Transatlantic route record · UK CAA departure punctuality
LHR→DTW
London to Detroit
- Flights
- 730 both ways
- Carriers
- 1
- Distance
- 3,756 mi
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026
Over the twelve months to August 2026, 90.7% of departures from London Heathrow to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County left within 15 minutes of their planned time, from 366 flights the UK Civil Aviation Authority matched to a schedule. That is 14 points ahead of the 76.4% recorded across every UK departure to the United States, and it ranks 1st of the 50 UK-to-US routes with a usable record. About one flight in ten left at least 15 minutes behind schedule, and 0 of 366 scheduled departures, 0.0%, did not operate at all.
The route's 90.7% is an improvement of 13 points on the same months a year earlier, when 78.1% left on time. Across every departure from the 25 UK airports the CAA reports, to any destination, 72.4% left within 15 minutes in the same period; transatlantic departures run slightly better than the UK average, partly because wide-body long-haul flights are scheduled with more slack than short-haul rotations. A single carrier accounts for almost every departure, so the route figure and the airline figure are the same number.
Key figures
Left on time
90.7%
Within 15 minutes of schedule, of 366 departures (CAA)
Avg delay
6 min
Across all departures, early counted as zero
Cancelled
0.00%
All UK-to-US departures: 2.16%
3+ hours late
0.27%
The UK261 compensation threshold
1.6% of departures left more than an hour late, and 0.27% left three hours or more behind schedule, roughly one flight in 100. Three hours at arrival is the threshold at which UK261 compensation becomes payable, £520 a passenger on a sector of this length; the CAA measures the departure, so a flight in that band left the gate three hours late, which is not quite the same test but rarely ends differently after seven hours over the Atlantic. The average delay across every matched departure, early ones counted as zero, was 6.1 minutes, against 14.2 for all UK-to-US departures.
Carrier by carrier
Which airline leaves LHR for DTW on time
Delta Air Lines is the only carrier the DOT report shows on LHR to DTW, with 730 flights and an average of 223 passengers aboard each. A single-carrier route gives a delayed passenger no same-day alternative on the same ticket, which is worth knowing before booking a tight onward connection.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 365 | 90.7% | 6 min | 0.00% | A+ |
Flights are scheduled departures in the CAA file, operated plus cancelled; on time is within 15 minutes of the planned off-block time. The DOT count below includes the return direction and may differ.
How late is late
How delays on LHR to DTW are distributed
- Early15+ min early0.3%
- On timeup to 15 min late90.4%
- 16–30 min4.6%
- 31–60 min3.0%
- 1–2 hours0.5%
- 2–3 hours0.8%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.3%
- Over 6 hours0.0%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
Across the year
When LHR to DTW runs late
June was the weakest month for departures at 83.3% on time and August the strongest at 100.0%, a swing of 17 points across the year. That is a wide seasonal range, wider than the gap between the best and worst carriers, so the month you fly matters more than the airline you pick. The DOT's count puts the busiest month at 62 flights in August 2025 and the thinnest at 56 in February 2026, so capacity follows the summer peak.
Flights per month, both directions
- July 202561
- August 202562
- September 202560
- October 202562
- November 202561
- December 202562
- January 202662
- February 202656
- March 202662
- April 202660
- May 202662
- June 202660
The DOT's international report counts flights in both directions together: 730 between LHR and DTW from July 2025 to June 2026, about one departure a day in each direction, carrying 162,980 passengers. That makes it the 22nd busiest of 31 US routes from London Heathrow and the 4th busiest of 8 European routes into DTW.
The return leg
DTW to LHR: arrivals back into London
Coming the other way, 76.1% of arrivals from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County into London Heathrow reached the gate within 15 minutes of schedule, across 366 flights. 29% arrived more than 15 minutes early, which is normal for an eastbound crossing with the jet stream behind it and a schedule padded for the days it is not. 0.27% of those arrivals were three hours or more late, the figure that decides a compensation claim on the return trip, and 0.3% were cancelled.
