LAX - DSM

$93 Find Cheap Flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Los Angeles to Des Moines departing on 8/21. 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

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These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Los Angeles to Des Moines, 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 Los Angeles to Des Moines, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Cheap Flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines (LAX-DSM)

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

Thu, Sep 4 - Mon, Sep 8
 Logo
9:36 am - 10:41 pmLAX-DSM
11h 05m1 stop
 Logo
3:30 pm - 8:00 pmDSM-LAX
6h 30m1 stop
Thu, Oct 2 - Mon, Oct 6
 Logo
9:36 am - 10:40 pmLAX-DSM
11h 04m1 stop
 Logo
3:40 pm - 8:00 pmDSM-LAX
6h 20m1 stop
Fri, Aug 22 - Mon, Aug 25
 Logo
6:45 am - 10:42 pmLAX-DSM
13h 57m1 stop
 Logo
3:40 pm - 11:58 pmDSM-LAX
10h 18m1 stop
Sat, Aug 30 - Sun, Sep 7
Frontier Logo
3:30 pm - 2:23 pmLAX-DSM
20h 53m1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:25 pm - 12:27 amDSM-LAX
12h 02m1 stop
$235Frontier
Find Deal
Mon, Nov 3 - Sun, Nov 9
Frontier Logo
12:21 pm - 7:59 pmLAX-DSM
5h 38m1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:44 pm - 12:25 amDSM-LAX
5h 41m1 stop
$236Frontier
Find Deal
Tue, Sep 30 - Tue, Oct 7
American Airlines Logo
10:45 am - 11:06 pmLAX-DSM
10h 21m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
3:10 pm - 5:00 pmDSM-LAX
3h 50mnonstop
$285American Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Aug 27 - Sun, Aug 31
Delta Logo
1:15 pm - 10:43 pmLAX-DSM
7h 28m1 stop
Delta Logo
5:44 am - 11:51 amDSM-LAX
8h 07m1 stop
$291Delta
Find Deal
Tue, Sep 30 - Tue, Oct 7
Southwest Logo
12:40 pm - 9:25 pmLAX-DSM
6h 45m1 stop
Southwest Logo
7:25 am - 2:00 pmDSM-LAX
8h 35m1 stop
$294Southwest
Find Deal
Wed, Aug 20 - Wed, Sep 3
Southwest Logo
2:35 pm - 9:25 pmLAX-DSM
4h 50m1 stop
Southwest Logo
6:30 am - 9:55 amDSM-LAX
5h 25m1 stop
$295Southwest
Find Deal
Thu, Oct 2 - Mon, Oct 6
American Airlines Logo
3:13 pm - 11:28 pmLAX-DSM
6h 15m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 8:50 amDSM-LAX
3h 50mnonstop
$297American Airlines
Find Deal
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Los Angeles to Des Moines flights

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

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

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

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

For Los Angeles to Des Moines, Friday is the cheapest day to fly on average and Thursday is the most expensive. Flying from Des Moines back to Los Angeles, the best deals are generally found on Friday, with Saturday being the most expensive.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Los Angeles to Des Moines?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines, 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 Los Angeles to Des Moines is January, where tickets cost $336 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and June, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $506 and $424 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Los Angeles to Des Moines?

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.

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 1 stop layover the cheapest option at $944 on average.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines, 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 Los Angeles to Des Moines, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 16% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 25 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$93
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 5% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 7% lower on average.
Flight from Los Angeles to Des Moines

When to book flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines

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

  • Will I be able to watch a movie on my flight to DSM?

    Some airlines servicing flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines provide inflight entertainment such as entertainment systems on seat backs or streaming movies and tv shows through onboard WiFi to your personal device. The flight details in your KAYAK.com results should show you this information under the plane type.

  • Are there pet relief areas at LAX and DSM?

    If you are traveling with your pet or service animal, there are relief areas for your four-legged companion at both airports. At LAX, there are two outdoor areas by baggage claims at Terminals 5 and 7 and many inside, including Terminal 1 by Gate 13, Terminal 2 by Gate 21A, and Terminal 6 by Gate 62. At DSM, the pet relief area is just north of the Skywalk, by the parking garage outside the terminal.

  • How do I get to Des Moines city center from the airport?

    From DSM, you can take a short walk out to Fleur Drive and catch DART Bus #8 to downtown for about $1.75 per person. Just outside the baggage claim exit, there is also a taxi stand and a pick-up point for ride-share services, such as Lyft and Uber.

  • Can I rent a car from DSM?

    Many major car rental companies have a counter at DSM airport. You can find their counters in the baggage claim area, and many are open from as early as 7 am to as late as around midnight. Please note that, for most of these companies, you must be at least 21 years old to rent a car.

  • What is the cheapest flight from Los Angeles to Des Moines?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Los Angeles to Des Moines was $93 for a one-way ticket and $170 for a round-trip.

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

    A passport is not required to fly from Los Angeles to Des Moines.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from Los Angeles to Des Moines?

    Only American Airlines offers inflight Wi-Fi service on the Los Angeles to Des Moines flight route.

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

    The Embraer 175 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Los Angeles to Des Moines flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines?

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

  • What is the most popular layover when flying to Des Moines from Los Angeles?

    Denver is the most popular layover city among KAYAK users traveling from Los Angeles to Des Moines.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines, Southwest or Delta?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines are Southwest and Delta. With an average price for the route of $441 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 8.0.

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

    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 Los Angeles to Des Moines.

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

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

    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 Des Moines with an airline and back to Los Angeles with another airline. Booking your flights between Los Angeles and DSM 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 Los Angeles to Des Moines?

    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 Des Moines from Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles to Des Moines

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $313 or less round-trip.
  • You may be able to save some money off a non-stop fare by stopping one or more times on your trip to Des Moines (DSM). One-stop flights include United stopping in Houston and American stopping in Phoenix, while multi-stop flights could be United stopping in San Francisco and Denver or Spirit to Las Vegas, switching to Allegiant in San Diego.
  • There are long-term parking options available at LAX. The Central Terminal Area (CTA) offers convenient access to passenger terminals. The daily rate is about $50, or around $60 for premium spots, but you can get a discount if you reserve a spot online ahead of time. The Economy lot is located on W 94th, and a shuttle service is available 24/7. The rate for the Economy lot is about $30 a day.
  • There are many Metro bus and rail options from various parts of downtown LA to LAX for fares of around $1.75, which may require a few transfers. The most direct route may be the LAX FlyAway bus from Union Station to the airport, with stops at each terminal. The buses run from around 3 am to about 11:30 pm every day, and the fare is $9.75 per person.
  • On average, flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines emit about 1,615 lbs. per passenger. To reduce that amount, you could fly Spirit Airlines to Las Vegas and self-transfer to Frontier to Des Moines. This would save up to 55%, or 886 lbs. If you prefer not to self-transfer, you can still save 45%, or 731 lbs. with United stopping in Denver.
  • If you have some time before your flight to Des Moines boards at LAX, take a walk and explore the many art installations in Terminals 1, 2/3, and 7. You can see works from local and international artists, and you may even catch a live performance to entertain you while you wait.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Los Angeles to Des Moines

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Los Angeles to Des Moines. 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 Los Angeles to Des Moines? 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 4246 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
7.5Entertainment
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
Airline reviews

Delayed flight. Nicest crew member was a SW pilot flying seated next to me who kindly move to seat the final passenger. Flight extra delayed. My cup of refreshment of ginger ale was so packed with ice it was literally 2 sips.

4.0 OkayTraci, Jun 2025OAK - SEA
Read more Southwest reviews

Delayed flight. Nicest crew member was a SW pilot flying seated next to me who kindly move to seat the final passenger. Flight extra delayed. My cup of refreshment of ginger ale was so packed with ice it was literally 2 sips.

No trays in our seats, we sat in first row, purchased a business class fare. Had to hold our drinks and snack in our hands. No plugs for our cell phones. Had to pay for it a drink cocktail each. Seats so uncomfortable.

Flight wasn’t even full, but too many carry-ons caused us to run out of bin space. New bag fee has folks who would usually check their bags carrying on. Watching Southwest morph into Spirit/Frontier is so sad to watch

Southwest is Southwest. No frills. If you're luck enough to get a happy crew (we did), then it makes for a nicer flight.

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

I liked the crew member who gave flight instructions on "in case of a problem:. The seats are so small that only a young teenager could sit in middle seat.

Great flight staff. Ease of boarding. Overall, very uneventful and easy trip.

Employees were kind and funny, as always! Flight was late but no announcements were made for people with tight connections to help them transition quickly. No service due to turbulence.

I recently flew Southwest from San Jose to Honolulu. I was very impressed with the flight crew, especially the flight attendant in charge of the front of the plane. She came through the aisle at least five times for drinks and water, and two times for snacks. I have not seen such service since I flew first class. Also, for the first time, they gave us the correct baggage claim number, and the luggage came out quickly. I can't wait for Southwest to have assigned seating! I absolutely hate the Cattle Call boarding procedure and the mad dash to get seats and overhead bins. However, the boarding was efficient.

My husband upgraded our seats and I don't know if it was due to the type of planet was or if they didn't upgrade our seats. We were supposed to be in I believe comfort seats and they were just as tight as any other seat- no leg room and we are very tall people but at least it wasn't extremely cold. My husband did put in a complaint about our seating because he paid extra and if we would have known that the space and the tightness would have been the same, we just would have gotten the emergency row emergency row seats that we normally get. We love Delta but both our flights coming home we're not good. Oh I forgot to mention that on our flight to Hawaii our luggage wheels got broke and we had to purse new luggage on vacation then we never had this problem so we didn't know protocol and reported it after we got home only for them to tell is we only had 24hrs to report the damage. Not sure what was going on with Delta this vacation trip.

Crew was excellent. Comfort seats not as nice as other kinds of planes.

It was a great flight and the stewards and stewardess were all kind and accommodating!! The seats were comfortable and entertainment screen excellent!

There are 4 flights in consecutive gates with about the same departure time. Two flights were boarding at the same time. One was delayed or boarding would be happening at the same time. I am not sure what Delta and LAX need to do to have a better layout at the end of Terminal 2

There was a security issue at the airport and we were unable to land. We circled endlessly and then landed at another airfield for fuel. We then circled the airport again, almost landed but didn’t fully touch down before circling again. I am thankful to the crew for keeping us safe- the issue was the airline and staff at the airport getting us seats on our connecting flights. That part was hours of searching for someone and getting in double my steps.

Most aspects were good however if they assign boarding zones they ought to enforce them or why bother? My luggage from SAN-JFK-MAD was lost in NY so I without my main bag for two days upon arrival in Spain. They were helpful in tracking it and eventually delivered it to my hotel. The flub was because of a delay upon arrival in NYC. I had booked 2 1/2 hours between flights but we had to hold on the taxiway for an hour after landing while waiting for a clear gate which likely caused the baggage error.

Excellent flight, the planes were newer, they did a nice job with boarding, great service overall.

It would be nice if was given wires ear buds. Overall was a good experience was able to sleep on the plane

737-800 in first class was pretty dumpy. Seat had an uncomfortable angle, storage under the seat was blocked so even my very modest backpack didn't fit, power outlet was flaky. Weird tiny seat pockets that couldn't hold a gallon ziploc bag, emesis bag missing, etc. etc. No in-flight service due to turbulence. Crew was excellent, boarding was smooth despite a full flight.

Delta flight was on time, seats were comfortable, and crew was nice.

I learned that seating towards the end of plane that a line forms for the restroom and people use your chair as a hand railing, bumping your seat consistently. I was seated in the aisle. I think that next time if I am towards the back row I would want to sit in the middle or window seat.

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.

Not a great experience. We paid for the upgrade for premium economy seats and seated ourselves in very comfortable seats. Someone came along with the same seat on their boarding pass. The aircraft had been changed and as a result we were booted out and sent further back to small uncomfortable seats. After complaining we were moved to emergency row seats, which gave us more leg room but the seats don’t recline. For people in our 70’s we found having to sit upright from California to NJ very uncomfortable. Not sure why they chose to move senior citizens instead of the two people that were allowed to take the more comfortable seats. Not happy.

It was great, I’m very grateful for the pilots and crew flight attendants for everything.

Everything was great. Only thing that could’ve made it better was buy on board options for hot food, but the snacks were decent. The flight attendants were great. I had no complaints. I was able to make it to my destination safely

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

Horrific. They missed my connecting flight to San Diego. I didn’t get there until Monday at 9am when I had a mandatory court settlement conference scheduled at 6am since we had parties on the east coast. This caused many issues. All because United apparently forgot to hold the doors open until my flight landed that only had a 10 minute delay. This was the last flight to Southern California. So I couldn’t even rent a car to finish the trip. United cannot be trusted when traveling on specific days and times since weather didn’t have anything to do with the delays.

