Flights Washington → Detroit
DCA → DTW
How long is the flight from Washington to Detroit?
The flight from Washington (DCA) to Detroit (DTW) takes 1h on average. That is the median time recorded across 5 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
This flight route operates between Washington and Detroit, utilizing a diverse fleet of aircraft including the Embraer 170, Embraer 175, Airbus A319, Boeing 737-800, and McDonnell Douglas MD-88. With a total of 773 flights recorded, the route has an on-time performance rate of 74%, with average delays lasting approximately 18.2 minutes.
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 Washington (DCA) → Detroit (DTW) route is operated by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines. Across 1813 flights monitored in recent months, 74% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 19 minutes. The cancellation rate is 4.25%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 23.7/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Detroit the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Washington the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Detroit: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Washington (DCA) to Detroit (DTW) heads north-west for about 651 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 0m.
Departures from Washington on this leg cluster in the midday window: about 38% of DCA-DTW flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Washington the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Detroit it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 1,813 tracked DCA-DTW flights, 74% left on time with an average delay of 19 min and a 4.3% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines (DL) | 85% | 1 min | 0.8% |
| American Airlines (AA) | 79% | 6 min | 1.1% |
Airlines operating DCA-DTW
Airports
Frequently asked questions about DCA-DTW
The flight from Washington (DCA) to Detroit (DTW) takes 1h on average. That is the median time recorded across 5 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Washington (DCA) -> Detroit (DTW) route, on-time performance is 74% with an average delay of 19 minutes, based on 1813 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Washington-Detroit is 4.25% across 1813 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 2 airlines: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines.
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.
