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

STL Airport Page →
259 mi airlines charter/private 1/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 1 flight Verified 1m 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.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
MDW Chicago 3h 20m WN → WN Chicago (MDW) to Des Moines flights
ORD Chicago 3h 51m AAACAS → AAACAS Chicago (ORD) to Des Moines flights
MSP Minneapolis 3h 53m AFAMDL → AFDLKE Minneapolis (MSP) to Des Moines flights
DTW Detroit 4h 23m AFDLKE → AMDLKE Detroit (DTW) to Des Moines flights
ATL Atlanta 4h 32m AFAMDL → AMDLKE Atlanta (ATL) to Des Moines flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 4h 40m AAASAY → AAASAY Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Des Moines flights
DEN Denver 4h 49m ACF9UA → F9UAWN Denver (DEN) to Des Moines flights
CLT Charlotte 5h 9m AABAWN → AA Charlotte (CLT) to Des Moines flights
DCA Washington 5h 38m AAWN → AA Washington (DCA) to Des Moines flights
IAH Houston 5h 43m CMNHNZ → CMEKUA Houston (IAH) to Des Moines flights
✦ 1-STOP More options, longer trips
✧ 2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
St Louis to Des Moines
2 carriers, 1 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 259 mi 1h 21m nonstop

STL–DSM is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines lead the route. The flight covers 259 miles in approximately 1h 21m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

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

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop STL–DSM service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
DL Delta Air Lines 1 – 1h21 100% SkyTeam –
WN Southwest Airlines 0 – – 100% – –
Alliance coverage
SkyTeam: DL (1 flights/wk, 100%)
Unaffiliated: WN (0 flights/wk, 0%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.
Schedule

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, STL to DSM direction.
Mon
0
flights
Tue
0
flights
Wed
1
flight
Thu
0
flights
Fri
0
flights
Sat
0
flights
Sun
0
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
1
Nonstop flights
1
Outbound / wk
0
Return / wk
Connections

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for STL to DSM.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
24
Hubs
~3h
Fastest
~15h
Longest
MDW ~3h 20m ORD ~3h 51m MSP ~3h 53m DTW ~4h 23m ATL ~4h 32m
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
1,146
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
STL → DSM
100%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
100%
Arriving
0%
Return
DSM → STL
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. STL delays → DSM delays →
Alternatives

Other ways to reach Des Moines from St Louis

Nearby airports with service to Des Moines International Airport.
Metric STL→DSM PIA→DSM
Distance from STL – 137 mi
Nonstop airlines 2 1
Weekly flights 1 1
Flight time 1h 21m 1h 44m
Departure OTP 100% –
Peoria (PIA) to Des Moines flights
Airports within 200 miles of STL with service to Des Moines International Airport.
Know before you go

Travel Essentials

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

When it's 6:00 PM in St Louis, it's 6:00 PM in Des Moines.
Distance & Flight Time
259 mi / 417 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 1h 21m gate to gate.
Facts

STL–DSM Quick Facts

Key statistics for the St Louis to Des Moines route.
Route details
Distance259 mi / 417 km
Flight time1h 21m
Time difference0 hours
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights1 out
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: STL
Full nameSt. Louis Lambert International Airport
IATA / ICAOSTL / KSTL
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr15.6M
Elevation618 ft / 188 m
Destination: DSM
Full nameDes Moines International Airport
IATA / ICAODSM / KDSM
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr3.1M
Elevation958 ft / 292 m
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about STL to DSM flights.
Nonstop flights from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to Des Moines International Airport take about 1h 21m gate to gate. The route covers 259 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from STL to DSM: Delta Air Lines and 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, Chicago O'Hare and Minneapolis–Saint Paul.
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.
Yes, return flights from DSM to STL are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include PIA. 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 STL to DSM

St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) and Des Moines International Airport (DSM) are connected by nonstop service from Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines. With 1 weekly departures, this is a regularly served route.

STL to DSM Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from STL to DSM is about 1 hours 21 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, Chicago O'Hare and Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Peoria (PIA).