PHL - DSM

$86 Find Cheap Flights from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia to Des Moines departing on 12/21. 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, 0 bags

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Des Moines

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia to Des Moines, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Philadelphia to Des Moines (PHL-DSM)

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

Sat, Dec 13 - Wed, Dec 17
Southwest Logo
8:15 am - 2:55 pmPHL-DSM
7h 40m1 stop
Southwest Logo
4:15 pm - 9:15 pmDSM-PHL
4h 00m1 stop
$167Southwest
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Fri, Oct 31 - Sun, Nov 2
Frontier Logo
6:19 am - 1:47 pmPHL-DSM
8h 28m1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:32 pm - 4:49 amDSM-PHL
13h 17m1 stop
$192Frontier
Find Deal
Sat, Dec 6 - Sat, Dec 13
Delta Logo
5:30 am - 10:38 amPHL-DSM
6h 08m1 stop
Delta Logo
3:00 pm - 9:25 pmDSM-PHL
5h 25m1 stop
$207Delta
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Fri, Nov 21 - Mon, Nov 24
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 2:58 pmPHL-DSM
9h 58m1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:34 am - 5:46 pmDSM-PHL
7h 12m1 stop
$216Multiple Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Nov 6 - Sun, Nov 9
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 8:13 pmPHL-DSM
14h 13m1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:03 pm - 12:59 amDSM-PHL
26h 56m2 stops
$240Multiple Airlines
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Tue, Nov 11 - Tue, Nov 18
Delta Logo
6:01 pm - 10:33 pmPHL-DSM
5h 32m1 stop
Delta Logo
2:17 pm - 9:41 pmDSM-PHL
6h 24m1 stop
$245Delta
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Fri, Oct 31 - Wed, Nov 12
American Airlines Logo
10:25 am - 12:19 pmPHL-DSM
2h 54mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
4:02 pm - 11:47 pmDSM-PHL
6h 45m1 stop
$265American Airlines
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Fri, Oct 31 - Wed, Nov 12
United Airlines Logo
10:34 am - 8:45 pmPHL-DSM
11h 11m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
11:26 am - 5:29 pmDSM-PHL
5h 03m1 stop
$280United Airlines
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Sat, Dec 6 - Sat, Dec 13
United Airlines Logo
10:15 am - 8:48 pmPHL-DSM
11h 33m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 2:07 pmDSM-PHL
5h 07m1 stop
$282United Airlines
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Fri, Oct 31 - Sun, Nov 2
American Airlines Logo
6:49 pm - 8:40 pmPHL-DSM
2h 51mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
5:00 am - 8:25 amDSM-PHL
2h 25mnonstop
$284American Airlines
Find Deal

Everything you should know

Top airlines
Southwest
Cheapest • from $167 (round-trip)
Southwest
Best reviews • 8.0 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
When to travel
September
Cheapest • 20% price drop
July
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
Cheapest round-trip
$167
Overall average: $436
Southwest
Sat 12/13Wed 12/17
PHL - DSM • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way
$86
Typical prices: $248-$338
Frontier
Sun 12/21
PHL - DSM • 1 stop
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We hope you love your trip to Des Moines!
Booking Insights

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

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

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

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

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to Des Moines on a Saturday and more expensive on a Monday. On your return trip to Philadelphia, you should consider flying back on a Saturday, and avoid Tuesdays for better deals.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia to Des Moines is September, where tickets cost $300 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are January and December, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $438 and $436 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Philadelphia 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 $309 on average.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia to Des Moines, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 6 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$86
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 16% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 6% increase in price.
Flight from Philadelphia to Des Moines

When to book flights from Philadelphia to Des Moines

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

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

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Philadelphia to Des Moines was $86 for a one-way ticket and $167 for a round-trip.

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

    No

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

    American Airlines, and Delta offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the Philadelphia to Des Moines flight route.

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

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

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

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

  • On which days can I fly direct from Philadelphia to Des Moines?

    There are nonstop flights from Philadelphia to Des Moines on a daily basis.

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

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Philadelphia to Des Moines are Southwest and Delta. With an average price for the route of $386 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 $340 and an overall rating of 7.9.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia to Des Moines.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Des Moines from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia with another airline. Booking your flights between Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia to Des Moines

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $206 or less one-way and $294 or less round-trip.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Philadelphia to Des Moines

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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 4237 reviews
7.5Entertainment
8.6Crew
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
8.0Comfort
Airline reviews

Sacrament staff are always polite and helpful. Airport is easy to maneuver and boarding is straightforward.

10.0 ExcellentStacy, Oct 2025SMF - DEN
Read more Southwest reviews

Sacrament staff are always polite and helpful. Airport is easy to maneuver and boarding is straightforward.

Great flight. Outstanding Service. Southwest was able to put us on a direct flight to Denver when the connection could have been affected by a later arrival to Baltimore. The direct flight was less expensive that the flight with the connection in Baltimore.

Delays delays delays. Late taking off, late landing, wait for a gate, etc.

