LAX to DSM flight delays
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) Des Moines, IA (DSM) · 1,447 miles
269 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
88.35%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
54 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
7 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The two directions do not behave alike. DSM to LAX arrives on time 16.4 points less 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.
The season swings this route hard. In January it ran 24.3 points more punctual than in June — 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 route has been getting worse. The later months run 10.1 points less punctual than the earlier ones. A drift of that size is rarely weather; it is more often an airline adding frequencies faster than the airports can absorb them.
This route does better than its own airport. Departures from LAX overall run 8.3 points less punctual than this particular one — so whatever congestion LAX has, this route is largely escaping it.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, SkyWest Airlines arrived on time most often on LAX to DSM. Flights ran closest to schedule in January and worst in June.
Every airline on LAX 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines | 269 | 88.35% | 0% | 54 min | A |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
DSM to LAX Des Moines back to Los Angeles 71.96% on time DOther routes from Los Angeles
Common questions
Are flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines usually delayed?
88.35% of flights on the LAX to DSM 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 Los Angeles to Des Moines?
Only SkyWest Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 269 flights and 88.35% arriving on time.
How often are LAX to DSM flights cancelled?
0% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 1 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Los Angeles to Des Moines?
January, when 96.7% of flights arrived on time. The worst was June at 72.4%.
When LAX to DSM flights are late, how late are they?
About 54 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 LAX 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 →