Des Moines to Washington

What the Data Says About DSM to DCA

The Des Moines to Washington corridor (DSM → DCA) covers roughly 897 miles and is served by 15 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 3,549 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 82.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 79.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,404 flights were recorded on this pairing — 62 cancelled (4.4%) and 10 diverted (0.7%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 15 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 3,549 total flights analyzed, the 82.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 79.6-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, Apr 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at 65% on-time — a 26-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DSM to DCA route, the combination of a 82.1% on-time rate, 79.6-minute average delay, 4.4% recent cancellation rate, and 15 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.