Which airports can I use when flying from San Francisco to Des Moines?

Flights from San Francisco to Des Moines usually depart from San Francisco (SFO) and arrive at Des Moines (DSM).

What cabin classes can I book on flights from San Francisco to Des Moines?

Two cabin classes are available on flights from San Francisco to Des Moines: • Economy Class • First Class

Which airports do connecting flights from San Francisco to Des Moines pass through?

One-stop flights from San Francisco to Des Moines most commonly connect through: • Denver Intl (DEN) - 71% of one-stop connections • Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) - 13% of one-stop connections • Los Angeles (LAX) - 6% of one-stop connections • Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) - 5% of one-stop connections

Can I save money by using flexible dates for flights from San Francisco to Des Moines?

Yes. Flexible dates can save you up to 48% on flights from San Francisco to Des Moines. Tuesday is the cheapest departure day at $430 round-trip on average, while Saturday is the most expensive at $825, a difference of $395. KAYAK's flexible dates feature shows options up to 3 days before and after your selected dates, making it easier to compare nearby fares.

What popular places can I visit in Des Moines?

Some of the most popular sights in Des Moines are UnityPoint Health - Des Moines, Science Center of Iowa and Hy Vee Hall. These are among the most viewed places in Des Moines on KAYAK.

How long is a flight from San Francisco to Des Moines?

A nonstop flight from San Francisco to Des Moines takes 00m, covering 1,545 miles.

Do I need a passport to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines?

No, a passport is not required for this domestic route, but you will need a real ID-compliant driver's license, a state ID or another TSA-accepted form of identification.

How are flight prices from San Francisco to Des Moines looking right now?

One-way fares from San Francisco to Des Moines are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about $172, which is 41% below the typical average for this route.

How much time can I save by choosing a different layover airport from San Francisco to Des Moines?

Flying via Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time at 6h 15m, compared with 6h 30m via Denver Intl (DEN) and 6h 39m via Los Angeles (LAX).

What is the time difference between San Francisco and Des Moines?

Des Moines is 2 hours ahead of San Francisco (Central Time vs Pacific Time). Plan for the time shift when scheduling connections or first-day activities.

What car rental options are available at Des Moines Airport (DSM)?

Des Moines Airport (DSM) hosts 5 major car rental companies, with daily rates averaging $81 for economy cars. Top options include: • Hertz • Payless • Budget • Alamo • Avis

How much should I expect to pay for a San Francisco to Des Moines flight?

Round-trip flights from San Francisco to Des Moines range from $426 to $739, with an average of $532 over the past 12 months. Anything below $426 counts as a good deal.

What's the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines?

Based on deals KAYAK users found in the last 12 months, Tuesday is the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines. It’s 20% cheaper than the average day, while Saturday is the most expensive, with prices 55% higher.

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

•February is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines at $286 round-trip. •January ($865) and May ($790) are the most expensive months. •The price difference between flying in the cheapest and most expensive months is 202% on average. This is based on KAYAK aggregated and averaged internal data over the past 12 months.

Which airline is the cheapest to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines?

Frontier ($291) and American Airlines ($319) are the cheapest airlines to fly round-trip from San Francisco to Des Moines according to KAYAK data over the last 5 days.

What’s the most popular layover airport when flying from San Francisco to Des Moines?

Denver Intl (DEN) is the most popular layover for the San Francisco to Des Moines route. 71% of KAYAK users who booked 1-stop round-trips over the past 3 months connected via DEN.

What is the cheapest layover airport when flying from San Francisco to Des Moines?

Flights via Minneapolis St Paul (MSP) offer the most affordable fares, with an average round-trip price of $422. Based on KAYAK data over the past 3 months.

When flying from San Francisco to Des Moines which airport offers the shortest layover?

Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) had the shortest average connection time for San Francisco to Des Moines layovers at 3h 38m over the past 3 months.

Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Des Moines | KAYAK

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Never overpay with our price tracking tools.

Filter searches by price, airline and more to find your best flights.

Cheapest round-trip

$202

Typical prices: $426-$739

Multiple Airlines

Sun 1/7Wed 1/10

SFO - DSM • 1 stop

Cheapest one-way

$102

Typical prices: $211-$486

Multiple Airlines

Mon 12/3

SFO - DSM • 1 stop

Nonstop flights

Not available

There are currently no direct flights between San Francisco and Des Moines. You'll need to take a connecting flight to reach the destination.

Insights

When to travel

February

Cheapest • 46% price drop

June

Most popular

Good to know

Top layover airports

Minneapolis St Paul (MSP)

Cheapest • Avg $422 (round-trip)

Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX)

Shortest trip • 6h 15m (one-way)

Insights

Start a new search

KAYAK searches 100s of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.

We hope you love your trip to Des Moines!

