Flights Houston → Des Moines
IAH → DSM
How long is the flight from Houston to Des Moines?
The flight from Houston (IAH) to Des Moines (DSM) takes 1h 50m 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 Houston to Des Moines has an on-time performance rate of 84%, with flights typically experiencing a mean delay of 6.6 minutes. Over the course of a year, this route sees approximately 178 flights, serving the sizable Des Moines airport which handles nearly 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 Houston (IAH) → Des Moines (DSM) route is operated by United Airlines. Across 451 flights monitored in recent months, 82% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 11 minutes. The cancellation rate is 2.22%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 19/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Des Moines the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Houston the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Des Moines: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Houston (IAH) to Des Moines (DSM) heads north for about 1,293 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 50m.
Departures from Houston on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 50% of IAH-DSM flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Houston the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Des Moines it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 451 tracked IAH-DSM flights, 82% left on time with an average delay of 11 min and a 2.2% 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 IAH-DSM
Airports
Frequently asked questions about IAH-DSM
The flight from Houston (IAH) to Des Moines (DSM) takes 1h 50m 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 Houston (IAH) -> Des Moines (DSM) route, on-time performance is 82% with an average delay of 11 minutes, based on 451 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Houston-Des Moines is 2.22% across 451 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 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.
