Route · STL → DSM · 2020–2025 BTS data
St. Louis to Des Moines
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), STL to DSM (St. Louis to Des Moines) ranks #3035 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 81.5%
- On-time
- +2.5 pts
- vs US avg
- 57 min
- Delay when late
- 3,689
- Flights
- #3035 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.0%
Best Month
Nov 2024 95%
Worst Month
May 2024 62%
Distance
259 mi
Carriers
1
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 60 | 20 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Nov 2025 | 56 | 9 | 2 | 0 | WN |
| Oct 2025 | 57 | 5 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Sep 2025 | 56 | 6 | 0 | 1 | WN |
| Aug 2025 | 56 | 12 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Jul 2025 | 57 | 16 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Jun 2025 | 56 | 7 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| May 2025 | 56 | 11 | 1 | 0 | WN |
| Apr 2025 | 56 | 13 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Mar 2025 | 57 | 9 | 2 | 0 | WN |
| Feb 2025 | 52 | 9 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Jan 2025 | 59 | 7 | 2 | 0 | WN |
| Dec 2024 | 60 | 12 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Nov 2024 | 56 | 3 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Oct 2024 | 57 | 9 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Sep 2024 | 55 | 7 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Aug 2024 | 57 | 8 | 0 | 1 | WN |
| Jul 2024 | 58 | 17 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Jun 2024 | 55 | 16 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| May 2024 | 58 | 22 | 0 | 1 | WN |
| Apr 2024 | 56 | 14 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Mar 2024 | 57 | 13 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Feb 2024 | 54 | 8 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Jan 2024 | 58 | 16 | 6 | 0 | WN |
STL–DSM seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (88.5%) · weakest: July (72.1%)
Strongest calendar month
September
88.5% on-time · ~52 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
June
~56 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
72.1% on-time · ~54 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.0%
13 of 1,359 flights
Diversion Rate
0.2%
3 of 1,359 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
STL - St. Louis
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for St. Louis, MO.
STL on-time profileDSM - Des Moines
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Des Moines, IA.
DSM on-time profileCompare the two airports
See STL and DSM side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare STL vs DSMOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among STL departures
From STL, this corridor sits with 45 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 51 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (5 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 1 below 75%). Destination: Des Moines · fleet on-time rank #2560 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to STL–DSM.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About STL to DSM
3,689 tracked flights put the STL to DSM pairing (St. Louis to Des Moines) at a 81.5% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 56.8 minutes on average. Across the 259-mile route and its 1 carrier, the trailing 24 months show 1.0% cancelled and 0.2% diverted (1,359 flights sampled).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Nov 2024 posted the strongest performance at 95% on-time, while May 2024 came in at just 62% - a 33-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, STL–DSM peaks in September at 88.5% on-time while June carries the heaviest traffic (~56 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 72.1%, a 16.4-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does STL to DSM rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from STL to DSM? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for STL to DSM? ▼
How far is the flight from STL to DSM? ▼
When is the best time to fly from STL to DSM? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using STL–DSM data
STL–DSM is mid-pack at 81.5% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare STL and DSM airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. STL airport
- If your dates flex, September (88.5% on-time) beats July (72.1%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 81.5% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.