Chicago (MDW) to Des Moines (DSM): On-Time Performance
Data through May 2026
Chicago (MDW) to Des Moines (DSM) is a thinner route than most in this dataset — 168 departures over the past year, roughly 3 a week — so treat these numbers as indicative rather than definitive. Of the flights that did operate, 75% arrived on time.
- On-time
- 75%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 16 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 2.4%
- Flights/day
- 0.46
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 1h 24m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 306 mi
Best time to fly from MDW to DSM
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 67% | 20 min |
| Tuesday | 79% | 16 min |
| Wednesdaybest | 83% | 9 min |
| Thursday | 75% | 16 min |
| Friday | 62% | 34 min |
| Saturdaybest | 83% | 5 min |
| Sunday | 79% | 9 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft46%
- Airline operations29%
- National airspace system8%
- Weather17%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from MDW to DSM delayed?
- 25% of MDW–DSM flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 16 minutes.
- How long is the flight from MDW to DSM?
- The scheduled MDW–DSM flight time averages 1h 24m over 306 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 25% of the time.
- How often are MDW to DSM flights cancelled?
- 2.4% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, slightly above the national rate of 1.6%.
Explore related pages
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Other ways to fly to Des Moines (DSM)
Related guides
Based on 168 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.