Route · DFW → DSM · 2020–2025 BTS data
Dallas/Fort Worth to Des Moines
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), DFW to DSM (Dallas/Fort Worth to Des Moines) ranks #1667 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 74.2%
- On-time
- -4.8 pts
- vs US avg
- 82 min
- Delay when late
- 7,556
- Flights
- #1667 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
2.8%
Best Month
Oct 2024 81%
Worst Month
Jul 2024 45%
Distance
624 mi
Carriers
26
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 122 | 52 | 2 | 0 | AA,MQ,OO |
| Nov 2025 | 116 | 38 | 6 | 0 | MQ,OH,AA |
| Oct 2025 | 121 | 38 | 3 | 0 | AA,OH,MQ |
| Sep 2025 | 119 | 39 | 2 | 0 | MQ,OH,AA |
| Aug 2025 | 118 | 36 | 3 | 0 | AA,MQ |
| Jul 2025 | 118 | 43 | 6 | 1 | AA,MQ |
| Jun 2025 | 116 | 47 | 2 | 1 | AA,MQ |
| May 2025 | 94 | 26 | 4 | 0 | AA,MQ |
| Apr 2025 | 93 | 28 | 5 | 0 | MQ,AA |
| Mar 2025 | 119 | 29 | 6 | 0 | AA,MQ |
| Feb 2025 | 88 | 22 | 2 | 0 | AA,OH,MQ |
| Jan 2025 | 105 | 25 | 9 | 1 | AA,OH,MQ |
| Dec 2024 | 95 | 25 | 1 | 0 | AA,MQ |
| Nov 2024 | 107 | 24 | 1 | 0 | MQ,AA |
| Oct 2024 | 113 | 22 | 0 | 0 | MQ,AA |
| Sep 2024 | 97 | 20 | 0 | 0 | AA,MQ |
| Aug 2024 | 117 | 57 | 1 | 2 | AA,MQ |
| Jul 2024 | 121 | 66 | 1 | 0 | AA,MQ |
| Jun 2024 | 116 | 48 | 4 | 0 | AA,MQ |
| May 2024 | 93 | 46 | 6 | 0 | AA |
| Apr 2024 | 88 | 31 | 3 | 0 | AA |
| Mar 2024 | 93 | 37 | 0 | 0 | AA,MQ |
| Feb 2024 | 87 | 21 | 0 | 0 | AA |
| Jan 2024 | 91 | 34 | 4 | 0 | AA |
DFW–DSM seasonal on-time pattern
Best: February (81.1%) · weakest: June (64.0%)
Strongest calendar month
February
81.1% on-time · ~95 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
August
~119 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
June
64.0% on-time · ~103 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
2.8%
71 of 2,547 flights
Diversion Rate
0.2%
5 of 2,547 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
DFW - Dallas/Fort Worth
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.
DFW on-time profileDSM - Des Moines
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Des Moines, IA.
DSM on-time profileCompare the two airports
See DFW and DSM side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare DFW vs DSMOrigin-hub reliability standing
Softer reliability from DFW
Among 183 routes leaving DFW, only 57 (including this one) clear below 75% on-time, while 13 stay ≥85% and 113 sit mid-band. Travelers comparing DFW options should weigh this 74.2% print against those peers · fleet on-time rank #4579 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to DFW–DSM.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About DFW to DSM
On-time performance on the DFW to DSM pairing (Dallas/Fort Worth to Des Moines) trails a chunk of the network: 74.2% of 7,556 tracked flights arrived on schedule, with a 81.7-minute average delay on the ones that ran late. The route spans about 624 miles across 26 carriers. Cancellations over the trailing 24 months hit 2.8% (71 of 2,547 flights), with 0.2% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 81% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at just 45% - a 35-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, DFW–DSM peaks in February at 81.1% on-time while August carries the heaviest traffic (~119 flights per month) ; the softest month is June at 64.0%, a 17.1-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does DFW to DSM rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from DFW to DSM? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for DFW to DSM? ▼
How far is the flight from DFW to DSM? ▼
When is the best time to fly from DFW to DSM? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using DFW–DSM data
DFW–DSM sits 4.8 pts below the national 79% average; check the seasonal chart and airport profiles before treating the headline as typical.
- Compare DFW and DSM airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. DFW airport
- If your dates flex, February (81.1% on-time) beats June (64.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 74.2% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.