PDX - DSM

$133 Find Cheap Flights from Portland 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 Portland to Des Moines departing on 1/11. 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 Portland to Des Moines.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Portland to Des Moines.
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$309
Overall average: $442
Delta
Sat 1/10Sat 1/17
PDX - DSM • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$294
Allegiant Air
Thu 6/4Sun 6/7
PDX - DSM • Non-stop
Top airlines
Delta
Cheapest • from $309 (round-trip)
Delta
Best reviews • 7.9 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
When to book
3 weeks
in advance
Our data shows that travelers who book at least 3 weeks in advance save around 5% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
September
Cheapest • 52% price drop
June
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
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Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Portland to Des Moines (PDX-DSM)

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

Sat, Jan 10 - Sat, Jan 17
Delta Logo
1:53 pm - 9:24 pm
PDX
-
DSM
5h 31m1 stop
Delta Logo
6:54 am - 12:46 pm
DSM
-
PDX
7h 52m1 stop
$309Delta
Sat, Jan 10 - Sat, Jan 17
United Airlines Logo
5:35 am - 4:28 pm
PDX
-
DSM
8h 53m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
11:30 am - 6:56 pm
DSM
-
PDX
9h 26m1 stop
$314United Airlines
Sat, Feb 14 - Wed, Feb 18
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:04 am - 10:04 pm
PDX
-
DSM
12h 00m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
11:27 am - 8:01 pm
DSM
-
PDX
10h 34m1 stop
$341Alaska Airlines
Thu, Feb 19 - Sat, Feb 21
American Airlines Logo
11:59 pm - 10:47 am
PDX
-
DSM
8h 48m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
2:02 pm - 9:22 pm
DSM
-
PDX
9h 20m1 stop
$367American Airlines
Thu, Jan 22 - Mon, Jan 26
American Airlines Logo
2:50 pm - 11:58 pm
PDX
-
DSM
7h 08m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
4:00 pm - 10:11 pm
DSM
-
PDX
8h 11m1 stop
$377American Airlines
Sat, Feb 14 - Wed, Feb 18
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:04 am - 10:04 pm
PDX
-
DSM
12h 00m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
11:27 am - 8:01 pm
DSM
-
PDX
10h 34m1 stop
$381Alaska Airlines
Sat, Feb 14 - Wed, Feb 18
United Airlines Logo
4:00 pm - 11:43 pm
PDX
-
DSM
5h 43m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
3:24 pm - 12:34 am
DSM
-
PDX
11h 10m2 stops
$386United Airlines
Thu, Jan 22 - Mon, Jan 26
Southwest Logo
6:45 am - 7:20 pm
PDX
-
DSM
10h 35m2 stops
Southwest Logo
8:35 am - 3:40 pm
DSM
-
PDX
9h 05m1 stop
$388Southwest
Sat, Feb 14 - Wed, Feb 18
United Airlines Logo
4:00 pm - 11:43 pm
PDX
-
DSM
5h 43m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 10:59 pm
DSM
-
PDX
16h 59m3 stops
$391United Airlines
Sat, Feb 14 - Wed, Feb 18
United Airlines Logo
8:30 am - 9:41 pm
PDX
-
DSM
11h 11m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 10:59 pm
DSM
-
PDX
16h 59m3 stops
$396United Airlines
Booking Insights

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

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

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

If your flying dates are flexible, you should consider flying to Des Moines on a Thursday, as we generally find the cheapest rates on that day for this route. On the other hand, Sunday is the most expensive day to fly from Portland to Des Moines. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Saturday and avoiding Tuesdays for the best deals.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Portland 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 Portland to Des Moines is September, where tickets cost $162 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and November, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $466 and $453 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Portland 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.

No, with an average price for the route of $381, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Portland 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 Portland 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 Portland to Des Moines, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 5% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 19 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$133
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 30% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 15% lower on average.
Flight from Portland to Des Moines

When to book flights from Portland to Des Moines

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

  • What services does Sun Country Airlines offer economy class passengers on flights from Portland to Des Moines?

    Sun Country Airlines offers several services to Economy Class passengers on its flights from Portland to Des Moines. The airline offers complimentary in-flight entertainment and a Wi-Fi service for a fee, allowing passengers to stay connected and browse the Internet during their flight. Sun Country Airlines also offers complimentary water and snacks to Economy Class passengers.

  • How do I get from Des Moines Airport (DSM) to the city center?

    Taxis are available at DSM and can take you to the city center in about 15-20 minutes, depending on traffic conditions. The estimated fare for a one-way trip is around $25-30. You can use ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft to travel from DSM to the city center. The estimated cost for a one-way trip is around $15-20. A public bus service operated by DART, Des Moines Area Regional Transit, also provides transportation from DSM to the city center. Route 8 runs between the airport and downtown Des Moines, with a one-way fare of about $2 per person. The duration of the ride is around 30-40 minutes.

  • What is the baggage allowance on United Airlines flights from Portland to Des Moines?

    United Airlines allows each passenger one personal item and one standard carry-on bag on flights from Portland to Des Moines. The personal item must fit under the seat in front of you, while the carry-on bag must fit in the overhead compartment and cannot exceed 22 x 14 x 9 inches in size. United Airlines allows passengers to check up to two bags, and a fee applies for each piece of checked baggage. The maximum weight allowed per bag is 50 pounds, and the maximum size allowed per bag is 62 linear inches.

  • Which airline offers flights from Portland to Des Moines with less carbon emissions?

    American Airlines offers flights from Portland to Des Moines and has committed to setting science-based targets for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to efforts to limit global temperature rise. Additionally, American Airlines has invested in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which uses a novel process to make net-zero carbon transportation fuels with a reduced carbon intensity.

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

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Portland to Des Moines was $133 for a one-way ticket and $309 for a round-trip.

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

    No, a passport isn't needed to fly from Portland to Des Moines. However, local authorities might ask for an official ID.

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

    The Airbus A320-100/200 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Portland to Des Moines flight route.

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

    SkyTeam, oneworld, and Star Alliance are the airline alliances operating flights between Portland 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 Portland?

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

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

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Portland to Des Moines are Delta and Southwest. With an average price for the route of $410 and an overall rating of 7.9, Delta is the most popular choice. Southwest is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $461 and an overall rating of 7.9.

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

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

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

  • Frontier Airlines allows pets to travel in the cabin on their flights from Portland (PDX) to Des Moines (DSM). This includes dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and small household birds. A pet fee each way applies for travel on Frontier Airlines.
  • Portland Airport (PDX) is a hub for Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines operates from both Concourse C and Concourse D at PDX. Passengers are advised to check their airline tickets to confirm the departure terminal for their flights from Portland to Des Moines.
  • Flights from Portland (PDX) to Des Moines (DSM) have layovers in various cities depending on the airline you choose. Some common layovers for the route include Denver (DEN), Minneapolis (MSP), Dallas (DFW), Chicago (ORD), and Las Vegas (LAS).
  • Spirit Airlines offers several services for passengers with reduced mobility on flights from Portland to Des Moines. These services include wheelchair and mobility aid assistance, accompanying someone to their gate, access to accessible lavatory options, and on-board assistance.
  • Des Moines Airport (DSM) serves several nearby cities in the area. These include Urbandale, Johnston, Altoona, Ankeny, Norwalk, and Carlisle.

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

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Portland 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 Portland 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.
7.9
DeltaOverall score based on 8007 reviews
7.9Entertainment
7.9Comfort
7.3Food
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

Original flight was cancelled and when i was rebooked by the airline, they couldn't seat me in the same type of seat as I had originally booked (went from window/aisle to middle/middle and one was a bulkhead seat, and other wasn't in the same class)

6.0 GoodJeff, Dec 2025
JFK - MIA
Read more Delta reviews

Original flight was cancelled and when i was rebooked by the airline, they couldn't seat me in the same type of seat as I had originally booked (went from window/aisle to middle/middle and one was a bulkhead seat, and other wasn't in the same class)

Lady Pilot was perfect in every way wheels up to wheels down communication, professionalism, excellent on time departure and on time arrival, excellent communication! Fantastic job with Superb attitude!!

