Des Moines, IA · Airport profile
DSM
Des Moines International Airport
DSM right now
Current operating conditions, from live sources only.
FlyerIntel does not currently have live operational data for this airport.
FAA operational data is not currently available to FlyerIntel. Why
No current observation is available for this airport.
Security wait data is not currently available for DSM. Why
Parking data is not currently available for DSM. Why
FlyerIntel shows live values only where a permitted source provides them. Sections without data are left empty rather than estimated.
Airport reliability
Best time to fly from DSM
On-time arrival rate by scheduled local departure time.
Flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 86.6% of the time, against 66.2% for 9 PM–5 AM departures — a gap of 20.4 percentage points.
By departure window
By departure hour
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026 · Buckets with fewer than 120 flights are not scored.
What to expect at DSM
How busy the airport is through the day, from scheduled departure volume.
Scheduled departures by hour
The busiest hour is 6 AM, with about 6 departures a day, against roughly 0 at 9 PM. Counterintuitively, that peak is also more punctual than a typical hour here — early banks fly aircraft that have been on the ground overnight rather than ones inheriting the day’s delays.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026 · Taxi-out is the time between leaving the gate and lifting off, averaged across departures and weighted by hour.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Wednesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 4.4 percentage points.
By month
July is historically the weakest month and November the strongest, a spread of 11.3 percentage points.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026
Airlines at DSM
Departure performance by operating carrier. Regional flights are reported by the carrier that operated them, not by the mainline brand.
| Carrier | Departures | On time | Cancelled | Median delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AA | 7,126 | 76.5% | 2.32% | -6 min |
| United Airlines UA | 6,053 | 80.7% | 1.40% | -5 min |
| Allegiant Air G4 | 5,627 | 75.4% | 1.35% | -5 min |
| Southwest Airlines WN | 5,376 | 82.9% | 0.80% | -8 min |
| SkyWest Airlines OO | 4,952 | 79.8% | 2.26% | -7 min |
| Endeavor Air 9E | 3,854 | 85.7% | 1.45% | -12 min |
| Delta Air Lines DL | 3,555 | 88.4% | 1.43% | -16 min |
| Envoy Air MQ | 2,962 | 81.9% | 1.86% | -9 min |
| Republic Airways YX | 2,928 | 82.2% | 2.90% | -9 min |
| PSA Airlines OH | 2,198 | 80.0% | 4.41% | -10 min |
| Frontier Airlines F9 | 643 | 76.5% | 1.24% | -9 min |
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026 · Carriers with fewer than 500 departures are not listed.
Routes from DSM
Ranked by FlyerIntel Route Reliability Score.
Busiest routes
| Destination | Flights | On time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSM → ORD Chicago | 7,505 | 77.6% | 53 |
| DSM → DEN Denver | 6,950 | 81.6% | 70 |
| DSM → DFW Dallas–Fort Worth | 3,899 | 73.1% | 39 |
| DSM → ATL Atlanta | 3,558 | 88.3% | 77 |
| DSM → PHX Phoenix | 2,944 | 83.6% | 70 |
| DSM → CLT Charlotte | 2,272 | 79.9% | 58 |
| DSM → DCA Washington | 2,125 | 79.4% | 50 |
| DSM → LGA New York | 1,833 | 84.2% | 63 |
| DSM → LAS Las Vegas | 1,712 | 80.3% | 71 |
| DSM → IAH Houston | 1,144 | 86.5% | 71 |
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026 · Only routes with at least 750 flights are ranked.
Reliability over time
On-time arrival rate for departures, by month.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026
Data and sources
Historical statistics
Every historical figure on this page is calculated by FlyerIntel from US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics on-time performance records covering July 2023 – June 2026, comprising 45,274 departures from DSM. A flight counts as delayed when it arrives 15 or more minutes after schedule.
Live conditions
Aviation weather comes from the NOAA Aviation Weather Center. Operational events come from the FAA where available. FlyerIntel shows the age of every live value and does not display data it cannot currently retrieve.