SAN - DSM

$90 Find Cheap Flights from San Diego 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 San Diego to Des Moines departing on 8/22. 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

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 San Diego 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 San Diego to Des Moines, as well as popular online travel agencies
Travelers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 20% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Flights Deals
Useful Info
Flights Deals

Cheap Flights 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 for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from San Diego to Des Moines

Fri, Jul 4 - Fri, Jul 18
Allegiant Air Logo
5:00 pm - 10:35 pmSAN-DSM
3h 35mnonstop
Allegiant Air Logo
2:39 pm - 4:10 pmDSM-SAN
3h 31mnonstop
$121Allegiant Air
Find Deal
Thu, Jun 26 - Mon, Jun 30
 Logo
5:50 pm - 12:34 pmSAN-DSM
16h 44m1 stop
 Logo
2:45 pm - 4:22 pmDSM-SAN
3h 37mnonstop
Fri, Sep 5 - Mon, Sep 8
Frontier Logo
6:25 am - 7:56 pmSAN-DSM
11h 31m1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:41 pm - 11:50 pmDSM-SAN
5h 09m1 stop
$260Frontier
Find Deal
Fri, Sep 12 - Mon, Sep 15
Frontier Logo
10:20 am - 7:56 pmSAN-DSM
7h 36m1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:41 pm - 11:50 pmDSM-SAN
5h 09m1 stop
$269Frontier
Find Deal
Wed, Oct 1 - Thu, Oct 2
American Airlines Logo
7:13 am - 3:23 pmSAN-DSM
6h 10m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
7:08 am - 2:03 pmDSM-SAN
8h 55m1 stop
$285American Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, Jul 4 - Tue, Jul 8
Southwest Logo
12:30 pm - 7:35 pmSAN-DSM
5h 05m1 stop
Southwest Logo
6:25 am - 2:25 pmDSM-SAN
10h 00m2 stops
$340Southwest
Find Deal
Wed, Oct 1 - Thu, Oct 2
United Airlines Logo
11:08 am - 11:56 pmSAN-DSM
10h 48m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
3:25 pm - 10:14 pmDSM-SAN
8h 49m1 stop
$370United Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 22 - Sat, Sep 27
United Airlines Logo
7:21 pm - 10:39 amSAN-DSM
13h 18m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
5:13 pm - 8:25 pmDSM-SAN
5h 12m1 stop
$372United Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, Jul 4 - Tue, Jul 8
Southwest Logo
8:10 am - 7:35 pmSAN-DSM
9h 25m2 stops
Southwest Logo
6:25 am - 2:25 pmDSM-SAN
10h 00m2 stops
$401Southwest
Find Deal
Thu, Jul 10 - Sun, Jul 13
American Airlines Logo
6:15 am - 3:14 pmSAN-DSM
6h 59m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
5:00 am - 9:28 amDSM-SAN
6h 28m1 stop
$407American Airlines
Find Deal
Useful Info

KAYAK's insights & trends for San Diego to Des Moines flights

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 round-trip flights from San Diego 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 Sunday, as we generally find the cheapest rates on that day for this route. On the other hand, Wednesday is the most expensive day to fly from San Diego to Des Moines. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Tuesday and avoiding Sundays for the best deals.

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 round-trip 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 May, where tickets cost $351 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are February and March, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $544 and $536 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from San Diego 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 $306, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Diego 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 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 week.

To get a below average price on the flight from San Diego to Des Moines, you should book around 4 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 12 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonMarch
High seasonAugust
Cheapest flight$90
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 27% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 15% 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 $90 for a one-way ticket and $121 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, Southwest or Delta?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San Diego to Des Moines are Southwest and Delta. With an average price for the route of $465 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 $432 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.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from San Diego to Des Moines

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $73 or less one-way and $127 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from San Diego to Des Moines?

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

Direct departures

San Diego to Des Moines

Monday

Allegiant Air

Allegiant Air

Friday

Allegiant Air

Allegiant Air

See more direct flights

Direct 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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4287 reviews
8.0Comfort
8.2Boarding
8.6Crew
7.6Entertainment
7.1Food
Airline reviews

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

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Apr 2025LGB - SMF
Read more Southwest reviews

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.

We had a nice flight. Boarding was easy, our seats were comfortable and the on board service was pleasant.

Service was great, boarding and exiting went smoothly, and the flight was very pleasant.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a not a great airport.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a hell hole of an airport. It is the new LaGuardia. Everything Cobbled together. Security gates closed. Terri directional signage

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.

