Airports › Des Moines (DSM) › March 2026
Airport month · March 2026
Des Moines International in March 2026
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.
In March 2026, reporting carriers scheduled 1,371 domestic departures from Des Moines International (DSM). 75.1% left less than 15 minutes late and 75.4% reached their destination on time; 4.2% were cancelled.
Nationally that month, 72.8% of flights departed on time and 73.2% arrived on time, so DSM departures were 2.3 points above the national departure figure.
A year earlier, in March 2025, the airport had 1,212 departures with 80.0% leaving on time: a change of −4.9 points, with flights up 13%.
Flights arriving at DSM that month were on time 69.5% of the time (1,373 scheduled arrivals).
Of the delay minutes that carriers assigned to a BTS cause category that month, air carrier 39%, late-arriving aircraft 34% and national aviation system 18%.
- On time 75.4%
- Arrived 15+ minutes late 19.8%
- Cancelled 4.2%
- Diverted 0.6%
March 2026 against a year earlier, the airport's year and the nation
| Measure | Mar 2026 | Mar 2025 | DSM, 12 months to Jul 2026 | All reported flights, Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Departed on time | 75.1% | 80.0% | 78.5% | 72.8% |
| Arrived on time | 75.4% | 78.7% | 77.3% | 73.2% |
| Cancelled | 4.2% | 4.5% | 2.5% | 2.9% |
| Average departure delay (late minutes only) | 22.7 min | 15.3 min | 20.8 min | 20.3 min |
| Scheduled departures a day | 46 | 40 | 43 | 20,403 |
| Scheduled departures | 1,371 | 1,212 | 15,584 | 612,102 |
Airlines that month
| Reporting carrier | Flights | Share | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 250 | 18% | 67.6% | 28.3 min | 7.2% |
| AA American Airlines | 218 | 16% | 80.7% | 15.5 min | 3.2% |
| G4 Allegiant Air | 187 | 14% | 78.1% | 3.2 min | 1.6% |
| WN Southwest Airlines | 172 | 13% | 80.2% | 1.3 min | 4.1% |
| UA United Airlines | 146 | 11% | 79.5% | 6.0 min | 2.7% |
| OH PSA Airlines | 106 | 8% | 64.2% | 15.4 min | 7.5% |
| DL Delta Air Lines | 92 | 7% | 85.9% | -9.7 min | 3.3% |
| MQ Envoy Air | 81 | 6% | 70.4% | 9.2 min | 2.5% |
| YX Republic Airline | 79 | 6% | 64.6% | 11.0 min | 6.3% |
| F9 Frontier Airlines | 40 | 3% | 85.0% | 6.8 min | 2.5% |
Busiest routes that month
| Route | Cities | Flights | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSM–ORD | Des Moines to Chicago | 303 | 62.7% | 26.8 min | 7.6% |
| DSM–DEN | Des Moines to Denver | 192 | 83.9% | 4.0 min | 3.1% |
| DSM–PHX | Des Moines to Phoenix | 127 | 78.7% | 28.9 min | 3.9% |
| DSM–DFW | Des Moines to Dallas/Fort Worth | 123 | 76.4% | 7.7 min | 3.3% |
| DSM–ATL | Des Moines to Atlanta | 92 | 85.9% | -9.7 min | 3.3% |
| DSM–CLT | Des Moines to Charlotte | 62 | 87.1% | -4.6 min | 0.0% |
| DSM–DCA | Des Moines to Washington | 62 | 59.7% | 24.6 min | 8.1% |
| DSM–MDW | Des Moines to Chicago | 54 | 72.2% | 8.0 min | 5.6% |
| DSM–LAS | Des Moines to Las Vegas | 53 | 81.1% | -0.6 min | 1.9% |
| DSM–IAH | Des Moines to Houston | 31 | 87.1% | -10.7 min | 3.2% |
| DSM–LAX | Des Moines to Los Angeles | 31 | 83.9% | 1.9 min | 0.0% |
| DSM–MIA | Des Moines to Miami | 31 | 87.1% | -6.9 min | 3.2% |
By scheduled departure hour
Delay causes
Questions and answers
How many flights left DSM on time in March 2026?
75.1% of 1,371 scheduled domestic departures left less than 15 minutes late, and 75.4% reached their destination on time. The national figures that month were 72.8% and 73.2%.
How does that compare with a year earlier?
In March 2025, 80.0% of 1,212 departures left on time and 4.5% were cancelled, against 75.1% and 4.2% in March 2026.
Provenance
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance, file for March 2026; public domain. Domestic scheduled flights by reporting carriers, totals and averages only. The site's data runs through July 2026. Full record for DSM · methodology · corrections.