The food is terrible. The staff is wonderful. Comfort is good.

Left on time, a bit delayed due to headwinds most of the trip.

I fly Delta all the time, have Platinum Medallion status. But this route seems to have major problems with delays and seems to never leave on time! Have only taken it twice in the last two weeks, and each time it had delays of more than 1 hour... very disappointed!!!!

Good seats in Main cabin, excellent service and excellent landing

My flight was cancelled with no explanation after I had already cleared security. I was given 4 options to rebook, only one being non-stop like I had paid for. I grabbed it. It was 4 plus hours later and then took off even later. Biggest complaint is that I booked early and had an aisle seat. They gave me a "window" seat in front of the exit row, so the seat did not decline. I weigh all of 103 #s and it was tight for me! For what I paid, I feel I was kind of ripped off. I think they should have given me the empty comfort seat for the inconvenience. There was no apology nor any explanation as to why the flight was cancelled. My guess is it benefitted Delta in some way.

Very smooth, on-time, and pleasantly uneventful flight. The team at the gate and on board were professional and genuinely courteous. The pilot kept us well updated throughout, and both takeoff and landing were steady and enjoyable without any drama. Just a good, solid flight. Thank you! 💗

Staff was exceptional! Everyone was kind, professional and friendly making the trip very pleasant. Thank you!

No lunch on a x-country flight scheduled for 10:50 am departure, arrived 5+ hrs later. That requires a black box label before you pay for the tickets. Worst, when I checked in online, it's specifically said that lunch was served on his flight for economy Plus passengers.

It was nice to have gotten up upgraded to first class with a meal on a three hour flight

United have really come back. Airport and boarding process is clear and good, app and information also very good

Flight was delayed 8 times. We were sitting at the airport for 14 hours. We got 2 hours of sleep (if that) on what was not meant to be a red-eye.

After a delay at the gate, C3, at Ohare on Sunday, I left my Blk ski coat on the bench at the gate, lost! Please review my lob claim, thx.

Very bad! They kept delaying my flight and wouldn’t do anything about it

They brought an empty plane to the gate. Then a flight delay was announced for maintenance and waiting on a part. I was then put on a flight to San Francisco instead with a connecting flight to my final destination. Arrived at my final destination 2 hours late.

The only downside was my cell phone charger wouldn’t work in the charging port but everyone else’s would work in them all. My cell phone cable works fine in my hotel room in Frankfurt.

Flight team stood out for perzonal attention, kindness at bright cheery attitudes at 8am. Very helpful.

Ot was overall fine. Left on time and had basic snacks. Weather was finicky but that’s not the airlines fault.

Very thoughtful flight attendant offered me water immediately since I had run to make my connection.

The boarding was as always, the crew tried their best but not enough. The food was a disaster I had dietary restrictions that were half met because the company did not loaded the food for the flight. The entertainment screen was fine but content was not and also they removed the free messaging option from the flight and they charged 30 dollars for that crappy bandwidth. This flight is not worth the cost and the company is going down on quality.

Awful. They won’t help me with anything. I booked on American but they abdicated to Iberia. The ticket was overpriced. Everything negative

it was fine, decent flight... dont get food besides cookies or pretzels so not sure why you ask about food. same for entertainment..

I got sick nothing contagious but distressing and the care I received by Kayla? Keighly the flight attendant will be memorable for ever. Thank You

I got sick nothing contagious but distressing enough and the care I received on the flight was astounding.

Waaay too small plane. They also need to up the size of the overhead bins. I would love to keep me 3k with of camera equipment in my hard case baggahe instead of it being thrown into the belly of the plane

Attendants were pleasant and the flight was smooth and relaxed.

A little late at the start but all worked out well.

