According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Des Moines, IA (DSM) ranks #81 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Des Moines, IA posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport.
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DSM on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Des Moines, IA sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Des Moines, IA handles more flight
volume than 79% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
41% of them, placing it in the quadrant for busy and delay-prone.
Flight volume and on-time rate are independent figures: a busy airport can still run
reliably, and a quiet one can still run late.
Des Moines, IA vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 169,476 ·
On-time rate: 82.6%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes1,194,480 min
Carrier489,155 min · 41%
Late Aircraft380,660 min · 32%
NAS (National Aviation System)227,188 min · 19%
Weather94,637 min · 8%
Security2,840 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
DSM - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (94.5%) · worst: December (90.3%)
DSM - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
DSM - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 16.1 min · taxi-in 6.6 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
DSM's average taxi-out (16.1 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 14.0 min (April 2024) to 22.0 min (January 2024).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Des Moines, IA, both outside Iowa so the neighborhoods are not same-state geography. Axes stay disjoint: volume peers exclude the on-time peer set. Same-state compare stays below.
The standout signal at Des Moines, IA is the delay mix: Carrier owns 41.0% of 1,194,480 delay minutes across 169,476 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 82.6% (3.6 pts above the 79% national average), with 29,533 delayed and 1,950 cancelled (1.15%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (31.9% late-aircraft, 41.0% carrier, 19.0% NAS, 7.9% weather, 0.2% security). As a busy airport, that mix matters more for connection planning than for a thin schedule.
On the multi-year calendar, DSM is strongest in September (94.5% on-time) and weakest in December (90.3%), a 4.2-point swing. Volume peaks in March (~2,559 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to ORD (Chicago) at 79.6% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Des Moines, IA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
82.6%Top 59%higher than 41% of 382 airports
Des Moines, IA
60%95%
U.S. airports by on-time rate, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more airports. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025).
Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.
DSM's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from DSM before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in September rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 16.1 min here; check the monthly series before a tight connection. Taxi times →
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Des Moines, IA's on-time rate?
Des Moines, IA (DSM) has a 82.6% on-time rate across 169,476 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 3.6 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the below-median on-time performance.
How does DSM rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Des Moines, IA ranks #81 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a high-volume U.S. airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at Des Moines, IA?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at DSM, accounting for 41.0% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 31.9% late-aircraft, 41.0% carrier, 19.0% NAS/air-traffic-control, 7.9% weather, and 0.2% security.
When is the best time to fly through Des Moines, IA?
September is historically DSM's strongest month at 94.5% on-time, while December is the weakest at 90.3%, a 4.2-point swing across the BTS historical record.