Flights Detroit → Des Moines
DTW → DSM
Route overview
The flight route from Detroit to Des Moines operates with an average of 243 flights per year, featuring an on-time performance rate of 80%. These flights typically experience a mean delay of 13 minutes, serving the busy Des Moines airport which handles over 2.8 million passengers annually.
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 Detroit (DTW) → Des Moines (DSM) route is operated by Delta Air Lines. Across 304 flights monitored in recent months, 79% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 15 minutes. The cancellation rate is 1.64%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 26.2/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Des Moines the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Detroit the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.
Heading to Des Moines: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Detroit (DTW) to Des Moines (DSM) heads west for about 856 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 29m.
Departures from Detroit on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 34% of DTW-DSM flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Detroit the average ATFM delay is 2.0 min (atfm); arriving into Des Moines it is 2.0 min (atfm).
Across 304 tracked DTW-DSM flights, 79% left on time with an average delay of 15 min and a 1.6% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines (DL) | 80% | 8 min | 1.8% |
Airlines operating DTW-DSM
Airports
Frequently asked questions about DTW-DSM
On the Detroit (DTW) -> Des Moines (DSM) route, on-time performance is 79% with an average delay of 15 minutes, based on 304 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Detroit-Des Moines is 1.64% across 304 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 1 airline: Delta Air Lines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Des Moines, 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.