Flight Deals

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

Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Round-trip

One-way

Last minute

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

Thu, Jan 7 - Sun, Jan 10

9:10 pm - 9:01 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

21h 51m1 stop Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl

10:07 pm - 10:37 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

26h 30m1 stop Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl

$202Multiple Airlines

Fri, Jan 8 - Sun, Jan 10

11:06 am - 9:01 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

7h 55m1 stop Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl

10:07 pm - 10:37 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

26h 30m1 stop Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl

$202Multiple Airlines

Sun, Dec 20 - Thu, Jan 7

6:15 am - 7:31 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

11h 16m1 stop Denver Intl

8:17 pm - 12:35 amDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

6h 18m1 stop Denver Intl

$291Frontier

Sun, Dec 20 - Sun, Jan 10

6:15 am - 7:31 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

11h 16m1 stop Denver Intl

8:17 pm - 12:35 amDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

6h 18m1 stop Denver Intl

$312Frontier

Sat, Dec 5 - Tue, Dec 8

3:15 pm - 12:40 amSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

7h 25m1 stop Chicago O'Hare Intl

3:31 pm - 11:35 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

10h 04m1 stop Dallas/Fort Worth

$319American Airlines

Sat, Dec 5 - Tue, Dec 8

8:15 am - 7:40 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

9h 25m1 stop Chicago Midway

12:05 pm - 6:05 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

8h 00m2 stops Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl San Diego

$324Southwest

Sat, Dec 5 - Tue, Dec 8

6:40 am - 5:20 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

8h 40m2 stops Los Angeles Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl

12:05 pm - 6:20 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

8h 15m2 stops Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl Los Angeles

$329Southwest

Fri, Jan 8 - Mon, Jan 11

8:00 am - 7:19 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

9h 19m1 stop Los Angeles

7:49 pm - 9:09 amDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

15h 20m1 stop Los Angeles

$333American Airlines

Fri, Dec 18 - Fri, Dec 25

4:29 pm - 11:59 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

5h 30m1 stop Denver Intl

5:30 am - 9:37 amDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

6h 07m1 stop Denver Intl

$444United Airlines

Mon, Dec 21 - Sat, Jan 9

4:29 pm - 11:59 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

5h 30m1 stop Denver Intl

3:00 pm - 9:11 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

8h 11m1 stop Houston George Bush Intcntl

$489United Airlines

Recent last minute flight deals from San Francisco to Des Moines

Fri, Nov 6 - Sun, Dec 6

6:02 am - 7:35 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

11h 33m1 stop Denver Intl

8:45 pm - 9:39 amDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

14h 54m1 stop Denver Intl

$375Frontier

Mon, Nov 9 - Sun, Dec 6

6:02 am - 7:35 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

11h 33m1 stop Denver Intl

8:45 pm - 12:50 amDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

6h 05m1 stop Denver Intl

$376Frontier

Sun, Nov 8 - Mon, Nov 16

1:37 pm - 9:27 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

5h 50m1 stop Santa Ana J. Wayne/Orange Cnty

8:04 pm - 2:20 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

20h 16m1 stop Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl

$423Multiple Airlines

Sun, Nov 8 - Fri, Nov 20

1:37 pm - 9:27 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

5h 50m1 stop Santa Ana J. Wayne/Orange Cnty

9:31 pm - 10:04 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

26h 33m2 stops Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl Ontario

$437Multiple Airlines

Sat, Nov 7 - Sat, Nov 14

7:03 am - 7:33 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

10h 30m1 stop Los Angeles

8:05 pm - 8:40 amDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

14h 35m1 stop Los Angeles

$701American Airlines

Mon, Nov 9 - Wed, Nov 18

7:03 am - 7:33 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

10h 30m1 stop Los Angeles

8:10 am - 1:30 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

7h 20m1 stop Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl

$728American Airlines

Sun, Nov 8 - Sat, Nov 21

5:00 am - 2:26 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

7h 26m1 stop Chicago O'Hare Intl

6:45 pm - 12:53 amDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

8h 08m1 stop Chicago O'Hare Intl

$758United Airlines

Fri, Nov 6 - Sat, Nov 21

12:27 pm - 10:59 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

8h 32m1 stop Chicago O'Hare Intl

6:45 pm - 12:53 amDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

8h 08m1 stop Chicago O'Hare Intl

$758United Airlines

Mon, Nov 9 - Sat, Nov 14

11:10 am - 10:05 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

8h 55m2 stops Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl Denver Intl

6:00 pm - 9:35 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

5h 35m1 stop Denver Intl

$887Southwest

Mon, Nov 9 - Sat, Nov 14

11:10 am - 10:05 pmSFO San Francisco-DSM Des Moines

8h 55m2 stops Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl Denver Intl

7:00 am - 2:30 pmDSM Des Moines-SFO San Francisco

9h 30m2 stops Denver Intl Los Angeles

$892Southwest

Booking Insights

Price, demand and travel trends for San Francisco to Des Moines flights

Use KAYAK data on prices, travel dates, airlines and seasonal trends to compare options and book flights with more confidence.

Prices

Airlines

Layovers

What's the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines?: Based on deals KAYAK users found in the last 12 months, Tuesday is the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines. It’s 20% cheaper than the average day, while Saturday is the most expensive, with prices 55% higher.
What’s the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines? KAYAK internal proprietary data takes all prices for each month over the last 12 months for round-trip 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.: •February is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines at $286 round-trip.
•January ($865) and May ($790) are the most expensive months.
•The price difference between flying in the cheapest and most expensive months is 202% on average.
This is based on KAYAK aggregated and averaged internal data over the past 12 months.

Find deals

Low season	February
High season	June
Cheapest flight	$102

Beat the crowds with an average 41% drop in travelers.

The most popular month to fly with an average 76% increase in travelers.

One-way 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.

What cabin classes can I book on flights from San Francisco to Des Moines?
Two cabin classes are available on flights from San Francisco to Des Moines:

• Economy Class
• First Class
How long is a flight from San Francisco to Des Moines?
A nonstop flight from San Francisco to Des Moines takes 00m, covering 1,545 miles.
Do I need a passport to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines?
No, a passport is not required for this domestic route, but you will need a real ID-compliant driver's license, a state ID or another TSA-accepted form of identification.
How much should I expect to pay for a San Francisco to Des Moines flight?
Round-trip flights from San Francisco to Des Moines range from $426 to $739, with an average of $532 over the past 12 months. Anything below $426 counts as a good deal.
How are flight prices from San Francisco to Des Moines looking right now?
One-way fares from San Francisco to Des Moines are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about $172, which is 41% below the typical average for this route.
What car rental options are available at Des Moines Airport (DSM)?
Des Moines Airport (DSM) hosts 5 major car rental companies, with daily rates averaging $81 for economy cars. Top options include:

• Hertz
• Payless
• Budget
• Alamo
• Avis
Which airports can I use when flying from San Francisco to Des Moines?
Flights from San Francisco to Des Moines usually depart from San Francisco (SFO) and arrive at Des Moines (DSM).
Which airports do connecting flights from San Francisco to Des Moines pass through?
One-stop flights from San Francisco to Des Moines most commonly connect through:

• Denver Intl (DEN) - 71% of one-stop connections
• Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) - 13% of one-stop connections
• Los Angeles (LAX) - 6% of one-stop connections
• Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) - 5% of one-stop connections
Can I save money by using flexible dates for flights from San Francisco to Des Moines?
Yes. Flexible dates can save you up to 48% on flights from San Francisco to Des Moines. Tuesday is the cheapest departure day at $430 round-trip on average, while Saturday is the most expensive at $825, a difference of $395.

KAYAK's flexible dates feature shows options up to 3 days before and after your selected dates, making it easier to compare nearby fares.
How much time can I save by choosing a different layover airport from San Francisco to Des Moines?
Flying via Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time at 6h 15m, compared with 6h 30m via Denver Intl (DEN) and 6h 39m via Los Angeles (LAX).
What is the time difference between San Francisco and Des Moines?
Des Moines is 2 hours ahead of San Francisco (Central Time vs Pacific Time). Plan for the time shift when scheduling connections or first-day activities.
What popular places can I visit in Des Moines?
Some of the most popular sights in Des Moines are UnityPoint Health - Des Moines, Science Center of Iowa and Hy Vee Hall. These are among the most viewed places in Des Moines on KAYAK.

If your dates are flexible, aim for a Tuesday departure and avoid flying on Saturday. On this route, Tuesday flights average $430, about $395 less than Saturday fares (48% savings) based on the last 12 months.
If you can choose when to travel, plan your San Francisco to Des Moines trip for February. Fares historically average $286 round-trip in that month - typically $579 less than the most expensive month, which is January (based on the last 12 months).
If you're arriving late at night and need somewhere to stay, check out these hotels close to Des Moines Airport.

• Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Des Moines Airport
• Homewood Suites by Hilton - Des Moines Airport
• Quality Inn & Suites Des Moines Airport

More options for your flight from San Francisco to Des Moines

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SFO - DSM

$102 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Des Moines - Compare and Save

Everything you should know

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

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

Recent one-way flight deals from San Francisco to Des Moines

Recent last minute flight deals from San Francisco to Des Moines

Price, demand and travel trends for San Francisco to Des Moines flights

What's the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines?

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

Which airline is the cheapest to fly from San Francisco to Des Moines?

What’s the most popular layover airport when flying from San Francisco to Des Moines?

What is the cheapest layover airport when flying from San Francisco to Des Moines?

When flying from San Francisco to Des Moines which airport offers the shortest layover?

Key details for San Francisco to Des Moines flights

Low season

High season

Cheapest flight

When to book flights from San Francisco to Des Moines

Your San Francisco to Des Moines flight questions, answered

Your guide to booking San Francisco to Des Moines flights

More options for your flight from San Francisco to Des Moines

Complete your trip to Des Moines with a hotel stay or car rental

Information on your arrival and departure airports

Cabin class types available on flights from San Francisco to Des Moines

Find direct flights to and from San Francisco and Des Moines

Flights from domestic origins to Des Moines

Flights to other popular destinations

Find deals for your return flight