Chicago to Des Moines

What the Data Says About ORD to DSM

The Chicago to Des Moines corridor (ORD → DSM) covers roughly 299 miles and is served by 37 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 12,645 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 79.6% on-time rate with an average delay of 71.8 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 4,905 flights were recorded on this pairing — 103 cancelled (2.1%) and 14 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 37 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 12,645 total flights analyzed, the 79.6% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 71.8-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, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Jun 2024 came in at 58% on-time — a 34-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to DSM route, the combination of a 79.6% on-time rate, 71.8-minute average delay, 2.1% recent cancellation rate, and 37 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.