DTW to PDX flight delays
Detroit, MI (DTW) Portland, OR (PDX) · 1,953 miles
390 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
67.79%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.77%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
60 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
21 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In September it ran 77.2 points more punctual than in December — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
The route has been getting worse. The later months run 21.8 points less punctual than the earlier ones. A drift of that size is rarely weather; it is more often an airline adding frequencies faster than the airports can absorb them.
The two directions do not behave alike. PDX to DTW arrives on time 10.3 points more often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
This route does worse than its own airport. DTW as a whole runs 11.2 points more punctual than these flights, which points at something specific to the route — the time of day it is scheduled, or the aircraft that feed it — rather than the airport.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, Delta Air Lines arrived on time most often on DTW to PDX. Flights ran closest to schedule in September and worst in December.
Every airline on DTW to PDX
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 390 | 67.79% | 0.77% | 60 min | D |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
PDX to DTW Portland back to Detroit 78.04% on time COther routes from Detroit
Common questions
Are flights from Detroit to Portland usually delayed?
67.79% of flights on the DTW to PDX route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 3 in every ten arrived late. That is worse than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Detroit to Portland?
Only Delta Air Lines appears in the published record on this route, with 390 flights and 67.79% arriving on time.
How often are DTW to PDX flights cancelled?
0.77% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 8 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Detroit to Portland?
September, when 90.5% of flights arrived on time. The worst was December at 13.3%.
When DTW to PDX flights are late, how late are they?
About 60 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on DTW to PDX during January 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →