Chicago to Detroit (ORD–DTW) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections
No flights match your filters.
No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.
Most recently operated nonstop flights — the month shown is when each was last scheduled. Most destinations remain reachable with a connection.
No discontinued nonstop flights on record for this route.
ORD–DTW is served by 6 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines lead the route. The flight covers 234 miles in approximately 1h 33m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.
Airline Landscape
| Airline | Freq/wk | Aircraft | Duration | Dep OTP | Alliance | Codeshares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UA United Airlines Also: AC, CM, EK, LX, NZ, OS | 101 | 319, 320, 738, 7M9, B39M, E75L, E7W | 1h27-1h39 | Star Alliance | AC, CM, EK, LX, NZ, OS | |
| AA American Airlines Also: AS, AY, BA, CX, GF, IB, QF, QR, RJ | 63 | CR7, E70, E75 | 1h31-1h38 | Oneworld | AS, AY, BA, CX, GF, IB, QF, QR, RJ | |
| DL Delta Air Lines Also: AF, AM, KE, KL, SK, VS, WS | 42 | 712, 717, CR7, CR9, E75 | 1h25-1h39 | SkyTeam | AF, AM, KE, KL, SK, VS, WS | |
| F9 Frontier | 0 | – | – | – | – | |
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 0 | – | – | – | – | |
| WN Southwest Airlines | 0 | – | – | – | – |
Weekly Schedule Pattern
Connection Landscape
On-Time Performance
Other ways to reach Detroit from Chicago
| Metric | ORD→DTW | MDW→DTW | RFD→DTW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance from ORD | – | 15 mi | 63 mi |
| Nonstop airlines | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| Weekly flights | 540 | 104 | – |
| Flight time | 1h 33m | 1h 5m | 1h 9m |
| Departure OTP | 48% | – | – |
Travel Essentials
ORD: CDT · DTW: EDT
When it's 6:00 PM in Chicago, it's 7:00 PM in Detroit.
CTA Blue Line runs 24/7 from downtown Loop stations to O'Hare (45 min, $5). Pace buses serve suburbs. Ride-shares cost $35–55 from downtown depending on traffic; add 30+ minutes during rush hour on the Kennedy Expressway.Economy parking lots E/F connect via ATS people mover. Terminal 5 (international) is separate from Terminals 1–3; allow extra time for inter-terminal transfers.
DTW has no rail. Ride-shares and taxis are the practical options. Taxis to downtown cost $45–60. Ride-shares run $30–45. The two terminals (McNamara and North) are connected by the automated people mover (MTC); both share the same baggage claim and ground transport facilities.Car rental desks are in the consolidated facility accessible from McNamara Terminal. SMART bus Route 261 serves the airport with transfers into the bus network. Allow extra time for I-94 congestion during peak hours.
Humid continental climate. Winters are cold and snowy (−8 to 0°C) from December through March. Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair generate significant lake-effect snow that can fall heavily with little warning. Ice storms and blizzards cause the most serious flight disruptions.
Summers are warm and humid (26–32°C) with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Spring and fall are transitional with frost risk into April and from October. January and February are the highest disruption-risk months.
ORD–DTW Quick Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicago O'Hare to Detroit: Great Lakes Industrial Corridor
The Chicago–Detroit route is a short-haul industrial corridor serving two of the Great Lakes region's most significant metropolitan economies. Nine carriers operate 253 weekly departures across a 235-mile segment that is among the shortest hub-to-hub pairings in the US network. United and Delta anchor the schedule from their respective hubs, with regional jets comprising a large share of operations given the route's short block time. The corridor is heavily weighted toward business traffic from the automotive, manufacturing, and financial sectors.
Delta's Detroit Hub and Connection Structure
Detroit Metropolitan serves as Delta's third-largest hub after Atlanta and Minneapolis, with an extensive domestic and international network. Chicago passengers arriving at DTW gain access to Delta's trans-Atlantic routes, including nonstop service to Amsterdam, London, and Paris, as well as a broad domestic network across the upper Midwest and Canada. The McNamara Terminal's concourse design uses a central spine and two angled concourses. This makes domestic-to-international connections efficient for Delta customers.