DSM - SMF

$173 Find Cheap Flights from Des Moines to Sacramento - Compare and Save

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 Sacramento departing on 7/13. 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 Sacramento

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Des Moines to Sacramento, 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 Sacramento, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$238
Typical prices: $476-$361
Multiple Airlines
Mon 7/27Tue 8/4
DSM - SMF • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way
$173
Typical prices: $238-$336
Multiple Airlines
Mon 7/13
DSM - SMF • 1 stop
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $314 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 7.9 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Nonstop flights
Not available
There are currently no direct flights between Des Moines and Sacramento. You'll need at least 1 connection.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $520 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 5h 58m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 26% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
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 Sacramento!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Des Moines to Sacramento (DSM-SMF)

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

Mon, Jul 27 - Tue, Aug 4
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:01 pm - 4:04 pm
DSM
-
SMF
20h 03m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:07 pm - 12:59 pm
SMF
-
DSM
17h 52m
1 stop
$238Multiple Airlines
Mon, Jul 27 - Tue, Aug 4
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:01 pm - 7:23 pm
DSM
-
SMF
23h 22m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:07 pm - 12:59 pm
SMF
-
DSM
17h 52m
1 stop
$251Multiple Airlines
Wed, Jul 29 - Tue, Aug 4
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:49 pm - 5:33 pm
DSM
-
SMF
29h 44m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:07 pm - 12:59 pm
SMF
-
DSM
17h 52m
1 stop
$304Multiple Airlines
Fri, Aug 14 - Tue, Aug 18
United Airlines Logo
3:20 pm - 10:48 pm
DSM
-
SMF
9h 28m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
8:55 am - 4:19 pm
SMF
-
DSM
5h 24m
1 stop
$314United Airlines
Thu, Jul 30 - Tue, Aug 4
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:33 pm - 6:49 pm
DSM
-
SMF
23h 16m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:07 pm - 12:59 pm
SMF
-
DSM
17h 52m
1 stop
$316Multiple Airlines
Fri, Aug 14 - Tue, Aug 18
Delta Logo
2:45 pm - 8:35 pm
DSM
-
SMF
7h 50m
1 stop
Delta Logo
8:40 pm - 10:18 am
SMF
-
DSM
11h 38m
2 stops
$319Delta
Mon, Aug 3 - Wed, Aug 12
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:01 pm - 4:04 pm
DSM
-
SMF
20h 03m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:07 pm - 8:54 pm
SMF
-
DSM
25h 47m
1 stop
$322Multiple Airlines
Mon, Jul 20 - Thu, Jul 23
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:01 pm - 4:04 pm
DSM
-
SMF
20h 03m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:28 pm - 9:11 pm
SMF
-
DSM
24h 43m
1 stop
$332Multiple Airlines
Fri, Jul 24 - Tue, Aug 4
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:01 pm - 3:32 pm
DSM
-
SMF
19h 31m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:07 pm - 12:59 pm
SMF
-
DSM
17h 52m
1 stop
$334Multiple Airlines
Sun, Jul 19 - Wed, Jul 22
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:33 pm - 6:49 pm
DSM
-
SMF
23h 16m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:07 pm - 8:43 pm
SMF
-
DSM
25h 36m
1 stop
$335Multiple Airlines
Booking Insights

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

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Des Moines to Sacramento 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 Sacramento?

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 Sacramento departing in July.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Des Moines to Sacramento, 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 Sacramento is March, where tickets cost $362 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are April and December, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $776 and $679 respectively.

Good to know

Low seasonDecember
Cheapest flight$173
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 38% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 2% lower on average.
Flight from Des Moines to Sacramento

When to book flights from Des Moines to Sacramento

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Des Moines to Sacramento 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 Sacramento

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

    In the last 5 days, the lowest price for a flight from Des Moines to Sacramento was $173 for a one-way ticket and $238 for a round-trip.

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

    No

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Des Moines to Sacramento?

    Des Moines and Sacramento are both served by 1 main airport. You will leave Des Moines from Des Moines and will be arriving at Sacramento Intl.

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

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

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

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

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Des Moines to Sacramento, Southwest or United Airlines?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Des Moines to Sacramento are Southwest and United Airlines. With an average price for the route of $462 and an overall rating of 7.9, Southwest is the most popular choice. United Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $439 and an overall rating of 7.4.

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

    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 Sacramento.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Sacramento 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 Sacramento?

    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 Sacramento with an airline and back to Des Moines with another airline. Booking your flights between Des Moines and SMF can sometimes prove cheaper using this method.

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

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

Reviews of the top 3 airlines serving from Des Moines to Sacramento

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Des Moines to Sacramento. 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 Sacramento? 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 4235 reviews
7.0Food
8.0Comfort
8.1Boarding
7.5Entertainment
8.6Crew
Airline reviews

The first time I flew in the extra legroom section. It was difficult to notice a difference. I had bad luck with my neighbors. The crew was okay. Southwest has reduced the live TV options.

4.0 OkayAnonymous, May 2026
MDW - LAX
Read more Southwest reviews

The first time I flew in the extra legroom section. It was difficult to notice a difference. I had bad luck with my neighbors. The crew was okay. Southwest has reduced the live TV options.

No gluten free snacks. Seats felt worn or bare bones even though it was a new 737 MAX 8.

Plane was clean and comfortable. Flight attendants and gate staff were professional, friendly and efficient. Boarding and deplaning were orderly and efficient. All in all, the typical excellent Southwest experience.

Not having a five hour delay with little notice! The crew was very kind, though, and just as tired as we passengers were. The flight didn't depart until nearly 1 am...and no reason was ever given.

This leg was much better, but we did have to have a 3 hour lay o er after coming from a very exhausting hiccup with our flight from BNA to Den

The Air hostess were very rude on my flight from Houston to Austin . Their regular communication itself felt a they are shouting at people.

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

The problem with the seat assignments is that there were a lot of rows in the front that were empty but my row at the back was full. Just not so pleasant.

No food or entertainment, just a quick 40 minute flight. A little bumpy due to Santa Ana winds but pilot has no control over that. Good flight and landing!

Good but I prefer choose your own seat. With the new assigned seats they should board from the back I see no advantage to this new boarding. Just like every other airline

This was an overnight flight, and in the morning they did know coffee service. How you can throw passengers in a San Francisco airport at 5:40 a.m. in the morning and not giving them Coffee is a crime.

Our flight was delayed several Times due to mechanical issues. Although I understand this may happen at times, it was very inconvenient and we had to book a hotel for an overnight stay. We were traveling with my 3-yo grandson and waiting at the airport from noon until 6:30pm with no reassurance that our next rescheduled flight would depart, we had to decide what’s best for him. A day later, I found out that I may be able to demand compensation if my flight is delayed more than 4 hours. I will hav to read the fine print next time.

Service was professional and quick. Premium economy seat was comfortable given the class

Like: departed and arrived on time. Unlike: Food options for purchase allways bad, 1 of 2 of the crew members not very friendly at all. Seats and leg room aweful. At this point I am thinking on switching to AA.

The staff was extremely helpful and friendly at all times! They went above and beyond to get us into an earlier flight in San Diego to make our connection in SFO possible, because our original flight did actually not make it! I did so much appreciate the UA team and how they made this possible. We also didn’t have seats together on the long flight to Singapore, but they found us seats together last moment with no additional cost! Nobody sat next to us, so that we were able to sleep! Thanks to UA for improving their service and Underpricer for booking this trip! Please be careful: 1,5 hrs for transfer in San Francisco might not be enough time in the future

Packed flight, which makes it tough on crew and boarding staff (and the customers of course). But this was great boarding, clear instructions, etc. Traveling on the weekends are always fraught with danger as you have families and less frequent flyers thus more confusion. But this flight went as planned.

Destroyed my suitcase. Tired of talking about it. Cancelling my unite mileage plus account.

New plane was lovely. Crew customer service is always lax but expected. Kraft on time and arrived safely.

Seat pitch is horrible especially on the 15 hour flight. Gate crew at SFO was Outstanding. The flight crew was also great.

6 1/2 hours from Tampa to SFO on a Boeing 737. Cramped. No Service. No real food. One pass for coffee at the beginning and a second pass THREE hours later. And check-in in Tampa was nasty even by United standards. And I am at almost TWO million miles on United. It's a non-stop. But terrible service.

It was so much better than expected, Ohare is not such a pleasant experience but American Airlines with the new, clean aeroplane and free Wi-Fi was outstanding and the crew so pleasant and helpful.

Was put into a seat right behind the toilet that had no entertainment possible but did have plenty of leg room over noisy part of plane.

American delayed the flight for a crew rest period. The delay occurred late in the evening - the earliest i can find is 10:20 pm. With a 6 am flight anyone on the flight would have already have been asleep (unless you are insane, a vampire or on drugs) and at least for me i was already on the way to the airport at 445 am the next morning when i discovered they delayed the flight until 9 am. Given the incoming flight was in the air at 6 pm the evening before this should have been figured out a lot more timely that was there only crew to use. Just frustrating given there is no consideration for customer experience anymore in flying.

Flight: Started on time. Comfortable flight. Arrived on time. Crew: Very cordial and helpful. Drinks and snack was served with a smile. Overall enjoyed the trip. Regards, Hari Doss Chanchala Doss

To have arrived on time and not 3 hours late after having already spent $100 to change to an earlier flight, only to arrive back home close to the original flight time.

American Airlines is a miserable experience. It is predictably miserable, in the sense that every time I fly American, I brace myself for the certainty that it will be unpleasant and uncomfortable. But it is unpredictable in the sense that I never know if the flight will be on time or delayed nine hours (both happened to me this week). I never know if I will be able to sit in the seat that I selected when I purchased the ticket or if I will be told by Customer Service (!!!) that I must relocate from first class to a seat in the back of the aircraft with no explanation (both happened to me this week). Will the food be frozen and half defrosted, or scalding hot? Will the drinks be warm? Will the flight attendants be surly and mean? Will the toilets be cramped and foul? Will the seats be narrow and uncomfortable? Will there be a real electric outlet at the seat, or just an unreliable USB-2 port? Will there be enough seats in the boarding lounge or just a few? Will the boarding process be smooth and efficient, or will the gate agents mess it up and delay it needlessly for 30 or 40 minutes? Will the catering and cleaning crew be prompt or will they take an extra 30 minutes? Will the brakes on the aircraft work properly, or will the pilot delay takeoff for four hours while the ground crew attends to what can only be described as routine maintenance that should have been done the night before? I've eexperienced every one of these unpleasant things this year, 2026. The only thing I can reliably count on is that American will find a new way to make the experience of flying as miserable as they possibly can.

Wifi was spotty. Tray table was very dirty when I sat down.

The WiFi would not connect enough for me to do my actual work. It permaspooled, disconnected, said it was connected, then wouldn't open an email... it was frustrating. I am not a tall person, 5'4" - and I felt cramped with little room to reach into my bag under the seat in front of me. I feel sorry for anyone taller than me having to fly. the one positive thing I will add, is the overhead bins are roomy enough to manage more bags than other carriers.

Going non stop to lax like I paid for. Not stopping in MCI for gas. Too long of delays

Delayed for mechanical and no updates on what was happening and how long the delay might be.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports