Flights Des Moines → Houston
DSM → IAH
How long is the flight from Des Moines to Houston?
The flight from Des Moines (DSM) to Houston (IAH) takes 1h 53m on average. That is the median time recorded across 2 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
The flight route from Des Moines to Houston operates with a high level of punctuality, achieving an on-time performance rate of 89%. Over the course of the year, it has recorded 178 flights, each averaging a delay of just 9.2 minutes, making it a reliable option for travelers. The destination airport serves over 40 million passengers annually, indicating its significance as a major travel hub.
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) → Houston (IAH) route is operated by United Airlines. Across 449 flights monitored in recent months, 87% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 10 minutes. The cancellation rate is 3.34%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 24.3/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Houston the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Des Moines the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Houston: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Des Moines (DSM) to Houston (IAH) heads south for about 1,293 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 53m.
Departures from Des Moines on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 47% of DSM-IAH flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Des Moines the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Houston it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 449 tracked DSM-IAH flights, 87% left on time with an average delay of 10 min and a 3.3% 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) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
Airlines operating DSM-IAH
Airports
Frequently asked questions about DSM-IAH
The flight from Des Moines (DSM) to Houston (IAH) takes 1h 53m on average. That is the median time recorded across 2 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Des Moines (DSM) -> Houston (IAH) route, on-time performance is 87% with an average delay of 10 minutes, based on 449 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Des Moines-Houston is 3.34% across 449 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 1 airline: United Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Houston, 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.
