$59 Find Cheap Flights from Des Moines to California

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Des Moines to California departing on 5/1. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Des Moines to California.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Des Moines to California.
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Des Moines to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$148
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$174
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$134
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$355
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$331
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$356
Bakersfield
Bakersfield2 stops$465
Reno
Reno1 stop$241
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$363
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$148
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$174
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$134
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$355
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$331
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$356
Bakersfield
Bakersfield2 stops$465
Reno
Reno1 stop$241
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$363

Book Cheap Des Moines to California Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Des Moines to California that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Des Moines to California

Fri, Feb 27 - Fri, Mar 6
Frontier Logo
7:59 pm - 12:08 am
DSM
-
SAN
6h 09m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
9:00 am - 7:16 pm
SAN
-
DSM
8h 16m
1 stop
$134Frontier
Mon, Apr 13 - Fri, Apr 17
Allegiant Air Logo
6:50 am - 8:41 am
DSM
-
SNA
3h 51mnonstop
Allegiant Air Logo
12:41 pm - 5:58 pm
SNA
-
DSM
3h 17mnonstop
$141Allegiant Air
Sat, Feb 21 - Wed, Feb 25
American Airlines Logo
5:00 am - 4:02 pm
DSM
-
PSP
13h 02m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 2:56 pm
PSP
-
DSM
6h 56m
1 stop
$331American Airlines
Sat, Feb 21 - Wed, Feb 25
American Airlines Logo
5:00 am - 4:02 pm
DSM
-
PSP
13h 02m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
12:07 pm - 11:40 pm
PSP
-
DSM
9h 33m
2 stops
$336American Airlines
Wed, Feb 18 - Sat, Feb 21
United Airlines Logo
9:04 am - 8:06 pm
DSM
-
MRY
13h 02m
2 stops
United Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 8:07 pm
MRY
-
DSM
11h 07m
2 stops
$344United Airlines
Tue, Apr 21 - Wed, Apr 29
United Airlines Logo
1:32 pm - 5:20 pm
DSM
-
PSP
5h 48m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
1:32 pm - 8:34 pm
PSP
-
DSM
5h 02m
1 stop
$351United Airlines
Thu, Feb 19 - Wed, Feb 25
Delta Logo
5:27 am - 12:39 pm
DSM
-
SJC
9h 12m
1 stop
Delta Logo
6:20 am - 3:40 pm
SJC
-
DSM
7h 20m
1 stop
$355Delta
Tue, Apr 21 - Wed, Apr 29
Southwest Logo
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
DSM
-
PSP
5h 00m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
10:25 am - 9:15 pm
PSP
-
DSM
8h 50m
2 stops
$356Southwest
Thu, Feb 19 - Wed, Feb 25
Southwest Logo
4:40 pm - 10:30 pm
DSM
-
SJC
7h 50m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
12:10 pm - 7:20 pm
SJC
-
DSM
5h 10m
1 stop
$360Southwest
Sun, Mar 22 - Sat, Mar 28
Delta Logo
4:25 pm - 8:33 pm
DSM
-
SMF
6h 08m
1 stop
Delta Logo
11:07 pm - 9:46 am
SMF
-
DSM
8h 39m
1 stop
$406Delta
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Des Moines to California flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Des Moines to California to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest Des Moines to California flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest ticket to California from Des Moines found in the last 72 hours was to San Diego, at $102 round-trip. The most popular route is from Des Moines (DSM) to Los Angeles (LAX), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $285.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Des Moines to California?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

No, with an average price for the route of $364, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Des Moines to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Des Moines to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Des Moines to California is January, when tickets cost $314 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $406 and $403 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Des Moines to California?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Des Moines to California clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to California on a Wednesday and more expensive on a Tuesday. On your return trip to Des Moines, you should consider flying back on a Monday, and avoid Sundays for better deals.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Des Moines to California?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Des Moines to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from Des Moines to California, you should book around 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 19% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 10 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonDecember
Cheapest flight$59
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 1% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 1% lower on average.
Flight from Des Moines to Las Vegas