Really good 😊 the woman at the gate entrance was a little rude checking in our carry-on but i dont think she worked for the airline, she worked for the airport at sacramento, other than that amazing.

it was so bad. I tried to board my flight from vancouver to saskatoon. And to my surprise they did not board me cause the flight was changed and no email was send to me. and on my boarding pass which i got from seattle says different flight. I did not knew anyone from Vancouver, air canada crew was rude, i asked for today flight but they were rude and i had early morning dental appointment in saskatoon. I was so much in pain and my whole day is wasted today. and i suffered alot. They did provide me hotel but they did not provide me any food. I am really really disappointed first time had so bad experience with air canada. I may think twice to book it again. If i can get any reply or any composition that would be great. Thanks

Very comfortable (upgraded to business class). The audio on my screen didn’t work, but I managed to play the audio through my phone while watching the screen.

Our flight was 1.5 hours delayed. There was no weather for the inbound flight, so I don't understand why. This meant a VERY late arrival and only a quick nap before my morning flight.

Delayed flight, so I switched fights to SFO to Phoenix , Phoenix to DSM. Excellent service through American Airlines

AA re-routed flight from HNL to LAX due to delay. My group of 3 with reserved seats in row 9 was broken up, with one assigned to a middle seat, another in the last row of the plane. Not happy. No explanation to the delay. No apologies. No compensation. Would have been nice to be offered an Admiral Club admission or a voucher for the extra 3 hours of layover in LAX. Could not hear the boarding gate announcements in LAX. Adjacent gate was boarding at the same time. Loud speakers were competing against each other. Barely made my boarding group.

Almost a 6 hour flight and the only food option is a cheese plate… and chips. Also how is it there are no options for texting on American. I’ll be going back to delta and united.

Bad food, small seats that didn’t recline. I thought I was buying a quantas ticket so I feel like I got scammed

The chair cushions may need an upgrade. I have been noticing they are so worn out, thin so you’d sit in a dip 😄. Other than that, all was an enjoyable trip. Thanks AA!

Cramped seats. FAA should make airlines have more legroom, for even short people complain

Eventless. It was a good flight and good crew. Can’t complaint.

Very helpful ground crew after an earlier flight delay and being rebooked on a different flight.

The plane was late and then sat on the runway for almost 45 minutes before taking off.

What I expected, nickeled and dined and a frontier flight attendant loudly complained about her job and lack of communication as she headed to the gate on her cell phone. Not professional.

As every law enforcement agency I could imagine surrounded the plane and we didn’t disembark for 2 hours and then had to stick around for another hour to go get our personal belongings after leaving them behind and being bused away from the plane, it was scary and inconvenient. We were given no information as to why this was happening. Lack of communication with passengers was disappointing.

After boarding and un-boarding twice over 6+hours, the flight was canceled.

Severe turbulence. Captain never came on to reassure passengers after things settled down.

Cancelled flight after I arrived at airport after 75 min drive and parking. Next flight was 4 days in the future. Had to scramble and buy a much more expensive flight on another carrier.

I liked the turn-style feature at gate 209B at LAX. Very efficient process. The gate staff also made several, clearly directed announcements so I felt very informed.

The seats were awful, hard plastic covered in sheet vinyl. The airline tries to scam you into paying extra to get seat together when the flight wasn’t full. They were going to separate a family with young children but my wife who had a row to herself gave up her seat so the young mom could be with her young boys. I’m never giving this airline my money again.

It was a short flight so no food or entertainment….

Frontier had yet another flight cancellation. Have never made a complete round trip with this airline without at least one leg getting cancelled. Miserable flights - dirty, uncomfortable planes that apparently always have issues since I've had multiple delays and cancellations with them.

Flight was delayed 3 times, would have been nice to have received text message instead of email notifications. Frontier app wasn’t even updated accordingly, no gate number disclosed. No agent at front desk of gate to inform of delay. Very confused and left if the dark

Everything you need to know for your flight from Los Angeles to Des Moines

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