$77 Find Cheap Flights from Des Moines to Houston

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 Houston departing on 1/28. 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

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Houston

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Des Moines to Houston, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Des Moines to Houston, as well as popular online travel agencies
Travelers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 24% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$171
Overall average: $324
Frontier
Mon 1/12Mon 1/19
DSM - IAH • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$209
Typical prices: $321-$517
United Airlines
Tue 1/6Sat 1/10
DSM - IAH • Non-stop
Our travelers' advice
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
United's Economy Plus offers extra legroom on this route.
Allegiant's Bonus bundle includes carry-on and seat choice.
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Top airlines
United Airlines
Cheapest • from $219 (round-trip)
Southwest
Best reviews • 7.9 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Top routes
DSM-HOU
Cheapest • 32% average savings
DSM-IAH
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to book
4 weeks
in advance
Our data shows that travelers who book at least 4 weeks in advance save around 36% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Start a new search
KAYAK searches 100s of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to Houston!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Expert advice
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Des Moines to Houston (DSM-HOU)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Des Moines to Houston 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 Houston

Mon, Jan 12 - Mon, Jan 19
Frontier Logo
8:17 pm - 10:55 pm
DSM
-
IAH
26h 38m1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:31 am - 7:23 pm
IAH
-
DSM
8h 52m1 stop
$171Frontier
Mon, Jan 12 - Mon, Jan 19
Frontier Logo
8:17 pm - 6:39 pm
DSM
-
IAH
22h 22m2 stops
Frontier Logo
6:35 am - 7:23 pm
IAH
-
DSM
12h 48m1 stop
$199Frontier
Sat, Jan 24 - Fri, Jan 30
United Airlines Logo
3:04 pm - 5:43 pm
DSM
-
IAH
2h 39mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
8:09 pm - 10:30 pm
IAH
-
DSM
2h 21mnonstop
$209United Airlines
Fri, Feb 20 - Mon, Feb 23
Frontier Logo
7:17 pm - 12:33 am
DSM
-
IAH
5h 16m1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:39 am - 6:32 pm
IAH
-
DSM
11h 53m1 stop
$218Frontier
Sat, Jan 24 - Mon, Jan 26
United Airlines Logo
8:10 am - 10:52 am
DSM
-
IAH
2h 42mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
8:23 am - 2:33 pm
IAH
-
DSM
6h 10m1 stop
$219United Airlines
Thu, Jan 29 - Thu, Feb 5
American Airlines Logo
11:35 am - 6:06 pm
DSM
-
HOU
6h 31m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
9:04 am - 3:15 pm
HOU
-
DSM
6h 11m1 stop
$228American Airlines
Thu, Jan 15 - Mon, Jan 19
American Airlines Logo
5:51 pm - 10:49 pm
DSM
-
IAH
4h 58m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
5:00 am - 10:50 am
IAH
-
DSM
5h 50m1 stop
$229American Airlines
Thu, Jan 29 - Thu, Feb 5
Delta Logo
5:16 pm - 10:33 pm
DSM
-
HOU
5h 17m1 stop
Delta Logo
5:45 am - 10:41 am
HOU
-
DSM
4h 56m1 stop
$229Delta
Sat, Jan 31 - Sat, Feb 7
Delta Logo
12:25 pm - 10:33 pm
DSM
-
HOU
10h 08m2 stops
Delta Logo
5:45 am - 12:15 pm
HOU
-
DSM
6h 30m1 stop
$234Delta
Thu, Jan 8 - Sun, Jan 11
Southwest Logo
3:20 pm - 10:40 pm
DSM
-
HOU
7h 20m2 stops
Southwest Logo
5:15 am - 10:50 am
HOU
-
DSM
5h 35m1 stop
$265Southwest
Booking Insights

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

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

How much is a round-trip flight from Des Moines to Houston?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Des Moines to Houston departing in January.

What is the cheapest Des Moines to Houston flight route?

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

The cheapest return flight from Des Moines to Houston costs $116 on the route between Des Moines (DSM) and Houston Hobby Airport (HOU). Over the past month, this route was, on average, 32% cheaper than other Des Moines-Houston routes. The most popular route is between Des Moines (DSM) and Houston George Bush Intcntl Airport (IAH).

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

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

If you are looking for a flight deal from Des Moines to Houston, look for departures on Thursdays and avoid leaving on a Wednesday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from Houston, Thursday is the cheapest day to fly and Monday is the most expensive.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Des Moines to Houston, 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 Houston is May, where tickets cost $228 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and February, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $402 and $353 respectively.

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

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 Houston, 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 Houston, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 36% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 23 weeks before departure.

Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from Des Moines to Houston

 
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Airlines
United Airlines

United's Economy Plus seats offer up to six inches more legroom than standard economy.


United's Priority Boarding places you in Zone 2, avoiding overhead bin space issues.

Allegiant Air

Allegiant's Bonus bundle includes a carry-on, seat selection, and ticket change flexibility.


Allegiant's Legroom+ offers extra space and faster deplaning, ideal for short flights.

Our travel experts
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on United Airlines

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek is a freelance space, travel, and design writer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her words have appeared in Space.com, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful, among other publications. An expert in aviation and expedition cruising, Stefanie is frequently up in the air or on the sea, likely en route to Antarctica or the Arctic.

Read more
Daniel Scheffler

Daniel Scheffler

Expert on Allegiant Air

Daniel Scheffler

Daniel Scheffler

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, podcaster, and producer. Born in Africa, bred in Europe and now living in America he has traveled to 140 countries (and all 50 U.S. states). Plus he has stayed at over 2500 hotels across the globe. His original shows Everywhere and Without Maps (available on Spotify) showcase his beliefs, travel is about humanity and sharing that beauty. And thus it reminds you that you shouldn’t believe everything you think.

Read more

Good to know

Cheapest flight$115
Flight from Des Moines to Houston Hobby Airport

When to book flights from Des Moines to Houston

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Des Moines to Houston based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking flights from Des Moines to Houston

  • What is the cheapest flight from Des Moines to Houston?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Des Moines to Houston was $77 for a one-way ticket and $171 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between Des Moines and Houston?

    Yes, you’ll need a passport to travel to Houston from Des Moines.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Des Moines to Houston?

    We unfortunately don’t have that data for this specific route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Des Moines to Houston?

    SkyTeam, oneworld, and Star Alliance are the airline alliances operating flights between Des Moines and Houston, with SkyTeam being the most commonly used for this route.

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

    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 Houston.

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

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

    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 to Houston with an airline and back to Des Moines with another airline.

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

    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 to Houston from Des Moines up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Prefer to fly direct from Des Moines to Houston?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from Des Moines to Houston.
Find which airlines fly direct from Des Moines Airport to Houston, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Des Moines to Houston

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Houston to Des Moines

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

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

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Des Moines to Houston. 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 Houston? 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.
7.9
SouthwestOverall score based on 4250 reviews
8.0Comfort
8.1Boarding
8.6Crew
7.5Entertainment
7.0Food
Airline reviews

They sent a notice that they were boarding an hour early. We had to leave the club and run to the gate. They said sorry, that came from corporate and was a mistake. They did not have enough seating because the flight before it had not taken off on time. They moved our gate and delayed it for an hour.

2.0 MediocreRobert, Dec 2025
LAS - TPA
Read more Southwest reviews

They sent a notice that they were boarding an hour early. We had to leave the club and run to the gate. They said sorry, that came from corporate and was a mistake. They did not have enough seating because the flight before it had not taken off on time. They moved our gate and delayed it for an hour.

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.

Airline travel is always too cramped to really be pleasant, but the cabin crew on this flight did a pretty good job of making up for it by putting on some music during boarding and sprinkling a few funny remarks into the safety briefing and announcements, and just generally being friendly and helpful. It definitely reminded me of why I prefer the in-flight experience on Southwest!

No delays and arrived to destination 30 min early. Staff was super friendly.

Everything a cheap airline should be at normal airline rates.

Full cans of soda would be nice. A choice between two snacks would be appreciated.

Tried watching free movie and it kept freezing so I couldn’t finish.

I was re-booked onto another flight because my original flight was delayed and I would have missed my connector. I ended up in the “C” group after paying extra to be in the “A “ group on the original flight. At least if you’re going to re-book people, re-book them into the same group.

I noticed that the planes seem to be outdated. There was no entertainment per se. Also, the waiting area did not have any working electrical outlets

Original flight was cancelled and when i was rebooked by the airline, they couldn't seat me in the same type of seat as I had originally booked (went from window/aisle to middle/middle and one was a bulkhead seat, and other wasn't in the same class)

Lady Pilot was perfect in every way wheels up to wheels down communication, professionalism, excellent on time departure and on time arrival, excellent communication! Fantastic job with Superb attitude!!

The food is terrible. The staff is wonderful. Comfort is good.

Left on time, a bit delayed due to headwinds most of the trip.

I fly Delta all the time, have Platinum Medallion status. But this route seems to have major problems with delays and seems to never leave on time! Have only taken it twice in the last two weeks, and each time it had delays of more than 1 hour... very disappointed!!!!

Good seats in Main cabin, excellent service and excellent landing

My flight was cancelled with no explanation after I had already cleared security. I was given 4 options to rebook, only one being non-stop like I had paid for. I grabbed it. It was 4 plus hours later and then took off even later. Biggest complaint is that I booked early and had an aisle seat. They gave me a "window" seat in front of the exit row, so the seat did not decline. I weigh all of 103 #s and it was tight for me! For what I paid, I feel I was kind of ripped off. I think they should have given me the empty comfort seat for the inconvenience. There was no apology nor any explanation as to why the flight was cancelled. My guess is it benefitted Delta in some way.

Very smooth, on-time, and pleasantly uneventful flight. The team at the gate and on board were professional and genuinely courteous. The pilot kept us well updated throughout, and both takeoff and landing were steady and enjoyable without any drama. Just a good, solid flight. Thank you! 💗

Staff was exceptional! Everyone was kind, professional and friendly making the trip very pleasant. Thank you!

Ot was overall fine. Left on time and had basic snacks. Weather was finicky but that’s not the airlines fault.

Even though we were delayed, we were able to make our connection

Crew and customer service were excellent. This flight also had plenty of leg room and seat mounted screens for entertainment. A very pleasant flight all around!

I was in first class. The outlets at my seat did not work. The plane was shabby and run down. I had prepurchsed a day subscription for internet that was not redeemable. I had to repurchase the internet for my flight and then it didn’t work anyway. Quite disappointed in what was supposed to be the launch of a great vacation.

Flight was good and crew was super polite. However, there were around 5 kids screaming the WHOLE 2 hours. I understand kids have to come but parents need to do something to control their children. They make the experience terrible, especially after finishing 16 hour shifts at the hospital I needed some sleep, which I did not get.

Armrest controller on my seat 35D and nextbooennseat 35E did not work right. Hard to press buttons to recognize and 35D had constantnpressure either upmost down somit was nearly impossible to make selections. .

I flew with my dog and had already purchased my dog’s ticket. Even that morning I had called costumer service to insure that my husband and I had seats together since the website was giving me an error when choosing our seats and the representative mentioned our dog. I showed up early to the airport and when I got to the gate and we started boarding I was help back and told that I was supposed to have a yellow tag and that I should have checked in at the counter for them to give me that tag. I was not aware of this, the representative on the phone did not say anything. Nor did I see it anywhere in the checking process online, so if you travel with a pet and are not checking in luggage, just know that you still have to go to the check in counter when arriving at the airport unless you want to be the last one to board and not have room for your carry on in the overhead bins. Other than that, I had a great experience.

This flight was perfect. No complaints and only the highest regard for the crew and ground staff and how they executed perfectly. I fly a lot with United and would request predictability and transparency in their operations instead of last minute changes.

This is for UA2274 from Houston to Sacramento. The flight was delayed arriving due to mechanical issues so we left about 3 hours later than scheduled. When boarding the plane the temperature inside was excessive - likely close to 100. Pilot apologized and said it was going to improve at altitude, which it did. But before that I honestly thought there might have been more delays removing passengers made ill from the heat. We were delayed leaving due to another mechanical issue. There was not water on the plane due to a panel that was not secured. They did that quickly, but the combination of mechanical issues was rather disturbing and did not reflect well on United.

United sent me a mileage plus number last year but that number is invalid so I can’t use it to check into flights or collect mileage. There is human to speak about the problem, only computers who keep asking me if I am using the correct email. It’s so frustrating and I cannot resolve it.

The boarding was as always, the crew tried their best but not enough. The food was a disaster I had dietary restrictions that were half met because the company did not loaded the food for the flight. The entertainment screen was fine but content was not and also they removed the free messaging option from the flight and they charged 30 dollars for that crappy bandwidth. This flight is not worth the cost and the company is going down on quality.

A little late at the start but all worked out well.

I liked the humor of the captain and crew on the flight from Flagstaff to Dallas. They were humorous.

After arriving in Dallas, the aircraft taxied for an unusually long time and was unable to park at the gate, which caused a significant delay and made me miss my connecting flight. I then had to wait in a very long line to be rebooked, and I was told that no hotel or meal accommodations would be provided. What is even more unacceptable is that my luggage was mishandled and has still not been located. My suitcase contains important medications that I urgently need, and I have been unable to access them due to the airline’s mishandling. This situation has caused me considerable stress and inconvenience, and I need this issue to be resolved immediately.

I appreciated that it was on time, safe and professional. I didn’t like that I wasn’t in a place where I had a window at my window seat. It would have been nice to know that in advance. If it was mentioned in the ticketing, I didn’t notice it.

I have a gluten allergy so didn't have any food

Baggage handling poor. Second time this has happened. My bag went to San Francisco instead of Fiji. No apology. Luckily Nadi airport staff are fantastic. My bag arrived in Fiji the next day.

Wish a flight with more than 2 hours with some snack rather than just cookie/biscuit.

Flight delayed and missed connection. Rescheduled flight cancelled after 6 hrs wait. Rerouted thru ORD, flight cancelled, overnight stay in ORD. Still in the air on new flight!

Delayed delayed delayed and no offer for food or vouchers

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

It was canceled. The flight wasn’t rescheduled, everyone had to figure out their own new arrangements. They said we would get refunded our original fare and receive an additional $150. We received links for $100 only and they expired before we could activate them.

The plane had originated in Las Vegas at 6:30 in the morning and flew to Moline where we boarded. The flight left around 12:30 PM and there were no boxed snacks available and many of the alcoholic beverages were unavailable. I would find it hard to believe that that many of the passengers coming from Las Vegas at 6:30 in the morning, drank and ate that much of the items. I can only come to the conclusion that someone failed to stock the plane for the round-trip. This is a huge revenue failure for the airline and disappointment for the passengers. The flight crew did not seem happy to be there and did not engage with passengers. Allegiant you can do better.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports