Des Moines to Detroit

What the Data Says About DSM to DTW

The Des Moines to Detroit corridor (DSM → DTW) covers roughly 534 miles and is served by 4 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 4,240 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 91.2% on-time rate with an average delay of 80.3 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,823 flights were recorded on this pairing — 14 cancelled (0.8%) and 2 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 4 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 4,240 total flights analyzed, the 91.2% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 80.3-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, Dec 2023 posted the best performance on this corridor at 99% on-time, while Jun 2024 came in at 75% on-time — a 24-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DSM to DTW route, the combination of a 91.2% on-time rate, 80.3-minute average delay, 0.8% recent cancellation rate, and 4 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.