DSM - WAS

$96 Find Cheap Flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.

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 Washington, D.C. departing on 5/15. 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 Washington, D.C.

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Des Moines to Washington, D.C., 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 Washington, D.C., 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
$223
Typical prices: $602-$468
Multiple Airlines
Fri 5/29Mon 6/1
DSM - BWI • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$367
Typical prices: $472-$362
American Airlines
Thu 5/28Tue 6/2
DSM - DCA • Non-stop
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $301 (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 American Airlines. Average duration is 2h 35m
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
+1
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
Top routes
Cheapest
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $174 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 4h 23m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 32% 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 Washington, D.C.!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C. (DSM-WAS)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C.

Fri, May 29 - Mon, Jun 1
Multiple Airlines Logo
3:57 pm - 12:15 pm
DSM
-
BWI
19h 18m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:10 pm - 11:24 pm
BWI
-
DSM
11h 14m
1 stop
$223Multiple Airlines
Fri, May 29 - Mon, Jun 1
Multiple Airlines Logo
3:57 pm - 12:15 pm
DSM
-
BWI
19h 18m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:10 pm - 11:24 pm
BWI
-
DSM
11h 14m
1 stop
$230Multiple Airlines
Thu, May 28 - Sun, May 31
Multiple Airlines Logo
4:41 pm - 12:15 pm
DSM
-
BWI
42h 34m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:27 pm - 11:24 pm
BWI
-
DSM
28h 57m
1 stop
$240Multiple Airlines
Mon, May 25 - Mon, Jun 1
Multiple Airlines Logo
3:57 pm - 7:43 am
DSM
-
BWI
38h 46m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:10 pm - 11:24 pm
BWI
-
DSM
11h 14m
1 stop
$241Multiple Airlines
Thu, May 28 - Mon, Jun 1
Multiple Airlines Logo
4:41 pm - 6:43 pm
DSM
-
BWI
25h 02m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:10 pm - 11:24 pm
BWI
-
DSM
11h 14m
1 stop
$243Multiple Airlines
Fri, Jun 5 - Sun, Jun 7
Frontier Logo
2:16 pm - 12:59 pm
DSM
-
DCA
21h 43m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:00 pm - 1:31 pm
DCA
-
DSM
20h 31m
1 stop
$301Frontier
Fri, Jun 26 - Fri, Jul 3
Frontier Logo
2:16 pm - 9:59 pm
DSM
-
DCA
6h 43m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
7:00 am - 1:31 pm
DCA
-
DSM
7h 31m
1 stop
$314Frontier
Wed, May 27 - Mon, Jun 1
Frontier Logo
2:16 pm - 4:59 pm
DSM
-
DCA
25h 43m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
7:00 am - 1:31 pm
DCA
-
DSM
7h 31m
1 stop
$335Frontier
Thu, May 28 - Tue, Jun 2
American Airlines Logo
6:33 am - 10:10 am
DSM
-
DCA
2h 37mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
10:00 pm - 11:50 pm
DCA
-
DSM
2h 50mnonstop
$367American Airlines
Sat, Jun 13 - Sat, Jun 20
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 9:37 am
DSM
-
DCA
2h 37mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
8:15 pm - 10:05 pm
DCA
-
DSM
2h 50mnonstop
$368American Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Des Moines to Washington, D.C. flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C.?

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 Washington, D.C. departing in May.

What is the cheapest Des Moines to Washington, D.C. flight route?

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

The cheapest return flight from Des Moines to Washington, D.C. costs $256 on the route between Des Moines (DSM) and Washington, D.C. Reagan-National Airport (DCA). It is also the most popular route.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C., 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 Washington, D.C. is September, where tickets cost $144 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are January and April, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $331 and $299 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

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

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$96
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 3% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 15% lower on average.
Flight from Des Moines to Reagan Washington National Airport

When to book flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Des Moines to Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C.

  • What is the cheapest flight from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Des Moines to Washington, D.C. was $96 for a one-way ticket and $223 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between Des Moines and Washington, D.C.?

    Even though you are not required to have a passport, keep in mind that an official ID is needed to board the airplane.

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.?

    Des Moines is served by only 1 airport and there are 2 airports in Washington, D.C.. You will leave Des Moines from Des Moines and you will be arriving in Washington, D.C. at one of these airports: Washington, D.C. Reagan-National or Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.?

    American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta, and Hawaiian Airlines offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the Des Moines to Washington, D.C. flight route.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.?

    The Canadair (Bombardier) Regional Jet 900 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Des Moines to Washington, D.C. flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.?

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

  • On which days can I fly direct from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.?

    There are nonstop flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C. on a daily basis.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C., Southwest or Delta?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C. are Southwest and Delta. With an average price for the route of $359 and an overall rating of 8.0, Southwest is the most popular choice. Delta is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $347 and an overall rating of 7.9.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.?

    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 Washington, D.C..

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C.?

    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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C.?

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

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $213 or less one-way and $398 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.?

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

Direct departures

Des Moines to Washington, D.C.

Monday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Tuesday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Wednesday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Thursday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Friday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Saturday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Sunday

American Airlines

American Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Washington, D.C. to Des Moines

Monday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Tuesday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Wednesday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Thursday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Friday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Saturday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Sunday

American Airlines

American Airlines

See more direct flights

Reviews of the top 3 airlines serving from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.. 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 Washington, D.C.? 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 4314 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
8.6Crew
7.5Entertainment
8.0Comfort
Airline reviews

The entire experience from boarding to landing was amazing! The crew were very friendly. Will definitely be back.

10.0 Excellentlarry, Apr 2026
LGB - PHX
Read more Southwest reviews

The entire experience from boarding to landing was amazing! The crew were very friendly. Will definitely be back.

no service at all due to turbulence. they should've at least given us snacks, there were only 10 people on the entire flight.

First time I've had to use the disabled accommodations. And I could not have had a better experience with Southwest, i was having trouble getting from one terminal to another due to my heart failure. And the next thing I know a Southwest agent had made sure. I had a wheelchair at all my flights. Can't thank them enough.

Delayed flight, lack of information, boarding process is a mess as is the carryon luggage causing issues when leaving the plane….just a poor experience.

Comfortable. Easy. No problems. Just wish they had gf options for snacks.

The crew was very kind and made going to Hawaii relaxing and fun to look forward to! Thank you Southwest for a pleasant flight!

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

We waited in the airplane for over 45 min for a southwest employee to make the flight. This cause over half the plane to miss their connecting flight in Denver. When we confronted the desk upon arrival, they told us the only flight they had was the next day leaving at 8:50 pm!!! Or they offered to get us to Burbank or LA, but after that we were on our own to get back to Santa Barbara. I paid for a flight from sba to bna bna to sba. My re entry into mom mode has been 💯 rough because of southwest mistake with my flight. And now I’m leaving to Reno tomorrow for a vballl tournament and just discovered that my leg in Vegas has me and my 3 kids on a stand by flight even though I had booked these ticket last year November!! Do better southwest!

Southwest is kind of a slum airline. It’s gotten more expensive over the years for less and less service. I am a Southwest Chase Visa card holder and was forced to choose a seat in the 26th row in the middle seat. However my wife who is a rewards member but doesn’t hold a card or anything else, gets randomly assigned a normally paid seat in row 6! How does that work?

For the first time in a long time, the Wi-Fi actually worked the entire flight! The flight crew was amazing as usual.

The agent at check in and at the gate were less than thrilled to be at work. I'm not a fan of Kayak's placement on the plane. I got put in the middle seat and none of my preferences were used.

In ATL they have two sets of departure screens. Follow what is on your airline's departure board - the ATL Airport Authority departure board had completely incorrect details about the gate assignment for my flight, which would have made me miss boarding.

Flight was delayed it was hot while sitting on the plane, one engine was working on the plane until they had to do some jimmy rigging down the runway in order for the other engine to charge up. It was ridiculous

The flight was very good and the staff was very friendly and helpful!

The only thing I would say is we tried to get on a standby earlier flight, but with our fair we couldn’t. That seems senseless to leave with open seats..

Very easy to use and convenient, you can perform any action within the same portal

In a world of delays, Delta was on time both ways! Boarding was fast and efficient. Staff was friendly. AND wifi worked.

WiFi didn’t work. Flight delayed 3 hours Crew members were illiterate Seat lean back did not work.

Flight was delayed, we could have been notified earlier and in a consistent manner. App was not refreshing for another passenger to get the latest flight status. We could have stayed and waited at the hotel instead of waiting at the airport had we known the flight was going to delayed for more than 5 hours. The toilet is too tight, and needs to be cleaned more frequently (every hour). The entertainment screen froze, the touch screen not responding to touch. We were upgraded to comfort, it is more comfortable than regular economy seats.

This wasn't my experience with Delta. It was just the Pegasus flight. Seats were very hard. Staff was kinda rough. Not very nice. Charged me for snacks. For a 4 hour flight I would've expected more.

The airplane was an old model, the overhead didn’t have enough room for people’s items and made boarding and boarding disappointing and stressful. Crew allowed passengers to bring more than the permitted baggage sizes.

It was great. Smooth flight, comfortable, left on time and landed on time.

Horrible experience upon landing. Probably more due to DCA utter incompetence than AA.

Easy boarding. Rows are smaller but that may be an older and bigger me now :)

Flight has been delayed every time I've ever taken it. Seats uncomfortable. Children behind me yelling the entire flight. Some of this is out of their control but overall just consistently not a great experience.

Poor communication ahead of time about flight delays and old planes/other equipment.

Never going to fly your airline again if it can be avoided.

Not to have gotten delayed by 2+ hours for the fourth straight American flight. They're the worst.

Other than nearly three hour delay for maintenance issues, everything went smooth

Snow delayed boarding several times, which I understand happens. Issue I had was that after we did board, pilot told us we were going to roll out to be de-iced, then on our way. We were de-iced once, taxied to the tarmac and then stopped. Sat for another 30 minutes or so, the another de-icing. Then we rolled out to a parking spot, only to sit for another hour due to a traffic stop in DCA, which I'm confident they knew would happen before we boarded. Pilot gave no updates other than we had to hold, attendants did speak to the crew, but when asked, said the pilot would be updating us. We on the ground in the plane waiting for over 2 hours. They did communicate that bathrooms would be open, but no other news until we left. Would have been better to be up front about status.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Des Moines to Washington, D.C.

Information on your arrival and departure airports