SAN - DSM

$82 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 5/26. 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 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.
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$210
Typical prices: $478-$319
Frontier
Fri 5/29Fri 6/5
SAN - DSM • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way
$82
Typical prices: $146-$352
Frontier
Tue 5/26
SAN - DSM • 1 stop
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $210 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 8.0 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $378 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 5h 25m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 36% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
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We hope you love your trip to Des Moines!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight 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, May 29 - Fri, Jun 5
Frontier Logo
6:25 am - 1:31 pm
SAN
-
DSM
5h 06m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:16 pm - 11:50 pm
DSM
-
SAN
11h 34m
1 stop
$210Frontier
Wed, May 27 - Wed, Jun 3
Frontier Logo
6:25 am - 1:31 pm
SAN
-
DSM
5h 06m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:16 pm - 11:50 pm
DSM
-
SAN
11h 34m
1 stop
$217Frontier
Wed, Jul 1 - Wed, Jul 15
Frontier Logo
6:25 am - 1:31 pm
SAN
-
DSM
5h 06m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:19 pm - 11:51 pm
DSM
-
SAN
11h 32m
1 stop
$224Frontier
Fri, May 29 - Mon, Jun 1
Frontier Logo
6:25 am - 1:31 pm
SAN
-
DSM
5h 06m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:16 pm - 11:50 pm
DSM
-
SAN
11h 34m
1 stop
$230Frontier
Wed, Jul 1 - Mon, Jul 13
Frontier Logo
6:25 am - 1:31 pm
SAN
-
DSM
5h 06m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:19 pm - 11:51 pm
DSM
-
SAN
11h 32m
1 stop
$244Frontier
Mon, Jun 1 - Fri, Jul 31
Frontier Logo
6:25 am - 1:31 pm
SAN
-
DSM
5h 06m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:19 pm - 11:51 pm
DSM
-
SAN
11h 32m
1 stop
$250Frontier
Wed, May 20 - Mon, May 25
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:34 pm - 8:44 pm
SAN
-
DSM
23h 10m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:42 pm - 9:12 pm
DSM
-
SAN
25h 30m
1 stop
$254Multiple Airlines
Fri, May 22 - Mon, May 25
Frontier Logo
6:25 am - 1:31 pm
SAN
-
DSM
5h 06m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:16 pm - 11:50 pm
DSM
-
SAN
11h 34m
1 stop
$270Frontier
Wed, May 27 - Sun, May 31
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:25 am - 10:31 pm
SAN
-
DSM
38h 06m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:26 pm - 6:41 pm
DSM
-
SAN
22h 15m
1 stop
$282Multiple Airlines
Wed, May 20 - Mon, May 25
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:34 pm - 8:44 pm
SAN
-
DSM
23h 10m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:42 pm - 9:12 pm
DSM
-
SAN
25h 30m
1 stop
$290Multiple Airlines
Booking Insights

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.

How much is a round-trip flight from San Diego to Des Moines?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from San Diego to Des Moines departing in May.

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, Monday is the most expensive day to fly from San Diego to Des Moines. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Monday and avoiding Fridays 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 November, where tickets cost $253 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are January and December, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $593 and $466 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 $286, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$82
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 50% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 8% 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 $82 for a one-way ticket and $210 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.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from San Diego to Des Moines?

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

  • 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 $496 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 $329 and an overall rating of 7.9.

  • 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.

Reviews of the 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 4314 reviews
8.6Crew
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
8.0Comfort
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

The entire experience from boarding to landing was amazing! The crew were very friendly. Will definitely be back.

10.0 Excellentlarry, Apr 2026
LGB - PHX
Read more Southwest reviews

The entire experience from boarding to landing was amazing! The crew were very friendly. Will definitely be back.

Delayed flight, lack of information, boarding process is a mess as is the carryon luggage causing issues when leaving the plane….just a poor experience.

Comfortable. Easy. No problems. Just wish they had gf options for snacks.

The crew was very kind and made going to Hawaii relaxing and fun to look forward to! Thank you Southwest for a pleasant flight!

Terrible. Even though there’s assigned seating now, they are still the slowest boarding airline of anyone.

