Washington to Des Moines

What the Data Says About DCA to DSM

The Washington to Des Moines corridor (DCA → DSM) covers roughly 897 miles and is served by 14 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 3,516 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 78.4% on-time rate with an average delay of 72.4 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,402 flights were recorded on this pairing — 64 cancelled (4.6%) and 5 diverted (0.4%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 14 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 3,516 total flights analyzed, the 78.4% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 72.4-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, Mar 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 90% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at 53% on-time — a 38-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DCA to DSM route, the combination of a 78.4% on-time rate, 72.4-minute average delay, 4.6% recent cancellation rate, and 14 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.