FAQs - booking California flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Des Moines to California?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Des Moines to California.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Des Moines to California?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Des Moines to California is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Des Moines to California?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly from Des Moines to California with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Des Moines to California?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from Des Moines to California up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to California?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the morning, when round-trip flights cost $202 on average. Morning departures are around 53% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $430.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to California

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from Des Moines to the following destinations at these prices or less: Las Vegas $107 one-way - $252 round-trip; Los Angeles $210 one-way - $393 round-trip

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Des Moines to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Des Moines to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Des Moines to California? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.0
SouthwestOverall score based on 4267 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
8.6Crew
8.0Comfort
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

3 hour delay. Had to change plans and was still delayed.

2.0 MediocreAnonymous, Jan 2026
SFO - SAN
Read more Southwest reviews

3 hour delay. Had to change plans and was still delayed.

The flight crew was extremely rude and especially not helpful when our flight was delayed.

The boarding and seat assignment system no longer works for me, but I know it is being replaced. Otherwise, I am good with the overall experience.

The lead steward kept singing about "San Francisco" and hotel California---more annoying than humorous....needs work. Flight was smooth and on time.

Still a fan of open seating. Flight was on schedule and arrived on time. The 737 MAX is very comfortable.

San Diego airport is brand new, spacious, airy and very smooth checkin at SW baggage drop.

Ever since Southwest starting charging for bags, passengers don't want to pay to check their bags, so the gate agents have to beg people to check their roller bags now because there's "not enough space". This was a terrible business move by Southwest.

Delays delays delays. Late taking off, late landing, wait for a gate, etc.

Connecting flight is on time and boarding was a breeze!

Very smooth checking in our luggage with a super pleasant SW agent. I enjoyed a fun entertaining movie.

I usually get upgraded so my experience is usually amazing. I did not get upgraded this time - which was fine - but the wifi had issues, the monitors were going in & out, & (though not Delta's fault) one of the gentlemen next to me desperately needed a shower.

I really liked the legroom. I am 6’4”.a at For some reason our seats were not together and using the app to fix it didn’t work. Passengers were nice enough to move for us but you should absolutely ensure a parent sits with their child.

Staff were friendly and happy. Delta could make sure passengers that don't have the app know of changes. Without Kayak I would not have known about the change of gate or the delay. Kayak was faster to notify me.

They changed planes and the new plane couldn’t carry enough fuel to fly across the country so we had to stop in Kansas City to refuel. Flight was delayed .

Flight was too crowded and seats are too small, especially since passengrs are getting larger. Having a middle seat is ALWAYS tough! Woman on my left was large & kept creeping in to my space. Flight personnel were great! Have more savory rather than sweet snacks please.

The crew took good care of us. The flight from ATL to SFO is a longer one, and there were multiple beverage offerings. I like the 757's that Delta uses. Good airplane that is comfortable. I do wish Delta would separate Priority boarding from the better seats. I would gladly take a smaller seat in an open row than be jammed into Comfort just to get priority boarding, just to make sure I don't have to check a bag.

Gate agent rushed to fill hot jetway with crowd so it took over 12 minutes to go from gate to plane. Just like a discount airline Pooly prepared cabin and third time that claim of rough air prevented any cabin service. Friends on a Southwest flight at similar time had service.

I was uncomfortably cold on the plane. Other than that it was uneventful and therefore as enjoyable as a plane ride can be.

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

My flight was extremely cold. I had a jacket and a cover was left in each seat. The cover was extremely thin and I have a disability, fibromyalgia and arthrithis and AC air is the worst. I closed my vent and my husbands vent and it still was frigid. I asked the attendant if I could get another cover and she quickly almost dismissively and totally unconcerned stating, (I quote) (one per chair) and walked off so quickly that I didn't get a chance to explain to her that I literally have adisability. I didnt want to make a seen so I set on that flight for over 5 hours in pain, joints locking up and extremely uncomfortable. When my fibromyalgia flares up my joints not only ache but they will lock up also and it takes me days to get back to my regular self even though I take medication for it. I felt like it would not have hurt anyone at all for her to just give me an extra cover because I'm sure they have all types of medical issues in people that fly every day.

