DEN to DSM flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Des Moines International Airport · 589 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or DSM right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to Des Moines (DSM) arrived on time 80% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.5% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines was the most punctual airline here (88% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (66%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (97% on time); around 7pm did worst (38%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Thursday the least (78%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (48%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN to DSM?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 88% | 1.0% | 9 min | 3.9% | 929 |
| Frontier Airlines | 83% | 0.0% | 11 min | 5.7% | 159 |
| United Airlines | 81% | 0.1% | 15 min | 8.5% | 684 |
| Southwest Airlines | 66% | 0.4% | 22 min | 10.6% | 559 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am97%160 flights
- 9am89%386 flights
- 10am89%157 flights
- 11am85%87 flights
- 12pm81%31 flights
- 1pm87%371 flights
- 4pm78%82 flights
- 5pm72%379 flights
- 6pm70%163 flights
- 7pm38%106 flights
- 8pm78%323 flights
- 9pm87%68 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday78%0.3% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday86%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday78%0.3% cancelled
- Friday79%0.3% cancelled
- Saturday81%1.4% cancelled
- Sunday79%0.9% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft48%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)37%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather83%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
DEN to DSM: common questions
- How often are DEN to DSM flights on time?
- 80% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Denver to Des Moines cancelled?
- 0.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (12 of 2,331).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 66 min behind schedule on average, and 7.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DSM to DEN — 83% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → DSM, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.