DSM to DTW flight delays
Des Moines, IA (DSM) Detroit, MI (DTW) · 534 miles
502 flights · July 2024 – July 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
90.26%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.59%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
99 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
10 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 99 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.
Flights from Des Moines to Detroit are among the most dependable in the record. A route this punctual is usually a short hop between airports with slots to spare.
This route does better than its own airport. Departures from DSM overall run 8.2 points less punctual than this particular one — so whatever congestion DSM has, this route is largely escaping it.
Only Endeavor 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.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over July 2024 – July 2026, Endeavor Air arrived on time most often on DSM to DTW. Flights ran closest to schedule in October and worst in December.
Every airline on DSM to DTW
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endeavor Air | 485 | 91.81% | 1.65% | 87 min | A |
| SkyWest Airlines | 16 | 43.75% | 0% | 152 min | — |
| Delta Air Lines | 1 | 100% | 0% | — | — |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
DTW to DSM Detroit back to Des Moines 88.01% on time BOther routes from Des Moines
Common questions
Are flights from Des Moines to Detroit usually delayed?
90.26% of flights on the DSM to DTW route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 1 in every ten arrived late. That is better than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Des Moines to Detroit?
Only Endeavor Air appears in the published record on this route, with 485 flights and 91.81% arriving on time.
How often are DSM to DTW flights cancelled?
1.59% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 16 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Des Moines to Detroit?
October, when 97.6% of flights arrived on time. The worst was July at 86.1%.
When DSM to DTW flights are late, how late are they?
About 99 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 DSM to DTW during July 2024 – July 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 →