BNA to DSM flight delays
Nashville, TN (BNA) Des Moines, IA (DSM) · 530 miles
171 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
80.36%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.75%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
130 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
27 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The shape of the lateness matters here. Flights on this route are not late often, but when they are late they are late by about 130 minutes — long enough to lose a connection or an evening. The on-time percentage looks reassuring and understates the consequence of being on the wrong flight.
This route does better than its own airport. Departures from BNA overall run 7.5 points less punctual than this particular one — so whatever congestion BNA has, this route is largely escaping it.
Only Allegiant Air flies this route in the published record, so there is no choice to weigh — the route's figures and the airline's are the same figures.
The Nashville to Des Moines route sits close to the middle of the record — neither notably punctual nor notably late.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, Allegiant Air arrived on time most often on BNA to DSM. Flights ran closest to schedule in January and worst in December.
Every airline on BNA to DSM
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | 171 | 80.36% | 1.75% | 130 min | C |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
DSM to BNA Des Moines back to Nashville 80.95% on time COther routes from Nashville
Common questions
Are flights from Nashville to Des Moines usually delayed?
80.36% of flights on the BNA to DSM route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 2 in every ten arrived late. That is better than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Nashville to Des Moines?
Only Allegiant Air appears in the published record on this route, with 171 flights and 80.36% arriving on time.
How often are BNA to DSM flights cancelled?
1.75% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 18 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
When BNA to DSM flights are late, how late are they?
About 130 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on BNA to DSM during January 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →