OnTimeStats

Airport on-time performance

Des Moines

Data through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
On-time rate77%flights departing here that arrived on time
p90 delay45 min1 in 10 departures is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled2.4%of scheduled departures
Left the gate on time81%departures that pushed back within 15 min of schedule (DepDel15)

based on 15,511 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).

As a connection hub

Arriving here (inbound performance)

These figures reflect inbound flights arriving at this airport — relevant for connections and layovers.

73%arrived on time here
(within 15 min, inbound flights)
  • On time73%
  • 15–59 min late15%
  • 1–2 hr late5%
  • 2 hr+ late4%
  • Cancelled or diverted3%

Arrival outcomes for inbound flights. Last segment = cancelled or diverted.

Bad day: 1 in 10 flights arrives more than 55 min late.

By airline

Carriers departing here (last 12 months)

Delay = arrival delay (ArrDel15-based)

  • Delta Air Lines
    On-time86%
    Medianon time
    p9015 min
    Cancel2.2%
    Flights1,251
  • Southwest Airlines
    On-time85%
    Medianon time
    p9025 min
    Cancel0.8%
    Flights1,570
  • Envoy Air
    On-time78%
    Medianon time
    p9040 min
    Cancel2.5%
    Flights764
  • PSA Airlines
    On-time77%
    Medianon time
    p9045 min
    Cancel3.7%
    Flights759
  • SkyWest Airlines
    On-time75%
    Medianon time
    p9060 min
    Cancel3.0%
    Flights2,600
  • United Airlines
    On-time74%
    Medianon time
    p9045 min
    Cancel1.3%
    Flights1,883
  • American Airlines
    On-time74%
    Medianon time
    p9065 min
    Cancel3.5%
    Flights2,228
  • Republic Airways
    On-time70%
    Medianon time
    p9065 min
    Cancel4.9%
    Flights591

Over time

On-time trend

By season

On-time rate by month

When it gets busy

Busiest times at DSM

Historically, departures at DSM peak 5–10 a.m. — 43% of scheduled flights leave in that block.

  • 5–10 a.m.43%
  • 10 a.m.–2 p.m.22%
  • 2–5 p.m.18%
  • 5–8 p.m.17%
  • 8 p.m.–midnight1%

Share of 45,161 scheduled departures by planned departure time, 2023-06 .. 2026-05. Historical averages from BTS data — not live airport status.

When flights don't go

Why flights were cancelled

  • Airline13%
  • Weather76%
  • Air traffic (NAS)11%
  • Security0%

Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 377 cancellations with a reported cause (BTS reports causes from June 2003).

Where flights go

Busiest routes

DSM → ORD→DSM → DFW→DSM → DEN→DSM → ATL→DSM → MSP→DSM → PHX→DSM → STL→DSM → IAH→DSM → DTW→DSM → CLT→

Side by side

Compare this airport

Compare with Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airporthead-to-head on-time→Compare with Chicago O'Hare International Airporthead-to-head on-time→Compare with Dallas Fort Worth International Airporthead-to-head on-time→Compare with Denver International Airporthead-to-head on-time→

Will you make a connection at DSM? →

Keep exploring

Related guides

When to arrive at the airportguide→Worst airports for delaysguide→

Methodology

A flight is on time when it arrives within 15 minutes of schedule — the US DOT / BTS standard. Median and p90(the “1-in-10 bad day”) are read from the full arrival-delay distribution, never averaged across periods.

Figures cover a carrier’s own BTS-coded flights. Cells below ~200 flights are flagged as limited data. All numbers are pre-computed from public BTS On-Time Performance data.