I was supposed to be on business class at first class from Denver back to Miami due to weather changes. I missed my connection and it’s put on a flight to Fort Lauderdale. Instead of honoring my business class/1st class ticket, they put me in coach, but there were two first class seats open. I think it’s absolutely disgusting that I paid for first class $1300 ticket and they put me in economy and they had to open seats available and I have still not been refunded the difference. I ended up having to eat a snack box instead of the meal I was supposed to get and did not get home till 2 AM so I think that’s a little pathetic that I had to live off crackers for dinner And my poor dog ate some cheese and salami. Oh yes, apparently when they switched me to the new flight they forgot to mention I had a service dog

Boarding seemed to be organized bedlam. For what ever reason, preboarding took longer than 20 minutes. Made the plane 20 minutes late taking off. Luckily we arrived on time. Flight crew seemed very friendly. Only slight turbulence.

The personnel were professional and friendly. The Boeing 737 Max 9 is too claustrophobic and was very warm at both airport gates, and still warm in the air.

While the staff was pleasant and helpful, the following observations are for your awareness. There was some delay on the tarmac on take off and landing. The paid lunch/food offerings were limited. Entertainment was only available on WiFi at a cost.

Flight was great. Efficient boarding. Short flight. Early arrival. Friendly flight crew. The entertainment system did not work well. Could not access it until the aircraft reached 10K feet or more. Lots of glitches.

get E+, a must for 5 hours flight if you are tall

The first flight was better in terms of the aircraft.

The gate was too far away for the connecting flight

Tight! Seats are not designed for those of us who wear extra-large clothes.

The non-stop flight from Grand Rapids was excellent. I neither expected or needed a budget flight and Allegiant made the trip easy and for an affordable price, Arriving at the Mesa Airport (AZA) is a delight compared to the international airport. For our return flight, we were able to arrive 75 minutes before the flight, return the rental car, check our bag and make it to the gate in plenty of time. That would never happen at most airports.

Easiest flights I’ve ever taken. Plane was comfortable without overly crowded seating.

Terrible. Still have not received the refund from them. They sent it to some account that I don't even know. Spoke with costumer service and they are unable to help.

I didn’t like it at all. I miss my second flight because of the delay on Allegiant Air now I m stuck in MCO.

Good, but a bit late on take off after loading. Don't like charging for carry ons!

First time flying with them and will definitely fly again in the future. Crew was so nice and friendly, fought was seamless. They are simple planes, no entertainment, but it’s fine for a short flight or if you have personal devices Rates are competitive, and they did so well with keeping the flight on time after a tropical storm, where other airlines had delays and cancellations.

They boarded passengers that sat in the back of the plane first, making boarding very efficient.

I didn't even take this flight. My plans changed and I couldn't get ahold of customer service and the website kept breaking down during the attempt to change the flight. I wound up taking another airline entirely and eating the cost.

The worst flying experience ever 3 delays. No accommodations. Had to deboard the plane after being delayed.

Flight was full, and would have preferred an aisle seat, but due to getting a late ticket ,the seat I had was adequate. The flight crew were very help full and hard working. Food and drink were excellent for the 11hr flight. Overall I was pleased with flight, and would recommend British Airways again.

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.

We kept being told that the flight was full and that all overhead compartments were full and therefore had to check in our hand luggage. We were some of the last people to board and noticed that there was still sufficient space in the overhead compartments. We were obliged to check in hand luggage when there was space and so had to wait at luggage retrieval which took a while to then noticed damage to our luggage - not a great experience!

This was an overnight flight. There was no meal service in first class, just a simple snack basket was offered along with beverages. There should have been some type of continental breakfast prior to arrival in PHL. As an Executive Platinum American Airlines Advantage member, I received no name recognition from the first class flight attendant. When disembarking at PHL, the flight attendants were more interested in their cell phones than saying "thank you" to the passengers as they disembarked.

The flight was quick and to the point. The crew just did their job w/o excessive talking and everything was just perfect.

Awkward carry on process. Forced to check all carry on. No overhead space of worthiness. Left delayed, but made up the time. Crew was amicable.

I blame kayak for my last trip to dca. Kayak cancelled my direct flight and put on a one stop flight and made lost whole day from my vacation and had not even refunded my ticket.

Amazingly comfy flight - I had upgraded for a reasonable price and it was worth it. The food also was good.

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

They changed the timing , first delayed by 4 hours then went back to 40 mins late, we had to run back to airport to not miss our flight. This is ridiculous

No frills for sure. No gate announcements about flight delay, not even water to drink on the flight.

I loked walking out on the tarmac to board and no first class. I didn't like that they have no snacks or onboard wifi to bide your time.

It was a redeye flight, so every passenger just wanted to sleep, but through the entire flight, the flight crew made announcements over the loudspeaker at maximum volume every few minutes making sleep impossible. For example: it’s 2am, and the crew decides to give an extremely detailed announcement about snacks and beverages for sale. And 3am is the perfect time to wake up everyone with a lengthy announcement about how to get a coffee refill and how to take advantage of new offer from frontier for a credit card.

Everything you need to know for your flight from San Diego to Des Moines

Information on your arrival and departure airports

Not what you’re looking for? Find thousands of other hotels, flights, car rentals and package deals with KAYAK.