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Flights Los Angeles → Detroit

LAX → DTW

22.7
Average risk (Medium)
80%
On-time
12 min
Average delay
1.8%
Cancellations
2
Airlines

Route overview

This flight route connects Los Angeles with Detroit, featuring an aircraft fleet that includes Boeing 737-900, Boeing 767-300, Boeing 757-300, and Airbus A320 models. With a high on-time performance rate of 80%, the average delay is approximately 12.1 minutes per flight out of the total 601 flights recorded.

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 Los Angeles (LAX) → Detroit (DTW) route is operated by Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines. Across 794 flights monitored in recent months, 80% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 12 minutes. The cancellation rate is 1.76%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 22.7/100 (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 Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.

Heading to Detroit: what to expect in this direction

Flying from Los Angeles (LAX) to Detroit (DTW) heads north-east for about 3,178 km, a flight time of roughly 4h 24m.

Departures from Los Angeles on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 48% of LAX-DTW flights take off then.

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

Across 794 tracked LAX-DTW flights, 80% left on time with an average delay of 12 min and a 1.8% cancellation rate.

Route facts

Time difference
3h ahead
Arrival (dest. local time)
12:24
Elevation DTW
645 ft
Typical aircraft
Boeing 737-900, Boeing 767-300
Est. CO₂/passenger
~286 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%
Spirit Airlines (NK) 74% 10 min 1.5%

Frequently asked questions about LAX-DTW

On the Los Angeles (LAX) -> Detroit (DTW) route, on-time performance is 80% with an average delay of 12 minutes, based on 794 tracked flights.

The cancellation rate on Los Angeles-Detroit is 1.76% across 794 monitored flights.

The route is operated by 2 airlines: Delta Air Lines, Spirit 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.