Detroit to Des Moines

What the Data Says About DTW to DSM

The Detroit to Des Moines corridor (DTW → DSM) covers roughly 534 miles and is served by 5 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 4,242 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 89.7% on-time rate with an average delay of 67.9 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,824 flights were recorded on this pairing — 13 cancelled (0.7%) and 8 diverted (0.4%). 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 4,242 total flights analyzed, the 89.7% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 67.9-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 98% on-time, while Jan 2024 came in at 67% on-time — a 30-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DTW to DSM route, the combination of a 89.7% on-time rate, 67.9-minute average delay, 0.7% recent cancellation rate, and 5 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.