Boarded on time but once we were ready for take off, the crew determined that, although every seat was taken, somehow someone was on the wrong flight. Delay, delay delay, announcements and ended up with one person checking EVERY ID against their passenger Manifest only to figure out it was a "clerical error." We departed 54 minutes late causing me to run in the St. Louis Airport to make my connection and lose the priority boarding spot I had paid for. Unnecessary delay.

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.

Flight was delayed due to plane not passing inspection And one of the crew had to time out and we had to wait for another one A 3 hour delay

mandatory demand customer to check their carry on because not enough people check bags.

Connecting flight is on time and boarding was a breeze!

Excellent. Would encourage Southwest to keep current boarding procedures with free style seating. Makes for a fantastic experience

As always, the entire Southwest experience was perfect. Purchasing the tickets on the Southwest web site was effortless, departure and arrival gates were spotless and comfortable, plane was clean and comfortable, crew was excellent and flight was on time. Wheelchair service in Las Vegas at departure was somewhat chaotic and disjointed, but I am not sure if that was Southwest problem, airport problem or combination.

The flight used a B767 with a very old interior from before 2014. The entertainment system did not work at all during the flight despite attempts to reset the system. It was like they flew this route just to be competitive.

They changed planes and the new plane couldn’t carry enough fuel to fly across the country so we had to stop in Kansas City to refuel. Flight was delayed .

Flight was too crowded and seats are too small, especially since passengrs are getting larger. Having a middle seat is ALWAYS tough! Woman on my left was large & kept creeping in to my space. Flight personnel were great! Have more savory rather than sweet snacks please.

Flight was crowded and the woman sitting on my left was large & kept crouching in to my space. You need bigger seats or smaller passengers to fit into the seats you DO have! Snack were OK. Would appreciate if airlines had more savory rather than sweet snacks, thank you!

Delayed flight (1hour) plus a long layover after an overnight flight with no backup plane available.

We were delayed, which I think had to do with air traffic control. Otherwise, everything was great.

The boarding process needs to be refined. Sometimes the gate crew calls out the zones and then flip to showing the.zones boarding on the gate monitor display. So, unless you are huddled around the gate lanes watching the monitor, you could miss your boarding zone. Suggest the zones be announced each time a new zone is allowed to board.

The boarding process needs to be refined. Sometimes the gate crew call out the boarding zone, and then flip to the monitor to show which zones are boarding. So unless everyone is gathered around to see the monitor there is usually confusion as wi which zones are boarding.

On time flight. Seat comfort could be better in the Comfort section.

My issue was with TSA agents for delta airlines. My luggage got flagged. The agent was going thru another persons first. He took 20 min to go thru hers. I asked them to bring mine closer so I could sit down . They said you can go sit it will be fine. I said I am supposed to keep my eyes on my bags at all times. The agent was meticulously unwrapping 2 gifts that the lady had and then tried to re warp it. He was trying to be kind i get it but 20 min for me to stand watching him do that was ridiculous. It was 6 am and there were a ton of travelers. Mine was flagged for some air packed tea that I bought in Turkey. My previous delta flight and 2 others before didn’t flag it. Consistency would be nice. Also on the flight the window shades were down for take off and landing - I thought that was very odd I thought they had to remain open for take off and landing.

Another delayed flight. When the delays exceed the duration of the flight, it’s a problem.

Excellent flight. Smooth, efficient boarding. Quick flight. Arrived early at STL.

After boarding the plane in Chicago, the passengers were told that there was a technical problem with the plane. Passengers remained on the plane as they tried to fix the problem. After what was probably an hour passengers were told that there was a need to change planes as the problem was not solved. Passengers disembarked and boarded another plane. After taxing to the runway and waiting for takeoff, passengers were told that owing to the thunderstorm the flight was unable to take off but would try and reroute. After some time passengers were told there wasn't enough fuel for the new route and the plane had to return to the gate for additional fuel. after another log delay the flight got underway. On the plane there was food, drinks, ice or entertainment. We were a glass of water, which appeared rationed. Flight arrived about 5 hours late. The pilot was fantastic and communicated with the passengers throughout the ordeal.

The flight attendants were great, I joked with one I can’t remember her name, a blond, really sweet. I thought it was run well very professional. This was great i survived Spirit, I know for which I speak.

My husband and I recently had an unfortunate experience with Lufthansa. At the Philadelphia International airport, the ground staff refused to board us because we didn’t have a current visa stamped on our passports for Frankfurt. We completely understand that this was our mistake. we should have double-checked the visa requirements before our trip. However, the issue that upset us most was how the situation was handled by the staff. They told us they would mark it as “boarding denied due to visa issue”, but instead they recorded it as “no show”. Because of that incorrect entry, our return flight was automatically cancelled as well, which caused additional stress and expense. Mistakes can happen, but we expected more transparency and accuracy from a reputed airline like Lufthansa. It would have made a big difference if the staff had been more careful and considerate in documenting the situation correctly.

During booking, I kept trying submitting my payment from the Mexican website and it didn't work. After I had the idea to change it to the Canadian website, it worked but I had to be charged the equivalent of 50 CAD more. I received the clear instruction that I would only be able to check-in at the airport and that it was impossible to select a seat 24 hours before departure, that I had to pay 144 CAD to do so, although not only was I able to check-in 24 hours before departure, but I could have selected my seats for free then. All in all, I almost threw $200 out the window due to misleading information. Besides, the app kept crashing, the information to get to the gate on the app was inaccurate, my gate was switched and I was only informed once in the air (luckily I had noticed the departure pannel), I was not addressed in my language beforehand and even if I tried I was immediately answered in English (which meant the crew understood but didn't want to answer accordingly), there was only one snack & beverage service on my medium haul flight and no beverage service on my short haul flight. To be fair, the planes were comfortable, the crew apart from the language issue was helpful, dynamic and engaging, the plane was clean and the directions were clear and direct. United has a lot of potential to be one of my favourite airlines, but the devil is in the details and a lot of them missed the target.

Flight was timely, relatively comfortable, with decent entertainment and food served. Only problem encountered was with the free messaging which I highly appreciate, but it did not work from iphone to non-iphones.

Better WiFi. I cannot understand that in 2025, United is so behind on a technology that is now a necessity and still painfully unreliable, slow and keeps disconnecting.

The entertainment available didn’t work for anyone on the flight. Long 6 hr flight with no entertainment option and the staff didn’t know until an hour into the flight when we made sure they knew about it. They had no way to fix it.

Crew seemed a bit cranky. No seatback screens. But boarding was efficient and on time and we arrived early.

Delays to take off and to leave the plane after landing added a lot of time to this flight.

The Phildalphia to Allentown portion was a BUS, not a plane. All was as expected.

Excellent - explanations were clear staff was nice and flight was comfortable

Flight was delayed not sure why no explanation given and no apologies either. Otherwise the flight was fine

Did not get the seat I selected and paid for.

Plane was delayed for 6 hours, at first by weather, which is understandable, but was further delayed with NO given reason for 2 1/2 hours more. We had no clue when we were going to depart actually until they opened the ramp. VERY POOR to ZERO COMMUNICATION!!!

Flight was delayed and after being in the airport for like seven hours, it was canceled.

Flight delays numerous times. Everytime we would get close to boarding it would be delayed again. Strung along the entire time.

Overall very good, only complaint I have is the crew from CLT to SAT could have collected trash sooner.

Above and beyond effort from this crew in a tough situation. So helpful and understanding. Thank you!

Boarding was on time and plane departed as scheduled. There are obviously no amenities (food, drink, entertainment) on Frontier, but there also didn't seem to be any issues with luggage space either.

Inbound plane was on time and flight departed on time with no issues while boarding.

I knew going into this that Frontier, being a low cost carrier, would be pretty bare bones and charge for most extras but this was made up for by the fact that the airplane was a reasonably new Airbus, every employee was great and best of all, Everett Washington is an amazing airport - thanks Frontier for flying there!!!

i was unable to check in the flight. refund requested

It was well done. It was my first time flying with them and I was nervous b/c I have heard of many cancelled and/or delray flights. Everything went smoothly.

Just know that everything, and I mean everything is “ala cart”. 60$ just to put something in the overhead bin. I will never fly Frontier again nor do I recommend them to anyone else.

The single worst check in experience I could imagine. I’ll never do any business with Frontier or any affiliated company

Too many extra fees, uncomfortable, little leg room. Will not recommend this airline.

Everyone seemed to be in zone 1 for boarding. Maybe break it up a little. Otherwise, smooth flight.

Frontier is the Walmart of airlines. Frontier has removed adjustability and comfort from their seats to make the flight lighter and save gas. This makes it impossible to sleep on their flights. Their customer service is abysmal. Once, I bought a drink on the plane, and they swiped my credit card on the plane to pay for it. Then I got three weeks of daily notices from my bank telling me they tried to charge the wrong card number over and over again. I tried to call them, but they removed the ability to actually talk to someone that can resolve such a problem from their company to cut corners. The only way to talk to someone in person is to go to the check-in counter at the airport (40 minutes drive from my house). Eventually their system gave up on trying to charge the card, after 21 days of repeated tries. They don't pad their prices even a little to handle customer service issues like missed flights. They also have a blanket policy preventing helping you reschedule a missed flight if their system says you "cancelled" your own flight online. This is a major problem because their website is broken on mobile devices, the only web browser you have at the airport when their gate staff tell you that you have to reschedule your own missed flight online because they can't help you. I tried to reschedule my flight on my android device and instead, their website crashed and "cancelled" my missed flight. When I got to the counter, the agent argued with me for 5 minutes insisting that I intentionally cancelled my own flight (implying I had to buy another flight). She missed the point: the problem was that I could not buy another flight because their website is broken. I left to avoid more conflict with the "customer service" agent. I tried to redress my issue with their only other "customer service" chanel available: the contact form on their website. The response I got was more of the same: you cancelled your own flight, according to our website / computer records, therefore we won't help you. I was trying to explain the problem with their broken website that cost me hundreds of dollars by crashing / malfunctioning and resulting in a cancelled flight, but they only had deaf ears for this problem. Worst customer service I have ever experienced. I will never buy another Frontier flight again, because it is a risky, painful move that I will likely regret often.

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