Airport reliability
Des Moines (DSM) on-time performance
How reliably flights leave Des Moines, IA (DSM) and reach their destinations, by airline, departure hour and month, September 2025 to August 2026.
Des Moines, IA15,554 departures in 12 months
- Departures on time
- 77.0% U.S. average 75.6%
- Cancelled
- 2.6% U.S. average 1.9%
- 60+ minutes late
- 8.6% U.S. average 8.1%
- Scheduled departures
- 15,554 12 months
What this means
DSM departures beat the U.S. average.
- 77.0% of the 15,554 scheduled departures from Des Moines (DSM) arrived at their destination on time, 1.4 points higher than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- 2.6% of departures were cancelled (U.S. average 1.9%), and 8.6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Flights arriving at DSM were on time 72.7% of the time.
- Among airlines with at least 300 departures, Delta Air Lines was the most punctual from DSM (86.2%) and PSA Airlines the least (72.2%).
- Over the last 3 years, October was the most reliable month for departures from DSM (84.9% on time) and July the least reliable (71.5%).
- Cancellations peaked in January, when 5.1% of flights were cancelled.
- Flights scheduled to depart before 6 am were the most punctual (85.3% on time); flights scheduled to depart 7 pm to 8 pm were the least (53.3%).
Airlines at DSM
Ranked by on-time arrival
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | 60+ min late | Avg delay when late | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 86.2% | 2.4% | 5.3% | 105 min | 1,255 |
| Frontier Airlines | 83.7% | 0.5% | 7.1% | 94 min | 184 |
| Southwest Airlines | 82.3% | 0.8% | 5.3% | 68 min | 1,789 |
| Envoy AirSold as American Eagle | 79.7% | 2.6% | 6.3% | 75 min | 1,077 |
| Republic AirwaysSold as American Eagle, Delta Connection, United Express | 76.9% | 3.6% | 8.4% | 83 min | 1,185 |
| United Airlines | 75.8% | 1.3% | 8.6% | 84 min | 2,048 |
| SkyWest AirlinesSold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska | 75.0% | 3.1% | 9.8% | 112 min | 2,622 |
| American Airlines | 74.4% | 3.2% | 10.7% | 122 min | 2,374 |
| Allegiant Air | 73.5% | 1.5% | 10.3% | 99 min | 2,020 |
| PSA AirlinesSold as American Eagle | 72.2% | 6.8% | 9.1% | 113 min | 1,000 |
Tap a heading to sort.
On-time rate by departure hour
Share of scheduled flights on time DSM average 77.0%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing before 6 am | 85.3% | 1,853 |
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 85.1% | 1,737 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 83.3% | 1,010 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 84.5% | 963 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 82.4% | 768 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | 77.1% | 353 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 80.7% | 1,204 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | 81.2% | 499 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 75.4% | 1,346 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | 79.5% | 1,144 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 66.4% | 1,221 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 61.9% | 643 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 70.1% | 832 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 67.3% | 1,216 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 53.3% | 493 |
| Departing 8 pm to 9 pm | 65.8% | 202 |
| Departing 9 pm to 10 pm | 64.7% | 51 |
| Departing 10 pm to 11 pm | Insufficient sample | 19 |
Best and worst months at DSM
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 77.0%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71.8% | 3,425 |
| February | 81.6% | 3,243 |
| March | 79.7% | 3,913 |
| April | 83.2% | 3,658 |
| May | 78.0% | 3,854 |
| June | 74.3% | 3,968 |
| July | 71.5% | 4,133 |
| August | 76.6% | 4,029 |
| September | 83.8% | 3,705 |
| October | 84.9% | 4,010 |
| November | 84.1% | 3,741 |
| December | 77.0% | 3,784 |
Month by month, last 12 months
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 84.2% | 1,244 |
| Oct 2025 | 82.2% | 1,391 |
| Nov 2025 | 77.0% | 1,267 |
| Dec 2025 | 67.7% | 1,262 |
| Jan 2026 | 75.0% | 1,122 |
| Feb 2026 | 81.7% | 1,095 |
| Mar 2026 | 75.4% | 1,371 |
| Apr 2026 | 80.3% | 1,307 |
| May 2026 | 80.4% | 1,382 |
| Jun 2026 | 72.6% | 1,356 |
| Jul 2026 | 72.9% | 1,415 |
| Aug 2026 | 74.4% | 1,342 |
Busiest routes from DSM
| To | On time | Cancelled | Airlines | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (ORD) | 70.5% | 4.1% | 6 | 3,396 |
| Denver (DEN) | 82.9% | 0.6% | 4 | 2,327 |
| Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | 71.2% | 3.6% | 4 | 1,440 |
| Atlanta (ATL) | 86.2% | 2.4% | 1 | 1,254 |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 78.7% | 1.5% | 5 | 1,056 |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 79.8% | 3.3% | 2 | 813 |
| Washington (DCA) | 72.8% | 6.1% | 3 | 701 |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 78.5% | 0.2% | 2 | 595 |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 72.9% | 5.6% | 3 | 358 |
| Chicago (MDW) | 81.0% | 1.4% | 1 | 352 |
| St. Louis (STL) | 89.6% | 0.9% | 1 | 347 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 72.2% | 0.3% | 1 | 334 |
| Houston (IAH) | 86.9% | 1.5% | 2 | 329 |
| New York (LGA) | 80.1% | 2.3% | 1 | 261 |
| Sanford (SFB) | 68.0% | 1.0% | 1 | 203 |
| Punta Gorda (PGD) | 75.4% | 2.1% | 1 | 187 |
| Phoenix (AZA) | 74.9% | 1.1% | 1 | 179 |
| Miami (MIA) | 81.6% | 3.4% | 3 | 179 |
| St. Petersburg (PIE) | 70.9% | 1.7% | 1 | 179 |
| Nashville (BNA) | 81.9% | 1.9% | 1 | 160 |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
- Data through
- August 2026
- Processed
- 2026-11-03
- Scope
- Scheduled nonstop domestic departures from Des Moines, IA (DSM) by airlines that report to the DOT.
- Method
- Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.