Washington to Des Moines (DCA–DSM) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

DCA Airport Page →
895 mi airlines charter/private 33/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 11 flights Verified 6m ago
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
AA5292
AA American
CR9
12:59 PM
EDT T2
2:52 PM
CDT
2h 53m
41%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5057
AA American
CR9
1:22 PM
EDT T2
3:12 PM
CDT
2h 50m
41%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5089
AA American
CR9
1:59 PM
EDT T2
3:51 PM
CDT
2h 52m
41%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA3685
AA American
E75
8:15 PM
EDT T2
9:57 PM
CDT
2h 42m
41%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS4111cs
AS Alaska
CR9
10:00 PM
EDT T2
11:50 PM
CDT
2h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5432+2
AA American
CR9
10:00 PM
EDT T2
11:50 PM
CDT
2h 50m
41%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA3710
AA American
E75
5:00 AM
CDT
8:36 AM
EDT
2h 36m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5645
AA American
CR9
6:26 AM
CDT
10:03 AM
EDT
2h 37m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5428
AA American
CR9
3:22 PM
CDT
6:59 PM
EDT
2h 37m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5292
AA American
CR7
3:24 PM
CDT
7:00 PM
EDT
2h 36m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5508
AA American
CR9
4:43 PM
CDT
8:20 PM
EDT
2h 37m
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
MDW Chicago 4h 20m WN WN Chicago (MDW) to Des Moines flights
DTW Detroit 4h 25m AAAFAM AFAMDL Detroit (DTW) to Des Moines flights
BNA Nashville 4h 31m AADLWN G4 Nashville (BNA) to Des Moines flights
ORD Chicago 4h 42m AAASAY AAACAS Chicago (ORD) to Des Moines flights
MSP Minneapolis 4h 46m AAAFAM AFDLKE Minneapolis (MSP) to Des Moines flights
ATL Atlanta 4h 51m AAAFAM AMDLKE Atlanta (ATL) to Des Moines flights
LGA New York 5h 31m AADLWS AADL New York (LGA) to Des Moines flights
PHL Philadelphia 5h 32m AAASBA AAG4 Philadelphia (PHL) to Des Moines flights
BOS Boston 5h 42m AAAFAS G4 Boston (BOS) to Des Moines flights
VPS Valparaiso 5h 43m AA G4 Valparaiso (VPS) to Des Moines flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Washington to Des Moines
1 carrier, 33 flights/week nonstop.
1 Airlines 895 mi 2h 50m nonstop -1h behind

DCA–DSM is served by 1 airline with nonstop service. American Airlines leads the route. The flight covers 895 miles in approximately 2h 50m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop DCA–DSM service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
AA American Airlines Also: AS 26 CR9, E75 2h42-2h53 51% Oneworld AS
Aircraft on this route
CR9 Bombardier CRJ-900 – AA, AS
E75 Embraer E175 – AA
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AA (26 flights/wk, 100%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, DCA to DSM direction.
Mon
5
flights
Tue
5
flights
Wed
5
flights
Thu
5
flights
Fri
5
flights
Sat
3
flights
Sun
5
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
6
Nonstop flights
33
Outbound / wk
26
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for DCA to DSM.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
32
Hubs
~4h
Fastest
~30h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
1,821
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
DCA → DSM
51%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
51%
Arriving
46%
Return
DSM → DCA
80%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
80%
Arriving
87%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. DCA delays → DSM delays →

Other ways to reach Des Moines from Washington

Nearby airports with service to Des Moines International Airport.
Metric DCA→DSM IAD→DSM BWI→DSM
Distance from DCA 23 mi 30 mi
Nonstop airlines 1 4 4
Weekly flights 33 1
Flight time 2h 50m 2h 28m 2h 13m
Departure OTP 51%
Airports within 200 miles of DCA with service to Des Moines International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-1h
Des Moines is 1 hour behind Washington.
DCA: EDT · DSM: CDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Washington, it's 5:00 PM in Des Moines.
Distance & Flight Time
895 mi / 1,440 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 2h 50m gate to gate.
Getting to DCA

The DC Metro (Yellow and Blue lines) connects the airport directly to downtown Washington in 15–25 minutes from most central stations ($2.25–$3.85 depending on distance and time of day). The Reagan National Airport station is inside the terminal complex with a direct indoor walkway. Metro runs from about 05:00 to midnight Sunday–Thursday, and until 01:00 on Friday–Saturday.Taxis and Uber/Lyft from the city centre cost $15–30 depending on destination and traffic. DCA is one of the most transit-accessible major US airports. Driving is straightforward via the George Washington Memorial Parkway; short-term parking at the terminal costs from $5 for 20 minutes. No personal vehicles are allowed to idle at arrivals; use the cell-phone lot or commercial pick-up zones.

DCA–DSM Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Washington to Des Moines route.
Route details
Distance895 mi / 1,440 km
Flight time2h 50m
Time difference-1 hour
Airlines (nonstop)1
Weekly flights33 out / 26 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: DCA
IATA / ICAODCA / KDCA
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr25.5M
Elevation15 ft / 5 m
Destination: DSM
IATA / ICAODSM / KDSM
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr3.1M
Elevation958 ft / 292 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about DCA to DSM flights.
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Des Moines International Airport take about 2h 50m gate to gate. The route covers 895 miles.
1 airline operates flights from DCA to DSM: American Airlines.
This route has daily service. Check the schedule above for departure days and times in each direction.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Chicago Midway, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County and Nashville.
Des Moines is 1 hour behind Washington.
Yes, return flights from DSM to DCA are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include IAD, BWI and LNS. See the Alternatives section for a full comparison.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from DCA to DSM

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Des Moines International Airport (DSM) are connected by nonstop service from American Airlines. With 33 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

DCA to DSM Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from DCA to DSM is about 2 hours 50 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 895 miles (1,440 km). There are approximately 33 weekly flights outbound and 26 return, totaling 59 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Chicago Midway, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County and Nashville. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Dulles (IAD), Baltimore (BWI) and Lancaster (LNS).