SAN - DSM

$68 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 6/2. 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.
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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
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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.

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

KAYAK's recommended round-trip deals from the most popular airlines that fly from San Diego to Des Moines.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.
Allegiant Air Logo
5:09 pm - 10:33 pmSAN-DSM
3h 24mnonstop
Allegiant Air Logo
2:43 pm - 4:19 pmDSM-SAN
3h 36mnonstop
$101Allegiant Air
Find Deal
Fri, May 23 - Mon, May 26
Allegiant Air Logo
5:09 pm - 10:33 pmSAN-DSM
3h 24mnonstop
Allegiant Air Logo
2:43 pm - 4:19 pmDSM-SAN
3h 36mnonstop
$113Allegiant Air
Find Deal
Fri, May 23 - Mon, May 26
Frontier Logo
10:50 am - 7:35 pmSAN-DSM
6h 45m1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:38 pm - 11:55 pmDSM-SAN
5h 17m1 stop
$238Frontier
Find Deal
Fri, May 30 - Mon, Jun 2
Frontier Logo
10:52 am - 7:53 pmSAN-DSM
7h 01m1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:38 pm - 11:55 pmDSM-SAN
5h 17m1 stop
$258Frontier
Find Deal
Fri, Jun 6 - Mon, Jun 9
American Airlines Logo
2:49 pm - 11:39 pmSAN-DSM
6h 50m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
2:01 pm - 8:51 pmDSM-SAN
8h 50m1 stop
$311American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, May 22 - Wed, May 28
United Airlines Logo
4:10 pm - 11:59 pmSAN-DSM
5h 49m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
5:12 pm - 11:44 pmDSM-SAN
8h 32m2 stops
$316United Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Jul 10 - Mon, Jul 14
American Airlines Logo
4:24 pm - 11:59 pmSAN-DSM
5h 35m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
5:35 am - 8:56 amDSM-SAN
5h 21m1 stop
$327American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Jul 3 - Sun, Jul 6
Southwest Logo
6:45 am - 4:50 pmSAN-DSM
8h 05m1 stop
Southwest Logo
1:45 pm - 7:40 pmDSM-SAN
7h 55m2 stops
$343Southwest
Find Deal
Wed, Jul 16 - Wed, Jul 30
Southwest Logo
6:45 am - 4:55 pmSAN-DSM
8h 10m2 stops
Southwest Logo
12:20 pm - 5:50 pmDSM-SAN
7h 30m1 stop
$368Southwest
Find Deal
Thu, May 29 - Tue, Jun 3
United Airlines Logo
8:40 pm - 10:27 amSAN-DSM
11h 47m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
3:01 pm - 9:20 pmDSM-SAN
8h 19m1 stop
$372United Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, Jun 6 - Mon, Jun 9
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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 Monday 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 August, where tickets cost $337 (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.

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 seasonMay
Cheapest flight$68
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 26% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 14% 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

  • 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 24m. The most common departure time is 5:00 pm and most flights take off in the afternoon. Each week, there are 2 flights.

  • 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 $68 for a one-way ticket and $101 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 $470 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.

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 4294 reviews
8.2Boarding
7.1Food
8.0Comfort
7.6Entertainment
8.6Crew
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

The gate was too far away for the connecting flight

Compared with other carriers business class for an overnight was not worth the extra expense.

Easy to board. Flight was super crowded though so I didn't sleep well on that cross country red-eye flight. The aisles seem ot have gotten narrower and the seat smaller whn luggage and people are getting bigger so it would be AWESOME to have more space and breathing room in general ;)

Pilot Erika DeLong made us feel safe and at ease in a frankly scary time to be flying. Her warm smile and greeting and excellent command of the aircraft in foggy bumpy weather helped us all to calm our nerves and get us home safely.

Plenty of room for me and the cat in Premium Economy. Seat was comfortable. Boarding was a breeze. The lady at the special check-in desk was great, super helpful and professional.

Wish movie and music choices changed more often. Mostly same from a month or two ago when I last flew.

No food service almost missed because of first flight delays

It was good. Just that the seats could not be reclined. The people behind were not ready to let the chairs be reclined

Plane left & arrived early- 5 Crew great. Wi fi - paid for 2, only 1 worked - so so. Waste of $. Coolie was good

There was no USB plug in my section of the plane. So I could not charge my phone. Also, there was no screen to watch movie or anything like that. Wish I had known that in advance, I would’ve brought my iPad.

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.

Posted a 20minute delay but didn’t delay at all. Caused boarding issues and confusion. Also, didn’t release baggage. Took over an hour and 20 minutes to get luggage.

Flight was good, boarding was a breeze, flight attendants were friendly and professional. There was a medical issue with another passenger and the crew handled it in a calm and professional way.

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.

Had to wait on pilot and crew to depart and had to wait to arrive at the gate because they only had 2 crews working. Delays, delays....Planes just keep getting smaller and tighter and they nickle and dime for everything. When will an airline actually wake up and make flying more enjoyable?

I paid for what I got which was cheap, I brought my own entertainment. I knew what to expect, so I could be prepared. If you’re flying economy, check in early like me. I have no problems with my flight, was on time, staff were friendly, and overall good experience.

The reps working at the airport counter were dumber than a second coat of paint.

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.

The takeoff was the smoothest I've ever experienced on any airline and this is the first time I've flown on frontier so this was an extremely pleasant surprise!

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports

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