$127 Find Cheap Flights from Des Moines to District of Columbia - Compare and Save

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KAYAK's insights & trends for Des Moines to District of Columbia flights

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

What is the cheapest Des Moines to District of Columbia flight route?

The cheapest ticket to District of Columbia from Des Moines found in the last 5 days was to Washington, D.C., at $268 round-trip. The most popular route is from Des Moines (DSM) to Washington, D.C. Reagan-National Airport (DCA), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $268.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to District of Columbia?

The cheapest time of day to fly to District of Columbia is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $456 on average. Morning departures are around 1% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to District of Columbia is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $464.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Des Moines to District of Columbia?

No, with an average price for the route of $421, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Des Moines to District of Columbia?

The cheapest month for flights from Des Moines to District of Columbia is February, when tickets cost $399 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are November and September, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $548 and $483 respectively.

Good to know

Low season

January

Cheapest flight

$127
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 5% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 18% lower on average.
Flight from Des Moines to Washington Dulles Airport

FAQs - booking District of Columbia flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Des Moines to District of Columbia?

    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 District of Columbia.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Des Moines to District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia?

    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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia?

    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 District of Columbia up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to District of Columbia

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from Des Moines to the following destinations at these prices or less: Washington, D.C. $508 one-way - $493 round-trip

Reviews of the top 4 airlines serving from Des Moines to District of Columbia

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Des Moines to District of Columbia? 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 4214 reviews
8.0Comfort
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
7.5Entertainment
8.6Crew
Airline reviews

They delayed my flight all day but didn't try to reschedule me until all other options were gone. Ended up on a red eye. Not happy. Lesson learned, don't book the last flight from SJC to RDU.

2.0 MediocreAnonymous, Nov 2026
Read more Southwest reviews

They delayed my flight all day but didn't try to reschedule me until all other options were gone. Ended up on a red eye. Not happy. Lesson learned, don't book the last flight from SJC to RDU.

Every single flight I take with southwest is delayed by at least one hour. Unbelievable

When I made my reservation it would have been nice if kayak would have included my luggage. Unaware that I had to pay $45 each way. Should have asked at reservation time if luggage was being checked

Crew was a little surly. But plane left on time and arrived early. All one can ask for. New 737 Max was nice.

Flight was delayed about 50 minutes and completely full. they did the usual demand for people to check carry-ons. they called all groups to board very fast only to stand in the gangway after having boarding passes scanned. Why don't airlines board from the back to front - since they now have assigned seats? our stewardess got drink orders confused, so she just called out "cranberry". etc.,.. I wish they wouldn't serve pretzels snacks with a powdered coating, as it sticks to your hands and they don't have wet wipes. don't want to lick my fingers after hanging out in the terminal for over an hour.

I got a bit sick on the flight, and was so grateful when the male flight attendant explained to me they keep the back row open for cases like mine. He took such great care of me! I was incredibly grateful.

Exceptional. The gate crew responded quickly and got me onto this earlier flight as the final passenger, saving me more than four hours of wait time for my reserved flight.

The flight was delayed about 20 minutes, but this was an evening flight, so it comes as no surprise. This flight came a good 1.5 days ahead of hurricane Helene which was still far out in the gulf. However, the flight never removed the seated buckle light. The staff announced from the beginning that due to the bad weather (I suppose the hurricane a day and a half away) they would have to do an abbreviated service with water and a snack. I am fine with their water and snack offering, but this was one of the smoothest flights I've had in years. If Southwest believes a flight like this requires everyone to remain seated, then all of their flights should remain buckled for the entire flight. I cannot help but wonder if things like this are a sneaky way to cut back on expenses since the airline is currently under a lot of pressure to reduce costs.

Although the flight was delayed, but the crew was amazing. They did the best they could to make the time enjoyable.

My experience was find with Southwest. The only issue I have is...at the exact time for me to check in...I don't understand how I always end up in C.

Love Delta. I'll take connections to stay on Delta even if another airline has a direct flight.

There was overbooking that delayed boarding. Then an airport emergency lockdown that caused further delays in boarding. However the time was made up during flight and there was a minimal delay in landing. Everything else was excellent.

Sat in the plane at the gate in SLC for 2+ hours before take off, getting me home nearly 3 hours later than planned.

Really hard to tell what was happening after my flight got delayed five times

I’m on this flight every other week. Same flight, same day of the week, same time of day… Multiple times there are issues getting flight plan registered and FAA approved r to take off. PAPERWORK This is exhausting and it sucks.

Chaotic boarding at these gates, multiple gates squeezed in at the very end of a concourse, behind a restaurant. Agents gave up on boarding by individual zones. Flight itself was uneventful, which is all we hope for any more.

Flight delayed due to ground hold. Republic airways did a great job.

The flight was smooth, the crew was great but the plane was quite old

Flight was warm for first few hours and quite rough

Flight was delayed several times. At one point, they "pulled back" 15 minutes from the delayed boarding and sent a text saying we would board sooner than previously advised. The flight then was delayed again. And when we boarded, there was an unspecified technical issue which had us waiting in the plane for about an hour.

Seats are made for children. An 8 hour flight with tiny seats is more like a cattle car. Lost bags at Rome airport caused a 7 hour delay.

Set on the plane for two hours before pushing off the gate due to the power source issue being fixed which was known before letting people board the plane. On top of that it was very hot as AC was not working properly. Terrible experience and limited communication provided by the crew on the status of the issue. They should let people deplane while issue is addressed instead of frying them and glued to the seats.

Worst boarding experience, flight extremely delayed causing super tight connect and deplaning was a disaster as ppl were pushing and shoving to get off. Then after flying over 8 hours had to get off a job to next flight. Limited beverage service in Business class (water or white wine) no food. The plane was very cold (temperature) so uncomfortable

- delayed because video screens not working - delayed getting a gate at DCA Just continued bad experience IAH to DCA.

Entertainment was great. Seats were good. They did not have my pre-ordered hot food product available but did comp me something cold in place of the item.

No water or beverage was provided. I had to ask for water. The sole flight attendant had more interest in selling the credit card. In addition when we got to Dulles the plane and gate were misaligned and it took at least 15 minutes to get off the plane.

Flight was delayed almost an hour because the cleaning crew broke one of the bathroom doors.

When we boarded we were treated with care and it never stopped. Got towels before breakfast and after snacks was a lovely touch!

Very rough getting into denver. my kid threw up it was so rough.

Liked that we left on time for each flight. Snacks not the best, but we're okay.

The old CRJ700's are rough, slightly larger regional jet would have been nice.

It took 1.5 hours for maintenance to sign off on a repair that was completed the night before. When we landed in DC we had to wait 20 mins for a gate. As a result I missed my connection. American seems to be reducing the number of ground ground crew and causing delays. This us not the first time.

The delays were not communicated well at all. I was in the airport for over 9 hours with little knowledge of if I was actually going to reach my destination.

Seats are very comfortable but WAY too small...i'm only 5'11" and 170 lbs but i barely fit in the chair! Food is just abysmal. I don't even bother eating. Staff were very professional, boarding was smooth, and plenty of room in overheads.

As per usual for my flights with American Airlines, One flight was very delayed and caused me to miss my connection and they moved my flight to another day. I called customer support and was moved back to my original day but different flights. My layover flight was delayed by an additional 30 minutes while the flight crew confirmed that the plane was airworthy. Ultimately, it is less hassle to drive 10 hours than to fly 6 hours with American Airlines. I recommend my friends and family to hitch hike over taking this terrible transit.

My flight was delayed close to 10 times over the course of the evening. I was originally scheduled to depart at 7:03 PM but did not leave until 12:33 AM, resulting in over 9 hours spent waiting at the airport. The only explanation provided was that the aircraft kept being swapped, with no clear reasoning as to why. Weather conditions at both DCA and Tampa were clear, so that was not a factor. The only accommodation offered was a $12 food voucher, which was entirely insufficient given the length of the delay. Overall, I was completely unsatisfied with this experience. A delay of this magnitude with no meaningful communication or accommodations is unacceptable, and I would have expected much more from American Airlines in terms of customer care.

In flight connectivity (via T-Mobile) was often not working.

Terrible. Internet/kiosk glitch prevented baggage checkin. Line at ticket co in Ter was under serviced and did not move. Agents did not call for flight but rather allowed time to pass. Then told each person as they reached the front if line that it was too late to check bags so they’d have to rebook flights. At least 15 people missed the flight as a result of this incompetence.

It was exactly what I expected, actually arriving sooner than scheduled.

Terrible, they canceled my flight due to an issue they had, couldn't fly me into the same place within 24 hrs so had to fly in 2.5 hrs away from my destination and spend even more money. The customer service was terrible (except at the airport in Charleston). Had to call to get my checked baggage fees reimbursed 2 wks later in which one customer service agent was very rude, wouldn't listen and then hung up on me. The second lady I spoke with was actually able to help me with that part thankfully. Would not recommend flying AA.

More options for your flight from Des Moines to District of Columbia

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