Flights Washington → Des Moines
DCA → DSM
How long is the flight from Washington to Des Moines?
The flight from Washington (DCA) to Des Moines (DSM) takes 2h 9m on average. That is the median time recorded across 1 scheduled flight on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
This flight route operates from Washington to Des Moines, utilizing Embraer 170 aircraft. With a total of 178 flights recorded and an on-time performance rate of 73%, the average delay is approximately 15.8 minutes. The origin airport in Washington has been operational since 1938, while the destination city's airport sees around 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 Washington (DCA) → Des Moines (DSM) route is operated by American Airlines. Across 435 flights monitored in recent months, 74% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 19 minutes. The cancellation rate is 7.82%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 25.8/100 (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 Washington the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Des Moines: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Washington (DCA) to Des Moines (DSM) heads west for about 1,440 km, a flight time of roughly 2h 9m.
Departures from Washington on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 46% of DCA-DSM flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Washington the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Des Moines it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 435 tracked DCA-DSM flights, 74% left on time with an average delay of 19 min and a 7.8% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines (AA) | 79% | 6 min | 1.1% |
Airlines operating DCA-DSM
Airports
Frequently asked questions about DCA-DSM
The flight from Washington (DCA) to Des Moines (DSM) takes 2h 9m on average. That is the median time recorded across 1 scheduled flight on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Washington (DCA) -> Des Moines (DSM) route, on-time performance is 74% with an average delay of 19 minutes, based on 435 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Washington-Des Moines is 7.82% across 435 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 1 airline: American 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.
