Charlotte to Des Moines

What the Data Says About CLT to DSM

The Charlotte to Des Moines corridor (CLT → DSM) covers roughly 815 miles and is served by 13 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 4,931 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 79.8% on-time rate with an average delay of 71.3 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,545 flights were recorded on this pairing — 31 cancelled (2.0%) and 7 diverted (0.5%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 13 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 4,931 total flights analyzed, the 79.8% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 71.3-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Nov 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 92% on-time, while May 2024 came in at 50% on-time — a 42-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the CLT to DSM route, the combination of a 79.8% on-time rate, 71.3-minute average delay, 2.0% recent cancellation rate, and 13 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.