$89 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 3/5. 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
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$148
Overall average: $360
Frontier
Mon 2/23Thu 2/26
DSM - IAH • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$167
Typical prices: $133-$359
Allegiant Air
Mon 6/15Fri 6/19
DSM - HOU • 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
Frontier
Cheapest • from $148 (round-trip)
Southwest
Best reviews • 8.0 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Top routes
DSM
-
IAH
Cheapest • 1% 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
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We hope you love your trip to Houston!
Flight Deals
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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, Feb 23 - Thu, Feb 26
Frontier Logo
7:17 pm - 12:33 am
DSM
-
IAH
5h 16m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:39 am - 6:42 pm
IAH
-
DSM
12h 03m
1 stop
$148Frontier
Mon, Jun 15 - Fri, Jun 19
Allegiant Air Logo
6:00 am - 8:20 am
DSM
-
HOU
2h 20mnonstop
Allegiant Air Logo
9:10 am - 11:22 am
HOU
-
DSM
2h 12mnonstop
$167Allegiant Air
Tue, Apr 7 - Sat, Apr 11
United Airlines Logo
8:20 am - 10:56 am
DSM
-
IAH
2h 36mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
8:13 pm - 10:43 pm
IAH
-
DSM
2h 30mnonstop
$209United Airlines
Thu, Feb 26 - Thu, Mar 5
United Airlines Logo
7:52 am - 10:30 am
DSM
-
IAH
2h 38mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
7:20 am - 2:24 pm
IAH
-
DSM
7h 04m
1 stop
$219United Airlines
Sat, Feb 28 - Sat, Mar 7
United Airlines Logo
2:59 pm - 5:37 pm
DSM
-
IAH
2h 38mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
8:17 pm - 10:44 pm
IAH
-
DSM
2h 27mnonstop
$221United Airlines
Thu, Feb 26 - Thu, Mar 5
Frontier Logo
7:27 pm - 9:36 am
DSM
-
IAH
14h 09m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
11:17 am - 7:16 pm
IAH
-
DSM
31h 59m
2 stops
$226Frontier
Thu, Mar 19 - Tue, Mar 24
Southwest Logo
2:15 pm - 11:10 pm
DSM
-
HOU
8h 55m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
6:10 am - 1:15 pm
HOU
-
DSM
7h 05m
1 stop
$229Southwest
Sat, Feb 21 - Sun, Feb 22
United Airlines Logo
3:24 pm - 9:23 pm
DSM
-
IAH
5h 59m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
5:00 am - 10:53 am
IAH
-
DSM
5h 53m
1 stop
$229United Airlines
Thu, Mar 19 - Tue, Mar 24
Southwest Logo
2:15 pm - 11:10 pm
DSM
-
HOU
8h 55m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
6:00 am - 1:15 pm
HOU
-
DSM
7h 15m
2 stops
$234Southwest
Sat, Mar 28 - Sat, Apr 4
American Airlines Logo
3:26 pm - 7:50 pm
DSM
-
HOU
4h 24m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 10:44 am
HOU
-
DSM
4h 44m
1 stop
$264American Airlines
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.

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 absolute cheapest return flight from Des Moines to Houston costs $229 on the route between Des Moines (DSM) and Houston George Bush Intcntl Airport (IAH). However, over the past month, flights between Des Moines (DSM) and Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) were, on average, 1% 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 Monday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from Houston, Thursday is the cheapest day to fly and Tuesday 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 $361 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 12 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.
Our travel experts
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on United Airlines

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.

Daniel Scheffler

Daniel Scheffler

Expert on Allegiant Air

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.

Good to know

Cheapest flight$89
Flight from Des Moines to Houston George Bush 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 $89 for a one-way ticket and $148 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.
8.0
SouthwestOverall score based on 4267 reviews
8.1Boarding
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
7.0Food
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

All good except once again bags took an hour at Midway Airport Happens all the time. Ridiculous

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jan 2026
PHX - MDW
Read more Southwest reviews

All good except once again bags took an hour at Midway Airport Happens all the time. Ridiculous

Everything went smoothly and we even arrived a little bit early.

Great vacation. Can't wait till next year for another one.

Great flight but super high price. Glad it was a business trip and not personal

On time. Friendly staff. Took to long to pre bord all the specialty groups. Cramped small plane

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.

Timing, quality of service, promptness and courtesy of the staff

It was last minute due to weather - considering - it was amazing! Good smiles, friendly staff and they were making sure we knew what was going on when and where.

delta last minute gave me a boarding pass for a different flight with no confirmation that they were changing it

The service from the flight attendants were of supreme quality. They greeted and treated everyone with a wide smile. This is totally absent nowadays. Kudos to them!!!!

Excellent flight and got us around tough weather. Only issue was seat TV did not work and crew tried to reboot.

Very large passenger too space from my own seat. Arm board couldn’t be lowered because of his size. It wads very uncomfortable trip, as the flight was full couldn’t move anywhere having back pain because of the position in which I was the entire flight.

was sitting in the jet bridge for 10 minutes in -20 degree weather waiting for my bag

Outdated equipment in disrepair, wifi inoperable. Broken seats, taped air vents, generally poor condition, the 717 showed its age and lack of upkeep.

My flight out of Baton Rouge to Atlanta was delayed by a half hour. This got us into Atlanta airport 30 minutes late. I ran through the airport to get to my connecting flight. As I approached the boarding gate, I saw the boarding door was still open and a passenger was being checked in. But when I got to the gate, the boarding agent told me they had already given away my seat and there were no empty seats on that flight. So I had to take a later flight. That has never happened to me before. Very frustrating.

Connection through Atlanta was difficult. Mechanical issue on plane caused a two hour delay. New gate was a mile away.

Delayed, toilets did not flush, pilot parked to far away from Gate

Check-in, boarding and the flight from Phoenix to Houston was quick and easy. The flight from Houston to Shreveport was delayed 5 hours. It was frustrating but I think United handled it the best they could.

The staff was hospitable and professional. The seat had a bit of wear. The winner shade was stuck 1/4 open. I received the best of both worlds. The morning sun was able to come in and blind the screen i was trying to use while at the same time it was too low to look out and enjoy the view. Rather embarrassing for a 1st class ticket.

United is an incompetent airline. They parked the plane on the tarmac for an hour after arriving because they “didn’t have a gate available” it was actually some sort of lie because as we de planed there were approximately 9 open and manned and empty gates that we walked past. Many people on the flight missed connections for the hour long sit on the tarmac. Utterly baffling and incompetent behavior from United flight ops.

I boarded flight UA#1318 at Sacramento International Airport going back to Houston TX. The flight was scheduled at 5:10am. I was able to check in virtually using the United Airlines app. When I entered the airport, there was no one outside assisting with checked bags as it was for Delta Airlines. Immediately upon entering, there was a LONG, EXTREMELY LONG line to the kiosks to get boarding passes. I stand in line to get boarding passes then had to move to ANOTHER EXTREMELY LONG line to get my bags checked in. While standing in this line, we noticed an agent taking customers to 3 at a time to her station to check their bags in. Lucky for me, she called me back, checked my bags for me and I was on my way. I then encountered another long line at the TSA check and to avoid I ending up having to sign up for CLEAR to bypass it. So glad, I did.,...Both of my flights were great with no issues, butthe check in progress at Bush Airport was so much smoother. Check-in at SMF airport needs to be anaylzed and corrected. Do better United, I know you can....thanks

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.

Crew was helpful and cheerful especially when they had no refreshments to work with. The plane was never serviced and had nothing but limited water and coffee onboard. For the price point, a concern of services.

AA did not allow to board a flight because my connecting flight from DFW had been canceled. I got on another flight to another city. No service on the plane and I did not use their entertainment system.

2 hour delay due to equipment failure. No updates via the app and airport screens (which continued to show a departure time in the past). AA eventually switched planes and the new plane was not catered or cleaned correctly.

I booked an aisle seat and was given a middle. At 6'4" 230lbs, it is not ideal to fly in the middle row for myself and passengers.

The aircraft had several problems - from excess fuel to non operational ac. Two hours of delay in Chicago could have been avoided with proper planning and aircraft maintenance.

They made me pay $40 to check a bag that was listed as free when I bought my ticket. Then before boarding they offered to check any bags free.

The seats from lax to DFW was so tight that I could not move my legs . No WiFi and had to pay . Not a good selection of entertainment

The flight was good. We had to spend almost an hour on the tarmac when we arrived in Dallas. Waiting for a gate. What’s the point of arriving early if you have no gate to park at?

Lower WiFi prices; allow us to see our flight on a map; more variety of drink choices.

Kayak was among the missing. There was not the usual advice regarding next gate after arriving in Dallas. No communication after the reminder to check in before the Moline flight. What happened?

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

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.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports