 10 min 1.5%
Frontier Airlines (F9) 74% 15 min 2.2%
Southwest Airlines (WN) 73% 6 min 3.1%

Frequently asked questions about DEN-DTW

On the Denver (DEN) -> Detroit (DTW) route, on-time performance is 79% with an average delay of 10 minutes, based on 986 tracked flights.

The cancellation rate on Denver-Detroit is 0.51% across 986 monitored flights.

The route is operated by 5 airlines: Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines.

Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Detroit, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.

US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.