DSM to STL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Des Moines International Airport to St. Louis Lambert International Airport · 259 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DSM or STL 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 St. Louis (STL) arrived on time 89% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.7% were cancelled, and 3% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 3pm did best (97% on time); around 5pm did worst (68%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (97% on time) and Saturday the least (77%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (35%).
Which airline is most on time from DSM to STL?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 89% | 0.7% | 8 min | 3.0% | 403 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am93%77 flights
- 6am96%105 flights
- 8am93%28 flights
- 3pm97%33 flights
- 4pm89%64 flights
- 5pm68%31 flights
- 6pm78%64 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday85%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday95%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday97%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday88%0.0% cancelled
- Friday92%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday77%2.8% cancelled
- Sunday85%3.3% 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 aircraft35%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Extreme weather18%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather67%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion33%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
DSM to STL: common questions
- How often are DSM to STL flights on time?
- 89% 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 St. Louis cancelled?
- 0.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (3 of 403).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 8 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 72 min behind schedule on average, and 3.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DSM?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: STL to DSM — 82% 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 → STL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.