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Airport · 12 months to July 2026
Des Moines International: delays and on-time record
Des Moines, Iowa
BTS: A flight is counted as on time if it arrived less than 15 minutes after its scheduled time. Only carriers with at least 0.5 percent of domestic scheduled passenger revenue report. Data through July 2026; this is a monthly history, not live airport status.
Reporting carriers scheduled 15,584 domestic departures from Des Moines International (DSM), Des Moines, in the 12 months to July 2026: about 43 a day to 37 destinations.
78.5% of those flights left the gate less than 15 minutes late, 2.4 points above the national departure figure of 76.1%. Flights arriving at DSM were on time 73.5% of the time, 2.5 points below the national arrival figure of 76.0%.
2.5% of scheduled departures were cancelled (national: 1.8%), and the average departure delay, counting early and on-time departures as zero, was 20.8 min.
SkyWest Airlines is the largest reporting carrier at DSM with 17% of departures. Among carriers with at least 156 departures, Delta Air Lines had the highest on-time arrival share for its DSM departures (86.6%) and American Airlines the lowest (73.6%).
On-time departures are down 3.9 points on the previous 12 months (82.4%).
Of the delay minutes that carriers assigned to a BTS cause category for flights leaving DSM, air carrier 37%, late-arriving aircraft 32% and national aviation system 19%.
- On time 77.3%
- Arrived 15+ minutes late 20.0%
- Cancelled 2.5%
- Diverted 0.3%
As origin and as destination, against the nation
| Measure | Departures from DSM | Arrivals at DSM | All reported flights | DSM departures, previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Departed on time (less than 15 min late) | 78.5% | 73.9% | 76.1% | 82.4% |
| Arrived on time | 77.3% | 73.5% | 76.0% | 80.5% |
| Cancelled | 2.5% | 2.4% | 1.8% | 1.5% |
| Diverted | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Average departure delay (late minutes only) | 20.8 min | 19.4 min | 17.4 min | 15.6 min |
| Arrival delay minutes per 100 flights | 2,069 | 1,894 | 1,684 | 1,605 |
| Scheduled flights | 15,584 | 15,584 | 7,043,858 | 14,631 |
12 months to July 2026. The first column follows flights that left DSM; the second follows flights that landed there. Year on year, on-time departures moved −3.9 pts.
Airlines at DSM
| Reporting carrier | Flights | Share | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 2,727 | 17% | 75.4% | 14.6 min | 3.0% |
| AA American Airlines | 2,351 | 15% | 73.6% | 20.4 min | 3.4% |
| G4 Allegiant Air | 2,029 | 13% | 75.1% | 15.4 min | 1.5% |
| UA United Airlines | 2,018 | 13% | 76.0% | 11.5 min | 1.4% |
| WN Southwest Airlines | 1,783 | 11% | 82.6% | 1.8 min | 0.8% |
| DL Delta Air Lines | 1,253 | 8% | 86.6% | -6.3 min | 2.4% |
| YX Republic Airline | 1,162 | 7% | 76.6% | 5.7 min | 3.7% |
| MQ Envoy Air | 1,095 | 7% | 79.2% | 2.6 min | 2.6% |
| OH PSA Airlines | 980 | 6% | 74.5% | 13.1 min | 5.3% |
| F9 Frontier Airlines | 186 | 1% | 80.6% | 6.2 min | 0.5% |
Departures from DSM by reporting carrier, ordered by flights; on time means the flight reached its destination less than 15 minutes late. Green is at or above the airport's overall share of 77.3%. Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the rows are not a like-for-like test.