First class ticket gets you a choice of chips or nuts. . Just like economy Southwest. Also no screen in the seats. This is first class???!

Flight arrived 30 min early and bag was waiting at the baggage pickup. United Club HNL was one of the nicest in the system

Yet another flight in which beverage and snack service was skipped. Other that that, firmly mediocre. Landed early, to gate late due to congestion at the gates. Airline's fault or airports fault: unknown.

Teeny tiny bathrooms, crew was not realistic about when we'd arrive.

Unbelievably poor service from flight attendants. They didn’t even do water service on a four hour flight. Just disrespectful.

Flight was late - I was downgraded from first class to coach

United needs to step up their game. Delayed flight leaving Seattle, San Francisco. Older aircraft, not very comfortable.

Plane boarded early a quickly, was mostly full. We left close to on time. And landed early.

7 hours delayed due to operational issues on United’s end. Basically laziness.

Flight was timely, relatively comfortable, with decent entertainment and food served. Only problem encountered was with the free messaging which I highly appreciate, but it did not work from iphone to non-iphones.

Amazing I love American. I’ll never fly anyone else if I can help it.

Everything about the flight was lovely. My only suggestion would be to offer a few more options of tv series from Apple TV or HBO.

After the door had been closed, the cockpit makes an announcement that catering is running late and it is not the airline's fault. It is their fault in the sense that we had to sit for 2 hours or more when we could have stayed in the terminal. Poor communications between catering and airline. This caused a young man to lose his temper and he went storming out hitting objects. He had complained to the gate agent that he had already waited at the gate 7 hours and when can the airplane leave? Airilnes do a poor job of explaining delays, maintenance issues, etc. whereas being truthful may gain more sympathy or understanding.

We were told the flight was delayed 5 times, then it was moved to the next day.

The experience with American Airlines was good, although the Philippines Airlines flight was much better (better seats, better food, better entertainment options, overall better). Again, the MIA to LAX flight was fine, but nothing in comparison to the comfort and accommodations of the Philippines Airlines flight from LAX to MNL.

Loved the crew . Absolutely no complaints. Except for luggage lost

Wish some foods provided rather than just biscuit/cookie for flight more than 2 hours

We are too tired and frustrated to comment politely at this point

The flight crew was rude. We were in first class and no one even offered water until an hour after we were in the air. Horrible experience

Great. Quick and quiet and east. The breakfast choices were a welcome surprise!

My 90 year old father flew with me. He needed wheel chair assistance and is nearly deaf. The staff was amazing with him.

It was fine. Nobody was outstandingly friendly but no one was rude and everything was smooth . The captain thanked us for flying but no one greeted me as I walked on the plane or as I exited which is the least they could do lol

Clean, friendly, roomy. But check-in from the phone link was terrible. Repeated attempts wouldn’t save at the final step. Just kept spinning! It was very frustrating. Finally, I used the app (vs website link) to check-in which worked very smoothly on the first attempt.

Check in on the web portal was cumbersome! After several attempts I finally got the boarding pass.

Excellent flight and even arrived 23 min early. No entertainment , or wi fi on board, but I downloaded a couple of movies beforehand which kept me entertained. Really like flying Allegiant airlines.

WE were delayed about an hour and never any communications from the employees working the gate. We also were moved to a total of three gates.

I love how they show love to their customers and care about them too.

I liked how when I got on board how fast we ended up taking off but what I truly disliked was how uncomfortable the seats were. There was truly never a time that I could ever get comfortable during both of my flights. The seats could get away during shorter flights but flights 3 hour plus makes it hard to enjoy.

The crew was great and the flight was very smooth. Can’t really judge food since I did not get any because it costs money. The seat was comfortable for what we bought. Thanks!

Crew was great. No entertainment and food and beverage was for purchase only, even water

Everything you need to know for your flight from Des Moines to California

Information on your arrival and departure airports