DSM to PHL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Des Moines International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport · 973 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DSM or PHL 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 Philadelphia (PHL) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 4% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (82% on time); Allegiant Air was the least (42%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (87% on time); around 1pm did worst (74%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (91% on time) and Thursday the least (64%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (39%).
Which airline is most on time from DSM to PHL?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 82% | 3.9% | 10 min | 4.1% | 77 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 81% | 3.6% | 27 min | 9.9% | 252 |
| Allegiant Air | 42% | 9.5% | 54 min | 31.6% | 21 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am87%166 flights
- 12pm80%50 flights
- 1pm74%113 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday81%4.3% cancelled
- Tuesday84%4.4% cancelled
- Wednesday91%2.2% cancelled
- Thursday64%1.7% cancelled
- Friday88%4.0% cancelled
- Saturday80%6.3% cancelled
- Sunday74%5.3% 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)39%
- Late-arriving aircraft39%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Extreme weather9%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather86%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)7%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion7%
- Security0%
DSM to PHL: common questions
- How often are DSM to PHL flights on time?
- 79% 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 Philadelphia cancelled?
- 4.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (14 of 350).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 25 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 115 min behind schedule on average, and 9.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DSM?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: PHL to DSM — 75% 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 → PHL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.