Busiest routes from DSM
| Route | Cities | Flights | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSM–ORD | Des Moines to Chicago | 3,411 | 70.7% | 17.5 min | 4.1% |
| DSM–DEN | Des Moines to Denver | 2,330 | 82.8% | 3.7 min | 0.6% |
| DSM–DFW | Des Moines to Dallas/Fort Worth | 1,438 | 70.2% | 18.0 min | 3.8% |
| DSM–ATL | Des Moines to Atlanta | 1,252 | 86.6% | -6.3 min | 2.4% |
| DSM–PHX | Des Moines to Phoenix | 1,064 | 78.9% | 16.0 min | 1.5% |
| DSM–CLT | Des Moines to Charlotte | 809 | 80.3% | 9.0 min | 3.0% |
| DSM–DCA | Des Moines to Washington | 702 | 73.2% | 11.0 min | 5.3% |
| DSM–LAS | Des Moines to Las Vegas | 595 | 80.7% | 9.9 min | 0.2% |
| DSM–STL | Des Moines to St. Louis | 403 | 88.6% | -5.1 min | 0.7% |
| DSM–PHL | Des Moines to Philadelphia | 350 | 76.0% | 13.6 min | 4.0% |
| DSM–IAH | Des Moines to Houston | 346 | 87.9% | -3.5 min | 1.4% |
| DSM–LAX | Des Moines to Los Angeles | 303 | 71.0% | 27.6 min | 0.3% |
| DSM–MDW | Des Moines to Chicago | 290 | 79.0% | 2.3 min | 1.7% |
| DSM–LGA | Des Moines to New York | 261 | 78.9% | 1.5 min | 2.7% |
| DSM–SFB | Des Moines to Sanford | 205 | 68.8% | 22.3 min | 1.0% |
| DSM–PGD | Des Moines to Punta Gorda | 188 | 75.5% | 12.7 min | 2.1% |
| DSM–PIE | Des Moines to St. Petersburg | 186 | 73.1% | 14.1 min | 1.6% |
| DSM–AZA | Des Moines to Phoenix | 180 | 75.0% | 29.1 min | 1.1% |
| DSM–MIA | Des Moines to Miami | 179 | 82.1% | -0.2 min | 3.4% |
| DSM–BNA | Des Moines to Nashville | 165 | 81.8% | 15.1 min | 1.8% |
The 20 busiest of 37 routes with reported flights. Routes with at least 10 flights a month have their own page.
Month by month
By scheduled departure hour
Among hours with at least 312 departures, 5 am to 6 am had the highest on-time share (87.4% of 1,808 flights) and 7 pm to 8 pm the lowest (55.3% of 476).
Delay causes
Cancellations by reported reason (388 in the period): air carrier 13%, weather 77%, national aviation system 10%, security 0%.
Checkpoint volumes
TSA publishes daily checkpoint passenger counts for the country as a whole, not for DSM on its own. The national series through September 2026 is on the checkpoint volumes page.
Questions and answers
How often do flights leave DSM on time?
78.5% of the 15,584 scheduled domestic departures in the 12 months to July 2026 left less than 15 minutes late; the national figure was 76.1%. 2.5% were cancelled.
How often do flights arrive at DSM on time?
73.5% of 15,584 scheduled arrivals were on time by the BTS definition, against 76.0% nationally.
Which airline has the highest on-time share at DSM?
Counting departures from DSM and whether they reached their destination on time, Delta Air Lines had the highest share (86.6% of 1,253 flights), then Southwest Airlines (82.6%) and Frontier Airlines (80.6%). Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the figures are not a like-for-like test.
What causes delays at DSM?
For departures from DSM that reached their destination 15 or more minutes late, carriers attributed the delay minutes as follows: air carrier 37%, late-arriving aircraft 32%, national aviation system 19%, extreme weather 11%, security 0%.
What time of day has the highest on-time share at DSM?
Departures scheduled from 5 am to 6 am local time left on time 87.4% of the time, the highest of any hour with enough flights to compare; 7 pm to 8 pm was lowest at 55.3%.
Is it getting better?
On-time departures for the 12 months to July 2026 were 78.5%, down 3.9 points on the previous 12 months (82.4%). The monthly chart shows each of the last 36 months, and each month has its own page.
Does this page show today's delays at DSM?
No. BTS publishes on-time records about two months after the month ends, so this page is a monthly history through July 2026. For live conditions use the FAA airport status service or your airline.
Provenance
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987 to present), monthly files August 2023 to July 2026; airport name from the BTS airport lookup table. US government works in the public domain. Domestic scheduled flights by reporting carriers only: international flights, charters and smaller carriers are not in the source. Totals and averages only; no individual flight or aircraft is identified. See the methodology; report processing errors through corrections.