ON TIMEBOARD

RSW → DTW on time

Southwest Florida (Fort Myers, FL) to Detroit Metro (Detroit, MI). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
73%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.0%
1,773 flights
Typical arrival
−4 min
median vs schedule
When late
+81 min
average delay
Flights / day
5
3 airlines

73% of flights from Fort Myers to Detroit arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 89% of the time; the 7 p.m. ones 63%. Most reliable airline: Delta Air Lines (77%). 11% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for RSW → DTW: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 53% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 51 three hours or more; 2.0% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,773 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,35877%1.3%−5 min7.0%+80 minDelta Air Lines
Spirit Airlines33563%5.7%−5 min13.4%+67 minSpirit Airlines
Frontier Airlines80—————Frontier Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at RSW). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 87% on time (150 flights)876a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (3 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: 89% on time (237 flights)898a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (33 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (89 flights)11anoon departures: 78% on time (325 flights)7812p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (54 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 72% on time (219 flights)722p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (22 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (92 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 69% on time (201 flights)695p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (97 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: 63% on time (101 flights)637p8 p.m. departures: 66% on time (118 flights)668p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (30 flights)9p
RSW → DTW, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsDelta Air LinesSpirit Airlines
6 a.m.88%—
8 a.m.89%—
noon80%—
2 p.m.74%—
5 p.m.69%—
8 p.m.—67%

Last flight of the day

On RSW → DTW, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.9% of the time, against 2.2% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.4% of the time (earlier flights: 1.5%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Delta Air Lines5:49 p.m.1.6%3.0%1.1%first flight 12:36 p.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: October (88%). Worst: July (65%).

40%70%100%Jan: 74% on time (619 flights)74JanFeb: 78% on time (642 flights)78FebMar: 71% on time (830 flights)71MarApr: 83% on time (650 flights)83AprMay: 81% on time (400 flights)81MayJun: 77% on time (261 flights)77JunJul: 65% on time (249 flights)65JulAug: 76% on time (248 flights)76AugSep: 87% on time (266 flights)87SepOct: 88% on time (391 flights)88OctNov: 88% on time (439 flights)88NovDec: 79% on time (579 flights)79Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday26770%4.1%
Tuesday24277%2.1%
Wednesday23977%0.8%
Thursday24475%1.6%
Friday26171%0.4%
Saturday26473%1.5%
Sunday25669%3.5%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 42%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 34%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 18%Severe weather 6%

Cancellations: airline 25 · weather 10 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 79% on time, 0.5% cancelledFeb 2024: 79% on time, 0.4% cancelledMar 2024: 69% on time, 1.1% cancelledApr 2024: 89% on time, 0.9% cancelledMay 2024: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 81% on time, 2.0% cancelledOct 2024: 82% on time, 8.7% cancelledNov 2024: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 78% on time, 1.0% cancelledJan 2025: 77% on time, 1.6% cancelledFeb 2025: 81% on time, 0.5% cancelledMar 2025: 83% on time, 1.9% cancelledApr 2025: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 88% on time, 0.8% cancelledNov 2025: 83% on time, 1.4% cancelledDec 2025: 69% on time, 1.5% cancelledJan 2026: 68% on time, 3.7% cancelledFeb 2026: 73% on time, 1.4% cancelledMar 2026: 62% on time, 5.2% cancelledApr 2026: 76% on time, 0.5% cancelledMay 2026: 78% on time, 1.9% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
RSW → DTW, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
DL 25595:49 p.m.13065%2.3%+2 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 17, 2026100%4
Jul 5, 202630%0
Dec 31, 2025617%0
Jan 27, 2026617%1
Mar 13, 20261020%1

Questions

How often are flights from RSW to DTW on time?

73% of 1,773 scheduled flights from Fort Myers, FL to Detroit, MI arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 2.0% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly RSW to DTW?

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (89% on time). The 7 p.m. departures were the least (63%).

Which airline is most on time from RSW to DTW?

Delta Air Lines: 77% of its 1,358 flights on the route arrived on time. Spirit Airlines: 63%.

What month has the most delays from RSW to DTW?

July (65% on time). The best month is October (88%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from RSW to DTW more likely to be cancelled?

Not much. Each airline's last RSW–DTW flight of the day was cancelled 1.9% of the time over the past year, against 2.2% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.