DSM to DEN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Des Moines International Airport to Denver International Airport · 589 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DSM or DEN right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Des Moines (DSM) to Denver (DEN) arrived on time 83% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines was the most punctual airline here (90% on time); United Airlines was the least (75%).
- Departures scheduled around 11am did best (94% on time); around 7pm did worst (49%).
- Sunday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Monday the least (82%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (34%).
Which airline is most on time from DSM to DEN?
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. | 90% | 0.8% | 10 min | 3.9% | 928 |
| Southwest Airlines | 83% | 0.5% | 14 min | 6.7% | 559 |
| Frontier Airlines | 81% | 0.0% | 16 min | 7.5% | 159 |
| United Airlines | 75% | 0.6% | 21 min | 10.5% | 684 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am88%286 flights
- 6am93%315 flights
- 7am93%40 flights
- 8am93%76 flights
- 9am81%365 flights
- 11am94%160 flights
- 1pm89%415 flights
- 2pm92%98 flights
- 3pm61%33 flights
- 5pm69%363 flights
- 6pm73%41 flights
- 7pm49%85 flights
- 8pm74%35 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday82%1.1% cancelled
- Tuesday84%0.3% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday83%0.0% cancelled
- Friday83%0.5% cancelled
- Saturday83%1.4% cancelled
- Sunday86%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.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)34%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion32%
- Late-arriving aircraft22%
- Extreme weather11%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather71%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)14%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Security0%
DSM to DEN: common questions
- How often are DSM to DEN flights on time?
- 83% 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 Des Moines to Denver cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (14 of 2,330).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 15 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 83 min behind schedule on average, and 6.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DSM?
- Flights on this route spent 19 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DEN to DSM — 80% on time
More flights from Des Moines
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DSM → DEN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.