It was fine. No drinks nor snacks offered though. I thought that was unusual.

I liked the humor of the captain and crew on the flight from Flagstaff to Dallas. They were humorous.

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.

I liked how when I got on board how fast we ended up taking off but what I truly disliked was how uncomfortable the seats were. There was truly never a time that I could ever get comfortable during both of my flights. The seats could get away during shorter flights but flights 3 hour plus makes it hard to enjoy.

The crew was great and the flight was very smooth. Can’t really judge food since I did not get any because it costs money. The seat was comfortable for what we bought. Thanks!

Crew was great. No entertainment and food and beverage was for purchase only, even water

It was canceled. The flight wasn’t rescheduled, everyone had to figure out their own new arrangements. They said we would get refunded our original fare and receive an additional $150. We received links for $100 only and they expired before we could activate them.

The plane had originated in Las Vegas at 6:30 in the morning and flew to Moline where we boarded. The flight left around 12:30 PM and there were no boxed snacks available and many of the alcoholic beverages were unavailable. I would find it hard to believe that that many of the passengers coming from Las Vegas at 6:30 in the morning, drank and ate that much of the items. I can only come to the conclusion that someone failed to stock the plane for the round-trip. This is a huge revenue failure for the airline and disappointment for the passengers. The flight crew did not seem happy to be there and did not engage with passengers. Allegiant you can do better.

Not clean and was told I would get a great seat and it was not great at all

Flight got delayed for 5 hours no good explanation was offered ;(

Horrible. I would never fly Frontier again. The booking process is tricky at best, but fraudulent in my opinion. Frontier customer service did nothing to rectify my purchase -- I ended up paying more than double what I could have gotten from other airlines and nearly triple what I thought I was buying from Frontier. Their booking practices are unfair to the consumer.

Delayed. Text notifications were slow. Not much information o what was happening. Boarding was slow and confusing. Wasn’t even offered water other flight. Had to ask. No entertainment at all. Felt like.a Greyhound bus.

When I wanted to check in 3 hours prior to boarding time, the employees mentioned “a little over an hour delay” so I waited for an hour then I went to go look for food in the terminal and most people from that flight were in the same area looking for food. Finally I decided after food to check to see if it’s anytime closer and now it’s 2 mins until boarding closes?! What are you kidding me? I didn’t receive anything via sms about boarding now nor via email or on the intercom. I luckily made it through, barely, and then there’s no room for my carry on mind you I’m in the very first row so I had to place my purse in one further row back and my carry on sections down. Not sure who pays for better seats to get your stuff placed all over the plane but that was the worst experience I’ve ever had flying with anyone.

Better than expected. Staff were friendly and nice on both flights.

There was no one at the counter to assist with our check in. The app didn’t work, so I arrived at the airport with time to check in and I couldn’t because no employees were there. When I finally got someone on the phone, it was inside the 60min rule and they said I could no longer check in and they could sell me another ticket. We had to scramble and pay an additional $800 for tickets and THEN AFTER (about 60 min from my original convo with customer service and 10min after original departure time) I had boarded my new flight, there was email saying my original flight from Frontier was delayed and leaving 2hr 50min later, but I STILL wouldn’t have been able to check in. Which means customer service should have been able to see it and let me check in because I was well within my check in time. When I call Frontier, they hang up on me. So their app didn’t work and they employees left and they take zero responsibility or assistance with their “customer service”

Terrible. Flight cancelled with no reasoning and no flights to rebook. Employees were useless and did nothing to help. Did not even know where to retrieve luggage from the cancelled flight. Flyers beware.

No fault of Frontier staff: plane was very late, reached Orlando at 1 am, took a while to get luggage. Weather, gov financial shutdown impact on TSA, air controllers seemed to have multiple flights backed up. Frontier staff seemed to cope as gracefully as possible. It did reassure me that I and my new hip could adapt to travel challenges. Food/entertainment were irrelevant to my trip.

Terrible. The canceled my entire flight when I requested a refund for a trip frontier canceled trip one way.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports