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Find cheap flights from San Diego to Des Moines from $79

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San Diego to Des Moines departing on 5/21. 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
0 bags
Mon 6/3
Mon 6/10

Search 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 San Diego to Des Moines.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Diego to Des Moines.
In the last 7 days travelers have searched 43,369,418 times on KAYAK, and here is why:

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Cheap flight deals from San Diego to Des Moines (SAN-DSM)

Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San Diego 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 and deals for you by selecting your travel dates.
Choose your dates
5:31 pm - 10:59 pmSAN-DSM
3h 28mnonstop
2:56 pm - 4:41 pmDSM-SAN
3h 45mnonstop
$133Allegiant Air
Find Deal
Fri, May 31 - Mon, Jun 3
5:31 pm - 10:59 pmSAN-DSM
3h 28mnonstop
2:44 pm - 4:21 pmDSM-SAN
3h 37mnonstop
$161Allegiant Air
Find Deal
Mon, Jun 3 - Fri, Jun 7
10:26 am - 8:19 amSAN-DSM
19h 53m1 stop
9:16 pm - 6:43 pmDSM-SAN
23h 27m1 stop
$169Frontier
Find Deal
Tue, Jun 4 - Mon, Jun 10
10:26 am - 8:19 amSAN-DSM
19h 53m1 stop
9:16 pm - 7:24 pmDSM-SAN
24h 08m2 stops
$174Frontier
Find Deal
Tue, Jun 4 - Mon, Jun 10
11:54 am - 9:42 pmSAN-DSM
7h 48m1 stop
5:48 pm - 11:44 pmDSM-SAN
7h 56m1 stop
$302American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, May 30 - Tue, Jun 4
12:45 pm - 11:02 pmSAN-DSM
8h 17m2 stops
5:15 am - 8:59 amDSM-SAN
5h 44m1 stop
$309American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, May 30 - Tue, Jun 4
10:30 pm - 10:15 amSAN-DSM
9h 45m1 stop
6:21 pm - 11:53 pmDSM-SAN
7h 32m1 stop
$366Delta
Find Deal
Sun, Jun 16 - Mon, Jun 17
6:49 pm - 2:17 pmSAN-DSM
17h 28m2 stops
6:00 am - 9:28 amDSM-SAN
5h 28m1 stop
$507United Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, Sep 20 - Sun, Sep 22
10:55 am - 11:44 pmSAN-DSM
10h 49m2 stops
6:00 am - 5:20 pmDSM-SAN
13h 20m2 stops
$606United Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, Sep 20 - Sun, Sep 22
6:15 am - 8:53 pmSAN-DSM
12h 38m2 stops
5:40 pm - 11:51 pmDSM-SAN
8h 11m2 stops
$1,933Delta
Find Deal
Fri, May 31 - Mon, Jun 3

Flights from San Diego to Des Moines - Travel Insights & Trends

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

The average price of all flights from San Diego to Des Moines clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
When flying from San Diego to Des Moines, you should consider leaving on a Monday and avoid Sundays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to San Diego, you’ll find the best rates on Mondays and the most expensive ones on Sundays.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Diego to Des Moines?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from San Diego 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 San Diego to Des Moines is June, where tickets cost $288 on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are September and March, where the average cost of tickets is $481 and $465 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Diego to Des Moines?

To calculate daily average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each day before departure over the last year for flights from San Diego to Des Moines, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each month.
To get a below average price on the flight from San Diego to Des Moines, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 56 days before departure.

Which airlines provide the cheapest flights from San Diego to Des Moines?

The cheapest price for the route for each airline clicked by KAYAK users in the last 72 hours.
The cheapest return flight ticket from San Diego to Des Moines found by KAYAK users in the last 72 hours was for $133 on Allegiant Air, followed by Frontier ($169). One-way flight deals have also been found from as low as $79 on Frontier and from $182 on American Airlines.

Which airlines fly non-stop between San Diego and Des Moines?

Airline and price data is aggregated from results in KAYAK’s search results from the last 2 weeks for flights from San Diego to Des Moines.
There is just one airline that flies from San Diego to Des Moines direct and that is Allegiant Air. The best one-way deal found from Allegiant Air for the route is $114.

How many flights are there between San Diego and Des Moines per day?

There is a maximum of 1 nonstop flight a day that takes off from San Diego and lands in Des Moines, with an average flight time of 3h 28m. The most common departure time is 5:00 pm and most flights take off in the afternoon. Each week, there are 2 flights.

Which cabin class options are there for flights between San Diego and Des Moines?

The average price of flights for each cabin class for the route found by users searching on KAYAK over the last 2 weeks.
There is only one cabin class option available for the route, which is Economy. Perform a search on KAYAK to find the latest prices and availability for all cabin fares, which differ across airlines.

How long does a flight from San Diego to Des Moines take?

Direct flights take on average 3h 28m to travel the 1,425 miles between San Diego and Des Moines.

What’s the earliest departure time from San Diego to Des Moines?

Early birds can take the earliest flight from San Diego at 5:11 pm and will be landing in Des Moines at 10:36 pm.

What’s the latest departure time from San Diego to Des Moines?

If you prefer to fly at night, the latest flight from San Diego to Des Moines jets off at 5:31 pm and lands at 10:59 pm.

Good to know

Low season

January

High season

August

Cheapest flight

$79
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 6% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 13% lower on average.
Flight from San Diego to Des Moines

When to book flights from San Diego to Des Moines

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

  • What is the cheapest flight from San Diego to Des Moines?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San Diego to Des Moines was $79 for a one-way ticket and $133 for a round-trip.

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

    A passport is not required to fly from San Diego to Des Moines.

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

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

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

    You can catch a nonstop flight from San Diego to Des Moines on on Monday, and Friday.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from San Diego to Des Moines, Delta or Alaska Airlines?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San Diego to Des Moines are Delta and Alaska Airlines. With an average price for the route of $399 and an overall rating of 8.0, Delta is the most popular choice. Alaska Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $407 and an overall rating of 8.0.

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Des Moines from San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego with another airline. Booking your flights between San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding a cheap flight from SAN to Des Moines

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $59 or less one-way and $253 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly non-stop from San Diego to Des Moines?

Find which airlines fly direct from San Diego to Des Moines, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Nonstop departures

San Diego to Des Moines

Monday

Allegiant Air

Allegiant Air

Friday

Allegiant Air

Allegiant Air

See more direct flights

Nonstop returns

Des Moines to San Diego

Monday

Allegiant Air

Allegiant Air

Friday

Allegiant Air

Allegiant Air

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top 5 airlines serving from San Diego to Des Moines

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Diego 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 San Diego 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
DeltaOverall score based on 10838 reviews
7.9Comfort
8.2Boarding
8.0Entertainment
7.4Food
8.6Crew
Airline reviews

There was a loud squeaky sound the whole time we were flying.

6.0 GoodEliza, Apr 2024SAN - LAX
Read more about Delta reviews

There was a loud squeaky sound the whole time we were flying.

I didn’t not like that I could not select my seat and ended up with the worse seat.

The landing was bad and the hostess came two times and i was sleeping but when she served the person that nexts to me I woke up and she didn’t even asked me if I need any drink or snacks two times!!!!

Plane was late because of a mechanical malfunction and the food listed as available was not. Flight attendants seem over worked and under paid. They just done seem happy. And that can be seen in their faces.

Waited 3 hours on a plane to de-ice due to manpower issues. Waited another hour and a half once we landed because of a gate issue. Missed my connections. Created. A total of 13 hours of delay.

Great, on time departure, friendly and accommodating crew, great leg room, Smith flight

Plane was turned around due to fog half way into the flight, Delta did not properly direct passengers to stay on same flight and instead failed to properly rebook on Alaska

Like most domestic flights in the US, you are basically on your own with this airline when it comes to food, so be sure to purchase meals and drinks ahead of time or expect to arrive starving and dehydrated (like I was).

You need to be a hacker to get the (Free) WiFi

I guess they don’t serve drinks on planes anymore

The net issue I had was with the gate agent. We had added a carryon to our boarding pass when we checked bags. When I got to the boarding gate the agent was rude asking why I had a backpack - I said I added it - even had an orange tag on it. She ripped my tag off and swung her monitor around to show me how she was right- saying it isn’t wasn’t listed - only a checked bag. I explained again that I wasn’t sure what the issue was but I wouldn’t have an orange tag if I hadn’t added it. Then she finally checked my husband’s boarding pass and found that the agent at checkin had added my carryon to his boarding pass instead of mine. She sent me on my way without my orange tag. Was a bit embarrassing for me the tone she used with me assuming I was trying to get away with something.

Gate agent asked if I could switch seats so a family could sit together. Agent moved me to a seat in the front of the plane, no charge. It was easy. The agent did a great job.

Great seat space. However food and drink prices outrageous. Jabbing to pay for a carry on bag or stuck paying at the gate too much.

Every Allegiant Air flight I've ever taken has been delayed. This flight was delayed a full 2 hours. It was excuse after excuse after excuse. It was a flight from southern Florida. They made us board the plane on time, but made us wait for 2 hours on the tarmac. Because the engines were kept shut off, so was the air conditioning. One can only imagine how hot the air was in the cabin over those 2 hours on the tarmac, while in the hot Florida sun. Just terrible.

Actually, for the price, I'm willing to put up with a little discomfort (upright chairs) and at times inconveniences (like any airline), lack of entertainment (I can bring my own). My flight was non stop and smooth. I would fly this route again.

The flight was delayed 6 hours and we were only offered an $8 food credit. My husband stood in line to get the credit for 45 minutes and when he got close to the end of the line the computers went down.

Worst ever! Flight cancelled supposedly for weather even though we k ow of many others who flew into Bangor same time no problem. At the airport there was no customer service at all just refund and no possibility of rebook for 3-4 days. Aweful won’t fly with them again!!

It’s a budget airline so adjust expectations accordingly. Nothing is without a fee but such is necessary for tickets to remain so affordable.

No complaints. It’s a budget airline so can’t expect any frills.

My TSA number was missing from my ticket which shouldn’t have happened since it’s in my file. The on board flight attendant who was a male, did not want to help me put my luggage in the overhead bin and made a very rude comment and was very unpleasant. The good… the woman who fixed my ticket with the TSA number was excellent and I had extra legroom which was perfect.

I paid $380 for my one-way ticket from California to Minnesota. The fair did not include online check-in. I received instructions from their app to check in at a kiosk. At the kiosk, the boarding pass would not print until an actual person came to verify that I had a personal item and not a carry-on item, On the plane, the person next to me was drunk and allowed to continue to order alcohol. United is garbage I’d rather fly spirit.

Do not like the feeling of being in the basic economy. Everyone should feel good no matter what.

Terrible! The plane was old and you are required to connect your own device to their Wi-Fi rather than have entertainment options in the back of the seat in front of you. The Wi-Fi went out during the flight and there was only one plug for the devices every two seats. Three out of five surrounding my family did not work. The seats and spaces under them were so small I could not fit my backpack, which I’ve always brought on flights and fit before no problem. The crew were unpleasant and patronizing.

Due to one crew member not showing up to work, our flight was significantly delayed causing us to miss our connecting flight in Houston to Mississippi causing us to be delayed by more than 6 hours and missing our event all together. Very disappointing. All because ONE crew member called in sick. United did grant us a $15 meal voucher, which was a small but appreciated concession that I wasn’t able to use because I ordered my lunch and paid for it before applying the concession, and the staff said it was too late to use it. Ugh! We also had a TWO delay coming back from Mississippi, but that was on American Airlines and it was due to weather, so not their fault. Anyway, not at all impressed with United’s handling of our flight and the HUGE disappointment of missing our important family event for our 90 year old mother. All that money and all that stress and emotions for nothing. Having to wait the hour to bring an employee from LAX seemed like something that should not have happened. Why don’t you have a local back-up? Santa Ana is not a little airport in a rural area.

Crew was great and did their best to make us comfortable and captain came out at the beginning to announce why the flight was delayed, weather situation up ahead, and kept us updated throughout the flight.

United WiFi is consistently unusable (it can take 10 mins to load a single web page). If you need Wifi to do work, be prepared to lose half a day of productivity.

Awful. I got stuck next to a person carrying a dog and behind someone with a dog. People need to board these dogs downstairs. The cabin is crowded enough with your pets

Packed in like sardines, very uncomfortable. Sitting the aisle my shoulder was rammed into numerous times by rushing flight attendants. Also flight was very cold.

the head jack on my seat didn't work and the power outlet didn't work for my seat

Left 2 hours later for delayed I had to take care a kid with special need since people don’t want to move to accommodate the rest of the family. . It wasn’t bad but that made me upset that people can be that selfish.

The experience was great and much better than the flight going out. of course I was in first class but the service was excellent

Comfort of seats, ease of boarding. Food selection could be better

Food options were limited which is absolutely embarrassing for a Flight of this size The staff did not come around as much and I am not accustomed to such poor service from American Airlines Drinks I believe were limited to soda and water

Crew were attentive and friendly. Flight was smooth and early! I enjoyed the less crowded plane. Thank you!

We are gluten free, there were not any available complimentary gluten free options.

No meal on a cross country flight? SFO-MiA is pretty much the definition of a coast to coast flight. No meal provided. Sky high wi-fi rates too. Stop nickel and diming your customers.

The staff was unprofessional and didn’t communicate very well. The boarding process was very disheveled, potentially due to a power outage the previous day but there was no contingency plan to properly get passengers boarded the following day. Once boarded the aircraft stayed on the tarmac for over 45 minutes due to high winds. The communication was sporadic but an announcement was finally made an additional 30 minutes later that the flight was cancelled but we couldn’t get off the plane. Prior to deplaning one of the gate agents came on the plane and made an announcement for everyone to pickup their checked bags and take a card to rebook a new reservation because they didn’t have adequate staff. Flights were missed, passengers went to different airports and there was little to no assistance from AA.

Apart from the delay due to unforeseen circumstances. The leg from sjc to dfw was fine. It was the leg from dfw to orf that we encountered issues mainly due to the flight attendant crew not being friendly. We had two small children and we needed some assistance to warm up milk so the baby would sleep. The crew just didn’t get it and made things very difficult. One made a remark that the baby’s dirty diaper smell was a “gift” to the plane in a rude way. Normally I’d brush that off as a funny comment if the rest of the trip the attendants were helpful or understanding of the difficulty we faced. But that wasn’t the case. We were met with rudeness on the second leg. Whereas on the first leg the crew were so nice and helpful.

Flight From PHX to CVG was on time, very professional staff

Flight was delayed and missed connecting flight. Did not give warning about delay until we showed up at the airport. Not good.

Six hour delay. Poor customer service. No voucher. Bad communication. Missed important appointments.

Our flight was delayed an hour, then when we got to board our flight finally, we were waiting in our seats for take off for 45 minutes before it was communicated that there was a maintenance issue therefore we waited on the plane for over an hour while that was resolved. We did not get to Phoenix until almost 3 hours after we were originally supposed to. This was the first and last time I will be flying Frontier.

Flight was canceled with little warning. Flight was rebooked through Ontario, California and connecting flight was delayed by over three hours. Frontier is living up to their Greyhound of the skies reputation for sure.

I purchased a carry on bag online…was supposed to cost $72 but after a whole slew of bs charges, the total was over $175.00. Because of these hidden charges, I will not even consider flying Frontier ever again. It’s just not worth the hassle. I’m scratching this company off my list forever.

Flight was OK. Seats were good no cell phone charges on the plane no TVs or entertainment.

There were 3 leg for the trip and each leg was delayed by 90 minutes or more. The boarding process takes forever with people waiting on the jetway even though most folks do not have carry-on. The whole process is poorly managed.

They cancelled the flight then did nothing to help us rebook. It was awful - I won’t fly with them again

The process of buying the ticket and navigating all the hidden charges that Frontier throws at you was a terrible experience. The actual airport experience and flying was fine.

The truck that was refueling the plane drove away with the hose still connected to the plane and ripped part of the plane off with it

Terrible. Seats are bad and the baggage policy is inconsistent

Book cheap flights from San Diego to Des Moines

Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best one-way flight deals from San Diego to Des Moines found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
5/21Tue
1 stopFrontier
22h 36mSAN-DSM
$79
5/24Fri
1 stop
12h 20mSAN-DSM
$103
5/14Tue
1 stopFrontier
26h 23mSAN-DSM
$109
6/26Wed
1 stopFrontier
27h 32mSAN-DSM
$111
7/27Sat
1 stopFrontier
8h 00mSAN-DSM
$135
5/21Tue
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
8h 17mSAN-DSM
$182
6/16Sun
1 stopDelta
9h 45mSAN-DSM
$183
5/14Tue
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
8h 17mSAN-DSM
$276
5/14Tue
3 stopsUnited Airlines
11h 24mSAN-DSM
$583
5/21Tue
3 stopsUnited Airlines
15h 23mSAN-DSM
$1,068

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Last minute flights from San Diego to Des Moines

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

 
These last-minute flight deals are the cheapest flights found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours for flights from San Diego to Des Moines that are departing in the next 10 days.
5/6Mon
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
11h 07mSAN-DSM
5/8Wed
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
10h 05mDSM-SAN
$586
5/6Mon
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
8h 17mSAN-DSM
5/8Wed
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
10h 52mDSM-SAN
$592
5/6Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
11h 13mSAN-DSM
5/8Wed
multi-stopUnited Airlines
11h 13mDSM-SAN
$877

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San Diego - Des Moines Flights

Departure:

San Diego (SAN)United States

Destination:

Des Moines (DSM)United States

Return flight deals:

Des Moines - San Diego

Cabin classes:

$197