Des Moines to Minneapolis

What the Data Says About DSM to MSP

The Des Moines to Minneapolis corridor (DSM → MSP) covers roughly 232 miles and is served by 5 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 5,518 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 89.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 82.3 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,049 flights were recorded on this pairing — 20 cancelled (1.0%) and 0 diverted (0.0%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 5 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 5,518 total flights analyzed, the 89.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 82.3-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, Oct 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 96% on-time, while Jun 2024 came in at 55% on-time — a 42-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DSM to MSP route, the combination of a 89.1% on-time rate, 82.3-minute average delay, 1.0% recent cancellation rate, and 5 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.