Flights Des Moines → Chicago
DSM → ORD
Route overview
The flight route from Des Moines to Chicago operates with a variety of aircraft including the Embraer 175, Embraer RJ140, Embraer RJ145, Airbus A319, Boeing 737-800, and Boeing 737-700. With 924 total flights recorded, this route has a punctuality rate of 79%, with an average delay time of 23.7 minutes per delayed flight.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Des Moines (DSM) → Chicago (ORD) route is operated by American Airlines, United Airlines. Across 1091 flights monitored in recent months, 78% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 24 minutes. The cancellation rate is 5.68%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 22.3/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Chicago the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Des Moines the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.
Heading to Chicago: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Des Moines (DSM) to Chicago (ORD) heads east for about 480 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 1m.
Departures from Des Moines on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 43% of DSM-ORD flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Des Moines the average ATFM delay is 2.0 min (atfm); arriving into Chicago it is 2.0 min (atfm).
Across 1,091 tracked DSM-ORD flights, 78% left on time with an average delay of 24 min and a 5.7% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines (UA) | 74% | 10 min | 6.9% |
| American Airlines (AA) | 74% | 16 min | 3.0% |
Airlines operating DSM-ORD
Airports
Frequently asked questions about DSM-ORD
On the Des Moines (DSM) -> Chicago (ORD) route, on-time performance is 78% with an average delay of 24 minutes, based on 1091 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Des Moines-Chicago is 5.68% across 1091 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 2 airlines: American Airlines, United Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Chicago, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
