FlightRecord

Nashville (BNA) to Des Moines (DSM): On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

Nashville (BNA) to Des Moines (DSM) is a thinner route than most in this dataset — 165 departures over the past year, roughly 3 a week — so treat these numbers as indicative rather than definitive. Of the flights that did operate, 82% arrived on time.

On-time
82%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
22 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.4%
Flights/day
0.45
last 12 months
Duration
1h 43m
scheduled
Distance
530 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for BNA to DSM flights50%75%100%August 2024: 83% on-time (18 flights)83Aug 2024September 2024: 94% on-time (18 flights)94October 2024: 94% on-time (17 flights)94November 2024: 100% on-time (12 flights)100Nov 2024December 2024: 58% on-time (12 flights)58January 2025: 50% on-time (11 flights)50February 2025: 75% on-time (8 flights)75Feb 2025March 2025: 100% on-time (11 flights)100April 2025: 88% on-time (8 flights)88May 2025: 82% on-time (17 flights)82May 2025June 2025: 77% on-time (26 flights)77July 2025: 69% on-time (26 flights)69August 2025: 79% on-time (19 flights)79Aug 2025September 2025: 88% on-time (17 flights)88October 2025: 100% on-time (18 flights)100November 2025: 86% on-time (15 flights)86Nov 2025December 2025: 50% on-time (10 flights)50January 2026: 100% on-time (9 flights)100February 2026: 100% on-time (8 flights)100Feb 2026March 2026: 88% on-time (9 flights)88April 2026: 63% on-time (8 flights)63May 2026: 69% on-time (13 flights)69May 2026June 2026: 79% on-time (19 flights)79July 2026: 70% on-time (20 flights)70

Best time to fly from BNA to DSM

Aim for departures around 11 a.m. (93% on-time); avoid 8 p.m. departures (50%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, BNA to DSM8 a.m.: 87% on-time (40 flights)811 a.m.: 93% on-time (58 flights)113 p.m.: 83% on-time (59 flights)154 p.m.: 77% on-time (46 flights)166 p.m.: 85% on-time (27 flights)188 p.m.: 50% on-time (30 flights)209 p.m.: 90% on-time (39 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday80%28 min
Wednesday84%7 min
Thursday83%29 min
Friday83%15 min
Saturdaybest89%5 min
Sunday80%24 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft33%
  • Airline operations40%
  • National airspace system8%
  • Weather20%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from BNA to DSM delayed?
18% of BNA–DSM flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-07 and 2026-07. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 22 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from BNA to DSM?
Departures around 11 a.m. have the best record (93% on-time), while departures around 8 p.m. have the worst (50%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from BNA to DSM?
The scheduled BNA–DSM flight time averages 1h 43m over 530 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 18% of the time.
How often are BNA to DSM flights cancelled?
1.4% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-07 and 2026-07, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.

Based on 366 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.