Minneapolis to Des Moines

What the Data Says About MSP to DSM

The Minneapolis to Des Moines corridor (MSP → DSM) covers roughly 232 miles and is served by 5 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 5,520 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 87.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 71.3 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,049 flights were recorded on this pairing — 19 cancelled (0.9%) and 4 diverted (0.2%). 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 5,520 total flights analyzed, the 87.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 71.3-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 67% on-time — a 30-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MSP to DSM route, the combination of a 87.1% on-time rate, 71.3-minute average delay, 0.9% recent cancellation rate, and 5 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.