Los Angeles to Des Moines (LAX–DSM) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

LAX Airport Page →
1,444 mi airlines charter/private 14/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 4 flights Verified 21m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
AA4891
AA American
E75L
12:42 PM
PDT T4
5:45 PM
CDT
3h 3m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA6230
Starts Oct 5
AA American
E75
1:19 PM
PDT
6:55 PM
CDT
3h 36m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA6409
AA American
E75
6:07 PM
CDT
8:03 PM
PDT
3h 56m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA6230
Starts Oct 5
AA American
E75
7:30 PM
CDT
9:42 PM
PDT
4h 12m
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
LAS Las Vegas 4h 56m AAACAF G4WN Las Vegas (LAS) to Des Moines flights
DEN Denver 4h 57m AAACAF F9UAWN Denver (DEN) to Des Moines flights
PHX Phoenix 5h 10m AAACAF AAWN Phoenix (PHX) to Des Moines flights
MSP Minneapolis 5h 37m AFAMDL AFDLKE Minneapolis (MSP) to Des Moines flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 5h 57m 5YAAAF AAASAY Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Des Moines flights
MDW Chicago 6h 6m EJMWN WN Chicago (MDW) to Des Moines flights
AUS Austin 6h 13m AAAMAS G4 Austin (AUS) to Des Moines flights
IAH Houston 6h 35m AAAFBR CMEKUA Houston (IAH) to Des Moines flights
ORD Chicago 6h 39m 5YAAAC AAACAS Chicago (ORD) to Des Moines flights
DTW Detroit 7h 2m AFAMDL AMDLKE Detroit (DTW) to Des Moines flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Los Angeles to Des Moines
3 carriers, 14 flights/week nonstop.
3 Airlines 1,444 mi 3h 20m nonstop +2h ahead

LAX–DSM is served by 3 airlines with nonstop service. American Airlines and United Airlines lead the route. The flight covers 1,444 miles in approximately 3h 20m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop LAX–DSM service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
AA American Airlines 14 E75, E75L 3h03-3h36 72% Oneworld
TWY TWY 0 72%
UA United Airlines 0 72% Star Alliance
Aircraft on this route
E75 Embraer E175 – AA
E75L Embraer E175 Long Wing – AA
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AA (14 flights/wk, 100%)
Unaffiliated: TWY (0 flights/wk, 0%)
Star Alliance: UA (0 flights/wk, 0%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, LAX to DSM direction.
Mon
2
flights
Tue
2
flights
Wed
2
flights
Thu
2
flights
Fri
2
flights
Sat
2
flights
Sun
2
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
2
Nonstop flights
14
Outbound / wk
14
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for LAX to DSM.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
19
Hubs
~4h
Fastest
~22h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
1,698
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
LAX → DSM
72%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
72%
Arriving
93%
Return
DSM → LAX
64%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
64%
Arriving
89%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. LAX delays → DSM delays →

Other ways to reach Des Moines from Los Angeles

Nearby airports with service to Des Moines International Airport.
Metric LAX→DSM BUR→DSM SNA→DSM
Distance from LAX 18 mi 36 mi
Nonstop airlines 3 1 3
Weekly flights 14 2
Flight time 3h 20m 3h 26m 3h 17m
Departure OTP 72%
Airports within 200 miles of LAX with service to Des Moines International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
+2h
Des Moines is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles.
LAX: PDT · DSM: CDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Los Angeles, it's 8:00 PM in Des Moines.
Distance & Flight Time
1,444 mi / 2,324 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 3h 20m gate to gate.
Getting to LAX

FlyAway bus runs from Van Nuys and Union Station ($9.75, 30–50 min depending on traffic). LA Metro C Line connects to Aviation/LAX station; a free shuttle covers the last mile to terminals. Ride-shares cost $20–50 from downtown. Long-term parking lots A/B are walkable; remote Lot E requires a shuttle.

LAX–DSM Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Los Angeles to Des Moines route.
Route details
Distance1,444 mi / 2,324 km
Flight time3h 20m
Time difference+2 hours
Airlines (nonstop)3
Weekly flights14 out / 14 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: LAX
IATA / ICAOLAX / KLAX
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr76.6M
Elevation125 ft / 38 m
Destination: DSM
IATA / ICAODSM / KDSM
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr3.1M
Elevation958 ft / 292 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about LAX to DSM flights.
Nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Des Moines International Airport take about 3h 20m gate to gate. The route covers 1,444 miles.
3 airlines operate flights from LAX to DSM: American Airlines, United Airlines, and others.
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 Harry Reid, Denver and Phoenix Sky Harbor.
On a single ticket, yes. Your bags are checked through to DSM 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.
Des Moines is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles.
Yes, return flights from DSM to LAX are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include BUR, SNA and SAN. 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 LAX to DSM

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Des Moines International Airport (DSM) are connected by nonstop service from American Airlines and United Airlines. With 14 weekly departures, this is a well served route.

LAX to DSM Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from LAX to DSM is about 3 hours 20 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 1,444 miles (2,324 km). There are approximately 14 weekly flights outbound and 14 return, totaling 28 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Harry Reid, Denver and Phoenix Sky Harbor. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Burbank (BUR), Santa Ana (SNA) and San Diego (SAN).