Arrived on time
76.1%
Within 15 minutes, of 366 arrivals
Early
28.6%
More than 15 minutes ahead of schedule
Cancelled
0.27%
3+ hours late
0.27%
Arrival delay, the compensation test
- Early15+ min early28.6%
- On timeup to 15 min late47.5%
- 16–30 min13.3%
- 31–60 min5.7%
- 1–2 hours3.3%
- 2–3 hours1.1%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.3%
- Over 6 hours0.0%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
The departure airport
How London Heathrow is running
EUROCONTROL's figures for London Heathrow as a whole, every airline and every destination: 80.3% of departures and 80.5% of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule from 1 January to 21 October 2026, with 96.7% of scheduled flights operated. The last seven days ran at 80.8% for departures, in line with the year. Air traffic flow management delay attributed to the airport averaged 1.2 minutes per arriving flight this year, 1.0 over the last week.
| Window | Departures on time | Arrivals on time | Schedules operated | ATFM delay / arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday (21 October 2026) | 77.2% | 80.6% | 98.2% | 2.8 min |
| Last 7 days | 80.8% | 84.1% | 98.1% | 1.0 min |
| Year to date | 80.3% | 80.5% | 96.7% | 1.2 min |
Every US route from London Heathrow, and its full punctuality record
The arrival airport
Landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County is scored on this site from the DOT's domestic data: 76.7% of its 121,140 domestic departures arrived on time over the last twelve months, with delayed flights running a little over an hour late, and 1.97% were cancelled. Those are domestic flights, not this route, but an arriving transatlantic flight shares the same runways, the same weather and the same ground delay programmes, so a bad day at DTW reaches a flight from LHR just as surely. The airport's own page has the hour-by-hour and month-by-month detail, and its live FAA status appears above when the FAA has something to say.
Domestic on time
76.7%
Arrivals under 15 minutes late (DOT)
Avg delay
77 min
Delayed domestic flights only
Cancelled
1.97%
Domestic departures
121,140
Last twelve months
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) delay statistics, hour by hour and month by month
Your rights
UK261 on LHR to DTW
Every flight that departs London Heathrow falls under UK261, the retained version of the EU regulation, whichever airline flies it and wherever it lands. If it arrives at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County three hours or more late, or is cancelled with under 14 days' notice, and the cause was within the airline's control, each passenger is owed £520 (£260 if the airline got you there under four hours late), on top of rebooking and care. Weather, air traffic control restrictions and strikes outside the airline are the usual exemptions. The return flight from DTW is covered only when the carrier is UK or EU based. The sector is about 3,756 miles, 6,043 km, which puts it in the top distance band.
Delayed three hours or more? Check a claim with Compensair →
What to do with this
Booking LHR to DTW
Booked blind, LHR to DTW is a A+ route by the departure record, and there is no carrier choice to make. Leave at least two hours for any onward connection at DTW: 2% of departures were an hour or more late, and immigration comes before the connecting flight.
Common questions
LHR to DTW questions
How often are LHR to DTW flights delayed?
About one flight in ten leaves London Heathrow at least 15 minutes behind schedule, 9.3% of the 366 departures the CAA matched between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.6% left more than an hour late and 0.27% three hours or more. A further 0.0% of scheduled departures were cancelled.
Which airlines fly LHR to DTW?
Delta Air Lines. Delta Air Lines accounted for 100% of the 730 flights the DOT counted on the pair.
Can I claim compensation for a delayed LHR to DTW flight?
Yes, if the flight arrived three hours or more late or was cancelled at short notice for a reason within the airline's control: departures from London Heathrow are covered by UK261 whichever airline operates them. The fixed amount for a sector of this length is £520 a passenger, £260 if the airline got you there under four hours late. On this route 0.27% of departures left three hours or more late over the last twelve months. The return from DTW is covered only on a UK or EU carrier.
What is the worst month for delays on LHR to DTW?
June, at 83.3% of departures on time, against 100.0% in August, the best month. A gap that size is worth moving flexible dates for.
Related
Where to go next
- London Heathrow (LHR): every US route
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) delay statistics
- LHR to JFK, New York (JFK)14,572 flights
- LHR to EWR, Newark (EWR)6,322 flights
- LHR to LAX, Los Angeles (LAX)5,981 flights
- LHR to ORD, Chicago (ORD)5,762 flights
- AMS to DTW, from Amsterdam1,966 flights
- CDG to DTW, from Paris1,531 flights
- FRA to DTW, from Frankfurt1,267 flights
- FCO to DTW, from Rome486 flights
- Every Europe-to-US route and airport
The departure record is the CAA's, measured at London Heathrow; the arrival record for the return leg is also measured at London Heathrow. Nothing here is measured at DTW, where the DOT keeps no record of international flights.
Sources: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, International Report (flights and passengers by carrier and airport pair), July 2025 to June 2026; UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics, September 2025 to August 2026; EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Portal, airport punctuality and ATFM delay to 21 October 2026. Rebuilt 22 October 2026; the EUROCONTROL figures refresh with each weekly build, the others when their publisher releases a month. How these sources differ.