Des Moines to St Louis (DSM–STL) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

DSM Airport Page →
259 mi airlines charter/private
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 1 flight Verified 2mos ago
Also flown by charter / private operators: NetJets Aviation.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
✓
←
DL5253
DL Delta
10:29 AM
CDT
11:50 AM
CDT
1h 21m
—
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.

Last scheduled nonstop: Jul 2026.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
MDW Chicago 3h 15m EJAWN → WN Chicago (MDW) to St Louis flights
MSP Minneapolis 3h 34m AFAMDL → AFAMDL Minneapolis (MSP) to St Louis flights
BNA Nashville 3h 40m G4 → WN Nashville (BNA) to St Louis flights
ORD Chicago 3h 55m AAACAS → AAACAS Chicago (ORD) to St Louis flights
DTW Detroit 4h 12m AFDLKE → AFDLKE Detroit (DTW) to St Louis flights
ATL Atlanta 4h 37m AFAMDL → AMDLF9 Atlanta (ATL) to St Louis flights
DEN Denver 4h 42m ACF9UA → F9UAWN Denver (DEN) to St Louis flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 4h 43m AAASAY → AAASAY Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to St Louis flights
CLT Charlotte 5h 2m AA → AAWN Charlotte (CLT) to St Louis flights
IAH Houston 5h 31m CMNZUA → CMNZUA Houston (IAH) to St Louis flights
✦ 1-STOP More options, longer trips
✧ 2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Des Moines to St Louis
Connecting service available through multiple hubs.
1 Airlines 259 mi 0h 44m nonstop

DSM–STL is served by 1 airline with nonstop service. Southwest Airlines leads the route. The flight covers 259 miles in approximately 0h 44m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Also explore Browse available seat maps DSM Routes STL Routes DSM Live Flights STL Live Flights DSM Delays STL Delays
All flights from St Louis (STL) St Louis to Des Moines flights
Carriers on this route

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop DSM–STL service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
WN Southwest Airlines 0 – – 100% – –
Alliance coverage
Unaffiliated: WN (0 flights/wk, 0%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.
Connections

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for DSM to STL.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
24
Hubs
~3h
Fastest
~23h
Longest
MDW ~3h 15m MSP ~3h 34m BNA ~3h 40m ORD ~3h 55m DTW ~4h 12m
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
1,178
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.
Reliability

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
DSM → STL
100%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
100%
Arriving
50%
Return
STL → DSM
100%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
100%
Arriving
100%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. DSM delays → STL delays →
Alternatives

Other ways to reach St Louis from Des Moines

Nearby airports with service to St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
Metric DSM→STL CID→STL OMA→STL
Distance from DSM – 103 mi 117 mi
Nonstop airlines 1 1 4
Weekly flights – – 30
Flight time 0h 44m 1h 15m 1h 10m
Departure OTP 100% – –
Cedar Rapids (CID) to St Louis flights · Omaha (OMA) to St Louis flights · Moline (MLI) to St Louis flights
Airports within 200 miles of DSM with service to St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
Know before you go

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
0h
St Louis is 0 hours the same as Des Moines.
DSM: CDT · STL: CDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Des Moines, it's 6:00 PM in St Louis.
Distance & Flight Time
259 mi / 417 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 0h 44m gate to gate.
Facts

DSM–STL Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Des Moines to St Louis route.
Route details
Distance259 mi / 417 km
Flight time0h 44m
Time difference0 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: DSM
Full nameDes Moines International Airport
IATA / ICAODSM / KDSM
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr3.1M
Elevation958 ft / 292 m
Destination: STL
Full nameSt. Louis Lambert International Airport
IATA / ICAOSTL / KSTL
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr15.6M
Elevation618 ft / 188 m
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about DSM to STL flights.
Nonstop flights from Des Moines International Airport to St. Louis Lambert International Airport take about 0h 44m gate to gate. The route covers 259 miles.
1 airline operates flights from DSM to STL: Southwest Airlines.
This route has limited weekly 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, Minneapolis–Saint Paul and Nashville.
On a single ticket, yes. Your bags are checked through to STL and move between planes without you. On two separate tickets you collect your bags at the connecting airport and recheck them, so build in extra layover time.
Yes, return flights from STL to DSM are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include CID, OMA and MLI. 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 DSM to STL

Des Moines International Airport (DSM) and St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) are connected by nonstop service from Southwest Airlines.

DSM to STL Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from DSM to STL is about 0 hours 44 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 259 miles (417 km).

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Chicago Midway, Minneapolis–Saint Paul and Nashville. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Cedar Rapids (CID), Omaha (OMA) and Moline (MLI).