FlightRecord

Des Moines International Airport (DSM): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 90% on-time in September 2024 but sank to 71% in December 2025. Across the year it averages 82% against a national 78%, over roughly 42 departures a day to 37 destinations.

Departures on-time
82%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
18 min
Arrivals on-time
76%
Cancelled
2.0%
Destinations
37
nonstop
Airlines
11

Plan your departure from DSM

The choices most likely to improve your odds, based on this airport’s historical record.

Best departure time
Around 6 a.m.
90% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
84% on-time
Most reliable airline here
United Airlines
86% on-time from DSM
Cancellation risk
2.0%
above the US average
Check routes from DSM ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at DSM50%75%100%June 2024: 77% on-time (1,281 flights)77Jun 2024July 2024: 75% on-time (1,351 flights)75August 2024: 81% on-time (1,315 flights)81September 2024: 90% on-time (1,217 flights)90Sep 2024October 2024: 89% on-time (1,332 flights)89November 2024: 90% on-time (1,259 flights)90December 2024: 80% on-time (1,271 flights)80Dec 2024January 2025: 82% on-time (1,051 flights)82February 2025: 83% on-time (971 flights)83March 2025: 84% on-time (1,212 flights)84Mar 2025April 2025: 87% on-time (1,087 flights)87May 2025: 81% on-time (1,218 flights)81June 2025: 78% on-time (1,331 flights)78Jun 2025July 2025: 78% on-time (1,367 flights)78August 2025: 81% on-time (1,372 flights)81September 2025: 88% on-time (1,244 flights)88Sep 2025October 2025: 86% on-time (1,391 flights)86November 2025: 82% on-time (1,267 flights)82December 2025: 71% on-time (1,262 flights)71Dec 2025January 2026: 78% on-time (1,122 flights)78February 2026: 81% on-time (1,095 flights)81March 2026: 78% on-time (1,371 flights)78Mar 2026April 2026: 85% on-time (1,307 flights)85May 2026: 83% on-time (1,382 flights)83

Best time of day to depart from DSM

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at DSM5 a.m.: 90% on-time (3,447 flights)56 a.m.: 90% on-time (3,564 flights)67 a.m.: 87% on-time (2,443 flights)78 a.m.: 88% on-time (1,900 flights)89 a.m.: 85% on-time (1,423 flights)910 a.m.: 84% on-time (607 flights)1011 a.m.: 84% on-time (2,361 flights)1112 p.m.: 82% on-time (1,214 flights)121 p.m.: 81% on-time (1,986 flights)132 p.m.: 80% on-time (2,213 flights)143 p.m.: 73% on-time (2,496 flights)154 p.m.: 71% on-time (1,053 flights)165 p.m.: 75% on-time (1,956 flights)176 p.m.: 75% on-time (2,504 flights)187 p.m.: 60% on-time (629 flights)198 p.m.: 73% on-time (199 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday80%19 min
Tuesdaybest84%16 min
Wednesday82%17 min
Thursday80%21 min
Friday79%18 min
Saturday80%20 min
Sunday78%20 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from DSM ↓

Busiest routes from DSM

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
DSM → ORD (Chicago)3,41676%23 min
DSM → DEN (Denver)2,32583%15 min
DSM → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)1,43372%27 min
DSM → ATL (Atlanta)1,25188%14 min
DSM → PHX (Phoenix)1,06984%19 min
DSM → CLT (Charlotte)80981%25 min
DSM → DCA (Washington)70177%19 min
DSM → LAS (Las Vegas)59582%15 min
DSM → STL (St. Louis)51689%7 min
DSM → IAH (Houston)34788%11 min
DSM → PHL (Philadelphia)32380%22 min
DSM → LGA (New York)26183%13 min
DSM → LAX (Los Angeles)24273%40 min
DSM → SFB (Sanford)21277%17 min
DSM → PIE (St. Petersburg)20173%24 min
DSM → PGD (Punta Gorda)19776%21 min
DSM → AZA (Phoenix)18074%24 min
DSM → BNA (Nashville)17882%22 min
DSM → MIA (Miami)17585%13 min
DSM → MDW (Chicago)16881%16 min
DSM → SNA (Santa Ana)11085%14 min
DSM → AUS (Austin)10671%25 min

Compare airlines departing DSM ↓

Where flights into DSM come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ORD (Chicago) → DSM3,41973%21 min
DEN (Denver) → DSM2,32579%15 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → DSM1,43167%29 min
ATL (Atlanta) → DSM1,25084%11 min
PHX (Phoenix) → DSM1,07381%11 min
CLT (Charlotte) → DSM80972%21 min
DCA (Washington) → DSM70173%23 min
LAS (Las Vegas) → DSM59577%13 min

Most reliable routes

  1. DSM → STL89%
  2. DSM → IAH88%
  3. DSM → ATL88%
  4. DSM → SNA85%
  5. DSM → MIA85%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. DSM → AUS71%
  2. DSM → DFW72%
  3. DSM → PIE73%
  4. DSM → LAX73%
  5. DSM → AZA74%

What causes delays at DSM

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT, weighted across routes departing DSM.

  • Late-arriving aircraft33%
  • Airline operations38%
  • National airspace system19%
  • Weather10%

Alternative airports near Des Moines

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
FOD — Fort Dodge Regional Airport76 mi79%28 min
ALO — Waterloo Regional Airport96 mi80%25 min
CID — The Eastern Iowa Airport103 mi80%21 min
MCW — Mason City Municipal Airport114 mi79%29 min
OMA — Eppley Airfield117 mi82%15 min

Compare the airport-level record first, then check the exact route you plan to book.

Airline performance at DSM

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
United Airlines86%14 min4,025
Endeavor Air86%12 min1,517
Delta Air Lines86%15 min2,454
Republic Airways84%13 min2,123
Southwest Airlines83%11 min3,546
SkyWest Airlines83%22 min3,839
Envoy Air83%13 min2,274
PSA Airlines81%21 min1,481
Allegiant Air77%20 min3,877
American Airlines77%29 min4,503
Frontier Airlines76%24 min437

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at DSM?
18% of departures from Des Moines International Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 18 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from DSM?
Flights scheduled around 6 a.m. depart on time 90% of the time at DSM, versus 60% around 7 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at DSM?
In this dataset, December 2025 was the weakest month at DSM, with 71% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at DSM?
2% of scheduled departures from DSM were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 30,076 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.