DTW to SNA flight delays
Detroit, MI (DTW) Santa Ana, CA (SNA) · 1,960 miles
339 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
68.45%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.29%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
55 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
19 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 48 points more punctual than in June — 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.
This route does worse than its own airport. DTW as a whole runs 10.5 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.
Flights from Detroit to Santa Ana run late more often than the average route, though not severely.
Only Delta Air Lines flies this route in the published record, so there is no choice to weigh — the route's figures and the airline's are the same figures.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, Delta Air Lines arrived on time most often on DTW to SNA. Flights ran closest to schedule in September and worst in June.
Every airline on DTW to SNA
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 | 317 | 67.2% | 0.32% | 56 min | D |
| Spirit Airlines | 22 | 86.36% | 0% | 34 min | — |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
SNA to DTW Santa Ana back to Detroit 64.79% on time FOther routes from Detroit
Common questions
Are flights from Detroit to Santa Ana usually delayed?
68.45% of flights on the DTW to SNA 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 Santa Ana?
Only Delta Air Lines appears in the published record on this route, with 317 flights and 67.2% arriving on time.
How often are DTW to SNA flights cancelled?
0.29% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 3 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Detroit to Santa Ana?
September, when 90.3% of flights arrived on time. The worst was June at 42.3%.
When DTW to SNA flights are late, how late are they?
About 55 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 SNA 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 →