EWR to DSM flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Newark Liberty International Airport to Des Moines International Airport · 1,017 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at EWR or DSM right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Newark (EWR) to Des Moines (DSM) arrived on time 86% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 2.8% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Allegiant Air is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 12pm did best (91% on time); around 11am did worst (87%).
- Friday was the most reliable day to fly (97% on time) and Monday the least (84%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (52%).
Which airline is most on time from EWR 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | 86% | 2.8% | 10 min | 7.2% | 71 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 10am60%10 flights
- 11am87%24 flights
- 12pm91%36 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday84%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday67%0.0% cancelled
- Friday97%3.2% cancelled
- Saturday25%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday–100.0% 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 congestion52%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)19%
- Extreme weather16%
- Late-arriving aircraft13%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)50%
- Extreme weather50%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
EWR to DSM: common questions
- How often are EWR to DSM flights on time?
- 86% 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 Newark to Des Moines cancelled?
- 2.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (2 of 71).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 65 min behind schedule on average, and 7.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at EWR?
- Flights on this route spent 19 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DSM to EWR — 91% on time
More flights from Newark
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: EWR → DSM, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.