STL to DSM flight delays
St. Louis, MO (STL) Des Moines, IA (DSM) · 259 miles
1,139 flights · July 2024 – July 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
82.2%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.61%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
51 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 season swings this route hard. In November it ran 27.9 points more punctual than in December — 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 STL arrives on time 6.4 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 Southwest 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 St. Louis to Des Moines keep to schedule more reliably than most. On a route this punctual the day you fly matters more than the airline you pick.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over July 2024 – July 2026, Southwest Airlines arrived on time most often on STL to DSM. Flights ran closest to schedule in November and worst in July.
Every airline on STL 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 1,139 | 82.2% | 0.61% | 51 min | B |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
DSM to STL Des Moines back to St. Louis 88.6% on time AOther routes from St. Louis
Common questions
Are flights from St. Louis to Des Moines usually delayed?
82.2% of flights on the STL 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 St. Louis to Des Moines?
Only Southwest Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 1,139 flights and 82.2% arriving on time.
How often are STL to DSM flights cancelled?
0.61% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 6 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly St. Louis to Des Moines?
November, when 94.6% of flights arrived on time. The worst was December at 66.7%.
When STL to DSM flights are late, how late are they?
About 51 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 STL 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 →