Historical on-time performance
Atlanta to Des Moines
743 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on ATL–DSM arrive on time 82% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate82%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay30 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled2.2%of scheduled flights
based on 1,250 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- Delta Air LinesOn-time82%Medianon timep9030 minCancel2.2%Flights1,250
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline49%
- Weather9%
- Air traffic (NAS)13%
- Late aircraft28%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Airline.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline67%
- Weather33%
- Air traffic (NAS)0%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Airline. Shares are among 27 cancellations with a reported cause (BTS reports causes from June 2003).
Over time
On-time trend
By season
On-time rate by month
When to fly
Best time to fly ATL → DSM
All airlines · rolling 36 months (2023-06 .. 2026-05).
Best time of day
On-time rates are fairly even by time of day on this route — ranging from 80% to 89% on time.
- Middays89% on time · p90 15 min · 537 flights
- Mornings87% on time · p90 15 min · 904 flights
- Afternoons82% on time · p90 35 min · 1,013 flights
- Overnights80% on time · p90 40 min · 1,068 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 81% to 87% on time.
- Wednesdays87% on time · p90 15 min · 515 flights
- Saturdays86% on time · p90 15 min · 456 flights
- Thursdays84% on time · p90 30 min · 513 flights
- Mondays84% on time · p90 25 min · 516 flights
- Tuesdays83% on time · p90 35 min · 514 flights
- Fridays82% on time · p90 35 min · 514 flights
- Sundays81% on time · p90 35 min · 506 flights
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