Des Moines to Charlotte

What the Data Says About DSM to CLT

The Des Moines to Charlotte corridor (DSM → CLT) covers roughly 815 miles and is served by 13 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 4,929 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83.2% on-time rate with an average delay of 105.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,546 flights were recorded on this pairing — 32 cancelled (2.1%) and 2 diverted (0.1%). 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 4,929 total flights analyzed, the 83.2% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 105.6-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, Sep 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 90% on-time, while Jan 2024 came in at 55% on-time — a 35-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DSM to CLT route, the combination of a 83.2% on-time rate, 105.6-minute average delay, 2.1% recent cancellation rate, and 13 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.