DSM to FLL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Des Moines International Airport to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport · 1,316 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DSM or FLL 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 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) arrived on time 59% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.1% were cancelled, and 16% arrived an hour or more late.
- Allegiant Air is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 10am did best (80% on time); around 3pm did worst (56%).
- Sunday was the most reliable day to fly (72% on time) and Friday the least (36%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (44%).
Which airline is most on time from DSM to FLL?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | 59% | 2.1% | 37 min | 16.0% | 96 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 10am80%15 flights
- 2pm67%18 flights
- 3pm56%19 flights
- 4pm33%12 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday46%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday40%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday66%3.3% cancelled
- Friday36%6.7% cancelled
- Saturday0%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday72%0.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion44%
- Late-arriving aircraft36%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)10%
- Extreme weather9%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather100%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DSM to FLL: common questions
- How often are DSM to FLL flights on time?
- 59% 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 Fort Lauderdale cancelled?
- 2.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (2 of 96).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 37 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 87 min behind schedule on average, and 16.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DSM?
- Flights on this route spent 16 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: FLL to DSM — 68% 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 → FLL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.