Des Moines to Dallas/Fort Worth

What the Data Says About DSM to DFW

The Des Moines to Dallas/Fort Worth corridor (DSM → DFW) covers roughly 624 miles and is served by 27 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 7,556 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 77.9% on-time rate with an average delay of 106.2 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,547 flights were recorded on this pairing — 73 cancelled (2.9%) and 19 diverted (0.7%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 27 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 7,556 total flights analyzed, the 77.9% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 106.2-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, Sep 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 88% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at 51% on-time — a 36-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DSM to DFW route, the combination of a 77.9% on-time rate, 106.2-minute average delay, 2.9% recent cancellation rate, and 27 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.