It was good from LAX to Phoenix, But the connection in Phoenix to Tulsa was not that great. The staff on both flights were great. The choice of free entertainment was ok nothing to brag about. The 45 min delay because of some electrical issue wasn't great from Phoenix to Tulsa. We sat there with hardly any air, The seat I had was between windows so the side of the plane pushed in on you. My being a bigger man it then made the seating area uncomfortable. The seats on the plane had no power to connect to recharge your phone or anything. I would recommend that they should look into a slot or clamp to hold your phone to enjoy while watching the entertainment choices hands-free. Also make it possible to raise the inner seat by the window be able to raise the arm rest up to make more room for larger people to set more comfortably. I would also say other then that stop price gouging the airfare or nickel and diming everything. Not fair for people having to fly for emergencies and be paying for higher prices due to the season or holidays. Your making your money either way and the cost of flying is still going to be the same regardless if there's 100 people or 200 people.

Southwest was greaat! The most expensive but the least upsetting for those we were flying to see.

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

The problem with the seat assignments is that there were a lot of rows in the front that were empty but my row at the back was full. Just not so pleasant.

Good but I prefer choose your own seat. With the new assigned seats they should board from the back I see no advantage to this new boarding. Just like every other airline

While they turned off most cabin lights to allow people to sleep, I was bothered by how bright the side lights still were. It was still quite bright for me in a window seat, when I wish I could have slept!

Generally on time departures and arrivals, clean planes, sky miles membership provides great benefits (complimentary upgrades, etc).

N Everything was perfect from boarding to assistance to baggage in Tampa

Loved the crew! Sucks that we went from 1 hour and 8 minute layover to a 3 hour layover. But weather sucks like that.

Fast, lovely scenery, great info on the Delta flight screen about landmarks we were flying over. Great landing!

Long flight but comfortable and not freezing as I have experienced on Hawaiian flights to the islands. They gave us blankets just in case. Nice touch.

I took seat 15A in anticipation of window seat, there is no window.

Flight late, the waited for a long time for “personal” to arrive at gate to dock the plane in Rochester. So annoying. This flight was expected, why aren’t personel available for the jet bridge?

My recent experience was excellent on Delta! I flew with Delta Comfort and I was really comfortable in my seat. I enjoyed the in-flight service. The flight attendants were so friendly and hospitable. I love the snack on the flight as well. This was my first time flying on Delta and I will definitely consider flying with them again.

My flight was canceled on Sunday. Rebooking took three hours. Had to pay for accommodations another night. New flight was delayed for 5 hours, all that was sent was a 12 dollar food voucher, which doesn’t tell you how to use it. Then when we landed we had to sit on the plane for an hour before we could get off.

Booked through Kayak Business, had a seat in middle and towards back due to booking rate, not comfortable.

A long delay. Don't travel late in the day.

Outstanding service, efficient & friendly crew, flight was safe, comfortable & on time

The seat was comfortable. There was a lot of turbulence. If it weren't for that,it would have been okay.

It was a red-eye, but the flight felt surprisingly quick. The seats were very comfortable, and that made resting much easier. I also want to thank the gentleman seated next to me, who graciously moved so my mom could sit beside me. We slept almost the entire way. The cabin crew was respectful in not disturbing us, while also being courteous and professional throughout. Thank you, United.

Boarding was again a "free for all". We were boarding group 4, and almost the entire plane was able to board before us. It's a shame that someone who follows the rules, gets the short end of the stick. Not fair.

It was perfect! I've never flown with United before, but I definitely will in the future

I had a cancelled flight because of technical issues going to my destination, and a delayed flight coming home. All told it wasn’t a total bust.

They delayed the flight from 9:00 to 11:55 At 11:45 they canceled the flight. I paid a premium price for the tickets with poor service

My flight was canceled a few hours before boarding. I was rebooked on Copa airlines and missed an important meeting .

Left early arrived early..right amount of talking from pilots..of course had to love the biscuit and water!

Boarding gate at LAX was too crowded—two gates next to one another

On time departure and early arrival. Flight attendant very nice.

The SFO Lounge crew were amazing. The bartender Faris was great. Thanks!

Was not able to do a online check-in because the American Airlines system doesn't store our visa or other passport information, allowing us to have a trouble-free check-in. We were forced to have to check-in at the counter which Changes are upgrade status given that we were not able to check in much earlier.

Good flight, seated and had a water within 5 minutes. Crew was hospitable.

We left at 1030 am pacific from LA and supposed to land at 7 pm Eastern in NY. They made a detour, stopped in Philadelphia and didn’t land till 1130 PM Eastern!!! Worst flight experience with no pilot communication with no explanation as to what was going on. Everyone was very frustrated to say the least.

Flight boarded from Gate 159B, the farthest gate in the LAX Bradley Terminal. While the flight operated on time, the first class cabin attendant made no recognition of my being an Advantage Executive Platinum member.

The flight itself was excellent but the gate attendant made me check my carryon since she said it was an inch too big. I’ve had no problems with this carryon on recent flights on Qantas, Delta, Austrian, Southwest Airlines even though the overhead bins are the same size. there were other carryons in the bins that also looked larger than mine and there was room left in the bins for more. When I picked up my carryon from baggage claim one of the wheels had broken off.

I was in last row so that is never great bc the person in front of me leaned his seat all the way back into me.

Frontier scheduled a 40 minute connection in DEN. What they failed to mention was that they “close the doors” 20 mins prior to departure, which means you only have 20 mins. Not enough time. Possibly against DOT regulations. Filing complaint.

Flight was scheduled at 9:40pm. Got delayed to 10 am, the next day. crazy

The bag check, flight check-in, and onboard experience convinced my wife and me that we will actively go out of our way to avoid flying Frontier Airlines in the future. At bag check, we were informed that check-in could only be completed via the Frontier mobile app. Unfortunately, the app was extremely frustrating—sending us through repetitive, confusing loops that repeatedly forced us to decline add-on services with nearly every click. While most airline apps upsell, this one felt intentionally exhausting. As the process dragged on, we became genuinely concerned that my phone battery would die before check-in could be completed. We approached the bag check staff—who were standing together talking—and explained both our frustration and our predicament. They laughed. Later, my wife described the interaction as “gaslighting,” which felt accurate. We were then informed it would cost $25 per person simply to have our boarding passes printed. From that point forward, the tone of the experience was consistently hostile. The bag check employees were condescending and combative, behaving more like bullies than customer service staff. Unfortunately, that same attitude continued onboard. One flight attendant argued with me when I attempted to stow my backpack in the overhead bin. I explained that we had each paid $75 to check our bags specifically so we would not need to use carry-on space and could have adequate legroom. She demanded to see my ticket, pointed out that it said “no carry-on”—which I acknowledged—and I reiterated that this was precisely why we paid to check our bags. Her response was, “I don’t make the rules.” She then walked away, but not before asking if I “truly wanted to fly back to Chicago today?”—an unnecessary and unmistakable threat. It is also worth noting that despite booking our tickets together in the same transaction, we were not seated together. Upon our return to Chicago—where we could once again sit together—we compared onboard experiences. We both remarked on how unhappy the flight attendants appeared and how each of us was separately asked whether we would like to purchase a beverage. We declined. At no point was water mentioned as an option, leaving us with the clear impression that even water came at a cost—or that complimentary water, if available at all, was deliberately left unmentioned. Overall, the experience was shocking and deeply disappointing, but it was also a profound learning experience—one we will not forget and will not repeat. -Steve

Plane was hot and miserable and the crew was rude!

12 hour delay required getting on and off plane 3 times - would have at least liked to have been offered a snack or drink

They didn’t offer a water, even after I asked

They switched our terminal 3 times and we were delayed for four plus hours!!!

Remind customers of the need to have passport or new ID for boarding.

The flight never took off and we spent 7 hours at the airport

It was ok. It was expensive to check 2 bags ($75.00 per bag), and then it took a long time to wait for shuttle to take us from one terminal to the terminal where the plane was taking off at LAX. And all of this for a flight where we had to pay for any food or drink that was not water.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports