$96 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 4/20. 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
$180
Overall average: $284
Frontier
Fri 4/24Mon 4/27
DSM - IAH • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$256
Typical prices: $116-$278
Allegiant Air
Mon 7/6Fri 7/10
DSM - HOU • Non-stop
Advice from real travelers
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
Cheapest • from $180 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 8.0 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Nonstop flights
You can fly direct with United Airlines. Average duration is 2h 38m
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
+1
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
Top routes
Cheapest • 34% average savings
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to book
in advance
Our data shows that travelers who book at least 4 weeks in advance save around 37% compared to booking last minute.
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

Fri, Apr 24 - Mon, Apr 27
Frontier Logo
2:04 pm - 12:48 am
DSM
-
IAH
10h 44m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:45 am - 1:09 pm
IAH
-
DSM
6h 24m
1 stop
$180Frontier
Mon, Apr 13 - Fri, Apr 17
Frontier Logo
8:14 pm - 3:07 pm
DSM
-
IAH
18h 53m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:45 am - 1:09 pm
IAH
-
DSM
6h 24m
1 stop
$254Frontier
Mon, Jul 6 - Fri, Jul 10
Allegiant Air Logo
1:37 pm - 4:02 pm
DSM
-
HOU
2h 25mnonstop
Allegiant Air Logo
4:52 pm - 7:04 pm
HOU
-
DSM
2h 12mnonstop
$256Allegiant Air
Fri, Apr 10 - Mon, Apr 13
United Airlines Logo
3:21 pm - 9:21 pm
DSM
-
IAH
6h 00m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
8:13 pm - 10:43 pm
IAH
-
DSM
2h 30mnonstop
$259United Airlines
Tue, Apr 28 - Tue, May 5
American Airlines Logo
3:20 pm - 7:51 pm
DSM
-
HOU
4h 31m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:01 am - 11:26 am
HOU
-
DSM
5h 25m
1 stop
$266American Airlines
Sun, Apr 26 - Thu, Apr 30
Multiple Airlines Logo
8:30 am - 11:27 am
DSM
-
IAH
26h 57m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:46 am - 10:06 pm
IAH
-
DSM
12h 20m
1 stop
$266Multiple Airlines
Sat, May 2 - Sat, May 9
American Airlines Logo
3:20 pm - 7:51 pm
DSM
-
HOU
4h 31m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:01 am - 11:10 am
HOU
-
DSM
5h 09m
1 stop
$269American Airlines
Thu, Apr 9 - Mon, Apr 13
United Airlines Logo
7:16 pm - 1:48 am
DSM
-
IAH
6h 32m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
8:13 pm - 10:43 pm
IAH
-
DSM
2h 30mnonstop
$279United Airlines
Wed, Apr 8 - Sat, Apr 11
Southwest Logo
3:15 pm - 7:55 pm
DSM
-
HOU
4h 40m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
7:00 am - 11:30 am
HOU
-
DSM
4h 30m
1 stop
$284Southwest
Wed, Apr 8 - Sat, Apr 11
Southwest Logo
3:15 pm - 7:55 pm
DSM
-
HOU
4h 40m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
8:25 am - 6:00 pm
HOU
-
DSM
9h 35m
2 stops
$290Southwest
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 cheapest return flight from Des Moines to Houston costs $136 on the route between Des Moines (DSM) and Houston Hobby Airport (HOU). Over the past month, this route was, on average, 34% 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 Sunday 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 July, where tickets cost $227 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and January, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $361 and $319 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 37% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 6 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$96
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 $96 for a one-way ticket and $180 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 4320 reviews
7.0Food
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
7.5Entertainment
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

I elected to pay for the upgrades and found very little difference

6.0 GoodChris, Mar 2026
DAL - SAT
Read more Southwest reviews

I elected to pay for the upgrades and found very little difference

The new seating arrangement is so over priced for what you get.

Snacks are always pretzels. Why can't you also offer peanuts ?

Flight was hours late, unable to sit next to spouse, I have had so much better experiences. Substantially better, only saving grace was that it was a short flight.

An entire day of delays. Cost lots of money. Meals and a hotel.

Only downside was the legroom and seat width, which is always a problem unless I spend more for a premium seat.

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.

My flight was canceled on Sunday. Rebooking took three hours. Had to pay for accommodations another night. New flight was delayed for 5 hours, all that was sent was a 12 dollar food voucher, which doesn’t tell you how to use it. Then when we landed we had to sit on the plane for an hour before we could get off.

Miserable. This entire round trip was miserable. I booked evening flights to and from Detroit on consecutive days that should have had me at my destination by 10:30. Instead I arrived after 3am on my flight to Detroit and after midnight on my return. Multiple unforced errors like awaiting bags to get put on the plane for almost an hour in Detroit and a 20 minute delay to pull up to the gate in Atlanta has me rethinking my assumption that delta is the best and most reliable airline

Perhaps when you’re sitting in 1st class and the crew closes the bathroom for the pilots, there could be a notification other than holding your hands up as a blockade when you get there and you’re told the restrooms are closed please turn around … especially at night when visibility is poor and you’re met by a flight attendants with their arms up

First class is comfortable. Enjoyed a movie and was able to relax compared to coach.

Loved flying First Class. Very comfortable. The seat was amazing. Enjoyed a movie and was able to relax so much better than in coach.

We landed and sat on the tarmac for 45 minutes because they only have one gate at the airport and there was another plane running late so we had to wait

The WiFi was not working. That made for a long flight.

Absolutely no communication on why there's a delay and multiple flight time reschedules. I would have canceled the flight and drove back home if I known it was going to be rescheduled 3 or 4 times.

Another late night flight and MORE men belligerently drinking and yelling. I had to move from first to economy because they were so obnoxious and disruptive. Crazy to go from a cozy chair to cardboard when you were supposed to be in first. Delta allows was too much drinking which leads to belligerent behavior.

I was in first class and literally the men behind me were so aggressively loud I moved myself to economy. This has become so common on Delta - people using audio without headphones, and men on 12am / late night flights drinking and yelling to talk to each other which prevents anyone around them from resting. Pretty crazy to have to move from first to economy (poorer service, less comfort...). Wild wild. Looking into other airlines.

Everything was on time and service on the flight was great!

The travel company that you have on your site did me so wrong. I don’t know how it happened, but they put my son‘s name on my plane ticket flying to Vietnam. Along with his birthday. They would not have let me fly from Fort Myers to Ho Chi Minh City. I don’t think that I can ever use your service again. I typed my information into the browser along with my passport number and four days before I’m leaving I have to quickly search another ticket to fly out here.

Good flight. Efficient boarding and competent flight crew. No problems until we arrived at our destination gate. We were early so there was an aircraft at the gate that had to move before we could pull in. Then, due to the type of aircraft we flew, the cabin door could not be opened until some luggage from the cargo bay was offloaded to preserve center of gravity characteristics. So, that further delayed deplaning. Despite being 20 minutes early on landing, we ended up being 5 to 10 minutes late after all the delays.

This trip did not start off well. The inbound flight was delayed about 20 minutes. Then, after initial onboarding, the passengers had to deplane due to a mechanical problem. That took about 30 minutes to fix and be cleared. Then, reboarding was chaotic. It took a long time to sort passengers and two passengers on standby were ticketed but there was no seat. So, they had to deplane. One of the flight crew was trying to help passengers figure out a place to put their carry-on bags and that took more time. In the end, our scheduled 10:30 am departure did not actually take off until about 12:05 pm CST. The flight itself was long but we got to Houston. Some passengers missed their connecting flights and had to rebook. Not the best of flights I've had.

Complimentary light meal would be appreciated. But great flight crew service on all legs

Everything was great except for the boarding process. Everyone is lining up all at the same time and it’s hard to tell between the groups as they are way too large.

Very old flight - time to retire it for newer airplanes

Do not like the size of the overhead bin. I think staff should monitor the size of suitcases that are being carried on by passengers to ensure they meet the size requirement.

Everything except the food and entertainment. It was a great experience though

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

Superb. Staff great. Great flight. As with other airlines, seating too tight and restrictive.

There is not one likable thing about this airline. It’s starts with the deceptive pricing and continues through the whole flight. The worst staff I’ve ever experienced way over priced bags absolutely no food or drink (unacceptable and you should be embarrassed) the seats are cramped and uncomfortable there is no entertainment there is nothing about this trash airline that constitutes any amount of money. It’s worse than spirit and way more expensive it is disgraceful. Do not travel with Allegiant I repeat do not bother no matter what they say the price is it is never ever going to be the right choice I’m mind blown at how awful the entire experience was I’m embarrassed that I chose so poorly I cannot reiterate enough how beyond horrible this company and its staff are, not one person on this flight or at the airport is qualified to sweep up trash on a city sidewalk they should certainly never be given any job that requires a brain or manners or communication with human beings, what a disgrace to the human race. Your criminal chiselers and should be put out to pasture

Great flight. Friendly staff. Free snacks and drinks would be nice. I would love fewer taxes and fees added on.

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.

Delay after delay with little communication then AA lost my luggage and at airport would not assist just said scan this QR code to track your luggage and submit a claim. However QR code provided did not work so have to go back to airport

Where do I start!! I was delayed with my flight from Dallas to Tampa. On the way back from Tampa to Dallas the flight was delayed over 4 hours+. I was put on another flight that was also delayed but not as long. Traveling on American Airlines is becoming exhausing.

Dloght delayed by 2.5 hrs . Common theme in my last four american floghts

The flight attendants and the service is getting worse by the day.

They are rarely on time! Very hard to plan your travels when flights or connections keep getting delayed.

Forced to check bags. Crew uninterested in collecting trash. Unclean seats.

Mediocre would be best description. Food bland. Seat biz class uncomfortable to sleep. Crew never dimmed lights completely in an overnight flight to Europe. Would avoid AA if possible.

Massimo, flight attendant was very authentic, attentive - wonderful. Food/wrap was just okay.

I am an AA flyer for a very long time... AA has yet to disappoint.

Arriving plane went to wrong gate. Flight Attendant was late. Was in no Hurry when he arrived. Flight was fine. Plane had to wait 20 minutes to get assigned a gate due to designated gate tied up. barely connected.. Boarded extremely late on final leg of trip.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports