Best time to fly Washington to Des Moines

Every month pooled across the years on record, so "July" means July generally rather than one particular July. Full DCA to DSM record →

Best month

November

82.7% on time · 109 flights

Worst month

February

57.9% on time · 111 flights

Month Flights On time Cancelled When late, by
January 113 71.2% 7.96% 71 min
February 111 57.9% 14.41% 77 min
March 124 72.1% 9.68% 103 min
April 116 74.5% 5.17% 102 min
May 123 74.4% 1.63% 78 min
June 119 58.3% 9.24% 88 min
July 123 69.7% 10.57% 84 min
August 124 77% 1.61% 88 min
September 120 80.7% 0.83% 72 min
October 123 82% 0% 49 min
November 109 82.7% 4.59% 55 min
December 91 65.5% 4.4% 70 min

What a seasonal pattern can and cannot tell you

Months differ for reasons that repeat — summer thunderstorms in the American interior, winter fog and de-icing in northern Europe, school holidays filling every seat and leaving no slack in the schedule. Those are real and they come back each year.

What the pattern cannot do is forecast a particular flight. A quiet month has late days and a bad month has punctual ones. Treat this as a way to choose between two dates you are indifferent about, not as a promise.