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SFO - DSM

Find cheap flights from San Francisco to Des Moines from $90

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 Francisco to Des Moines departing on 6/4. 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
Sun 5/19
Sun 5/26

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 Francisco 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 Francisco to Des Moines, as well as popular online travel agencies
In the last 7 days travelers have searched 44,212,662 times on KAYAK, and here is why:

Save 22% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

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

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

Cheap flight deals from San Francisco to Des Moines (SFO-DSM)

Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San Francisco 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
12:59 am - 8:48 pmSFO-DSM
17h 49m1 stop
9:21 pm - 7:00 amDSM-SFO
11h 39m1 stop
$166Frontier
Find Deal
Fri, May 31 - Sat, Jun 8
12:58 am - 8:15 pmSFO-DSM
17h 17m1 stop
9:15 pm - 8:13 amDSM-SFO
12h 58m1 stop
$190Frontier
Find Deal
Tue, Aug 13 - Sun, Aug 18
3:59 pm - 11:42 pmSFO-DSM
5h 43m1 stop
7:10 am - 3:24 pmDSM-SFO
10h 14m1 stop
$341American Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Aug 14 - Sun, Aug 18
11:34 am - 11:02 pmSFO-DSM
9h 28m1 stop
5:15 am - 9:29 amDSM-SFO
6h 14m1 stop
$343American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, May 30 - Sun, Jun 2
11:57 pm - 9:29 amSFO-DSM
7h 32m1 stop
2:29 pm - 11:58 pmDSM-SFO
11h 29m1 stop
Thu, Jun 6 - Thu, Jun 13
12:40 am - 11:18 amSFO-DSM
8h 38m1 stop
6:14 pm - 12:22 amDSM-SFO
8h 08m1 stop
$431Delta
Find Deal
Mon, May 6 - Thu, May 9
12:12 am - 10:14 amSFO-DSM
8h 02m1 stop
6:00 am - 9:39 amDSM-SFO
5h 39m1 stop
$443United Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Jul 16 - Tue, Jul 23
12:09 am - 10:34 amSFO-DSM
8h 25m1 stop
6:00 am - 11:24 amDSM-SFO
7h 24m1 stop
$453United Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, May 11 - Fri, May 17
12:40 am - 11:18 amSFO-DSM
8h 38m1 stop
10:40 am - 7:40 pmDSM-SFO
11h 00m2 stops
$515Delta
Find Deal
Mon, May 6 - Thu, May 9
6:05 pm - 10:12 pmSFO-DSM
26h 07m2 stops
3:59 pm - 4:54 pmDSM-SFO
26h 55m2 stops
Thu, Jun 6 - Thu, Jun 13

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

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

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

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from San Francisco 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 Francisco to Des Moines is February, where tickets cost $316 on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and October, where the average cost of tickets is $612 and $560 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco to Des Moines, you should book around 2 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 69 days before departure.

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

The cheapest price for the route for each airline clicked by KAYAK users in the last 72 hours.
The best deals for a one-way ticket found by KAYAK users over the last 3 days were on Frontier ($90) and Delta ($155). The cheapest round-trip tickets were found on Frontier ($166) and American Airlines ($341).

Good to know

Low season

February

High season

June

Cheapest flight

$90
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 35% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 26% increase in price.
Flight from San Francisco to Des Moines

When to book flights from San Francisco to Des Moines

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

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

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San Francisco to Des Moines was $90 for a one-way ticket and $166 for a round-trip.

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

    Even though you are not required to have a passport, keep in mind that an official ID is needed to board the airplane.

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

    We unfortunately don’t have that data for this specific route.

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

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

  • What is the most popular layover when flying to Des Moines from San Francisco?

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

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

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San Francisco to Des Moines are Delta and United Airlines. With an average price for the route of $506 and an overall rating of 8.0, Delta is the most popular choice. United Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $552 and an overall rating of 7.4.

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

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco with another airline. Booking your flights between San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top 4 airlines serving from San Francisco to Des Moines

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 11094 reviews
8.6crew
7.5food
7.9comfort
8.0entertainment
8.2boarding
Airline reviews

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

2.0 MediocreCarisa, Mar 2024LAX - HNL
Read more about Delta reviews

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 flight was overbooked and the staff at the gate started calling for volunteers to drop out and offering incentives. That delayed the flight

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.

Airline did not explain reasons why flight was delayed two hours. Explanations were badly needed and rarely provided. Problem seemed to clearly be the airline’s fault and not the fault of the weather or airport.

Very uncomfortable seats and seat backs, and I am only 5’9”. Delayed due to crew issues, spent a long time with no ventilation. Teeny overhead bins. Wifi worked well. Arrived safely.

I was delighted that we were able to get on the 4:40 pm flight rather than our original booking at 6:55 pm!! Other than that, the flight was comfortable and landed early😊

Our flight was delayed many times throughout the day. The final delay was about 8 hours. I spent time in line to speak to someone at their understaffed desk, and also spent time waiting online and then chatting with a service rep. None of the United employees were any help at all. I desperately wanted to go get rest and possibly re-book my trip but I was denied any compensation or voucher for a hotel. I was repeatedly told it was not United's fault and therefore they had no compensation to offer. Overall, a cold and callous experience.

Paid WiFi was only available for a few minutes. Avoid at all costs.

Everything was great, only problem was that flights were delayed

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.

The usual wait at Columbus once you land to get to an open gate (20 minutes) and then the usual 30 minutes for your luggage to appear.

Nothing, flight was supposed to leave at 758 am. My flight didn’t leave until 430 pm. Spent the whole day at the airport.

Not have to pay for every single item to take a flight. Seating and delays sucked.

Flight was cancelled and I had to spend the night in the airport lugging my suitcase around

If you don’t check in 24 hours in advance, they will charge you $110 to check your bag instead of the $30. I did not get an email with this information and did not check in. In addition, my flight home was cancelled at layover and I had to spend the night in the airport, and then have another layover at another airport before making it home. Will not fly frontier again.

Terrible. Seats are bad and the baggage policy is inconsistent

Flight delayed 3 times, resulting in late arrival, rental car place gave car away resulting in increased BS charges because I was late. Frontier blows.

I paid for extra leg room. The flimsy plastic seat underneath the floatation seat did not line up with the arm rests. It seemed as if the plastic part was zip tied on but immovable. This caused severe uncomfortable for the duration of the flight.

Left Denver late, then sat on tarmac 30 min after arrival

Better than I expected but I did pay for a seat and carry on bags ahead of time.

I hope to avoid flying with them in the future. First flight got cancelled then got stuck with a 13 hour layover in Denver. The process was long and frustrating to many people.

Flight was delayed on the runway for 40 minutes the crew did not even offer even water to passengers to compensate for the flight delayed. The flight was delayed due to aircraft mechanical issues. Worst customer service ever

Book cheap flights from San Francisco to Des Moines

Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best one-way flight deals from San Francisco to Des Moines found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
6/4Tue
1 stopFrontier
12h 24mSFO-DSM
$90
5/2Thu
1 stopFrontier
13h 33mSFO-DSM
$120
5/10Fri
1 stopFrontier
11h 15mSFO-DSM
$125
7/1Mon
1 stopDelta
8h 50mSFO-DSM
$155
5/11Sat
1 stopAmerican Airlines
8h 51mSFO-DSM
$175
7/4Thu
1 stopUnited Airlines
7h 04mSFO-DSM
$177
5/11Sat
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
9h 22mSFO-DSM
$180
7/5Fri
1 stopAlaska Airlines
11h 29mSFO-DSM
$218
7/2Tue
1 stopDelta
5h 52mSFO-DSM
$223
7/30Tue
2 stopsUnited Airlines
15h 46mSFO-DSM
$229

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San Francisco - Des Moines Flights

Departure:

San Francisco (SFO)United States

Destination:

Des Moines (DSM)United States

Return flight deals:

Des Moines - San Francisco

Cabin classes: