Des Moines to Denver

What the Data Says About DSM to DEN

The Des Moines to Denver corridor (DSM → DEN) covers roughly 589 miles and is served by 21 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 12,369 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 82.5% on-time rate with an average delay of 79.2 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 4,558 flights were recorded on this pairing — 48 cancelled (1.1%) and 8 diverted (0.2%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 21 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 12,369 total flights analyzed, the 82.5% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 79.2-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 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while May 2024 came in at 75% on-time — a 16-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DSM to DEN route, the combination of a 82.5% on-time rate, 79.2-minute average delay, 1.1% recent cancellation rate, and 21 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.