IAH to DSM flight delays
Houston, TX (IAH) Des Moines, IA (DSM) · 802 miles
637 flights · July 2024 – July 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
73%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.41%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
61 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
18 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In February it ran 56.7 points more punctual than in July — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
The two directions do not behave alike. DSM to IAH arrives on time 15.3 points more often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
Only United Airlines 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.
Flights from Houston to Des Moines run late more often than the average route, though not severely.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over July 2024 – July 2026, United Airlines arrived on time most often on IAH to DSM. Flights ran closest to schedule in February and worst in August.
Every airline on IAH 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 591 | 72.24% | 1.52% | 62 min | D |
| SkyWest Airlines | 46 | 82.61% | 0% | 40 min | — |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
DSM to IAH Des Moines back to Houston 88.28% on time BOther routes from Houston
Common questions
Are flights from Houston to Des Moines usually delayed?
73% of flights on the IAH to DSM route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 3 in every ten arrived late. That is worse than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Houston to Des Moines?
Only United Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 591 flights and 72.24% arriving on time.
How often are IAH to DSM flights cancelled?
1.41% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 14 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Houston to Des Moines?
February, when 100% of flights arrived on time. The worst was July at 43.3%.
When IAH to DSM flights are late, how late are they?
About 61 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 IAH to DSM 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 →