WAS - DSM

$80 Find Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Des Moines departing on 5/11. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Des Moines, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$160
Overall average: $521
Frontier
Mon 4/13Fri 4/24
DCA - DSM • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$347
Typical prices: $387-$835
American Airlines
Tue 4/7Tue 4/14
DCA - DSM • Non-stop
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $160 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 8.0 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Nonstop flights
You can fly direct with American Airlines. Average duration is 2h 53m
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
+1
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
Top routes
Cheapest
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $248 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 4h 28m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 17% 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 Washington, D.C. to Des Moines (WAS-DSM)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Des Moines

Mon, Apr 13 - Fri, Apr 24
Frontier Logo
7:00 am - 7:14 pm
DCA
-
DSM
13h 14m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:04 pm - 9:59 pm
DSM
-
DCA
6h 55m
1 stop
$160Frontier
Fri, May 8 - Mon, May 11
Frontier Logo
7:00 am - 1:29 pm
DCA
-
DSM
7h 29m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:20 pm - 4:59 pm
DSM
-
DCA
25h 39m
1 stop
$181Frontier
Mon, Apr 13 - Mon, Apr 20
Frontier Logo
1:00 pm - 7:14 pm
DCA
-
DSM
7h 14m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:04 pm - 9:59 pm
DSM
-
DCA
6h 55m
1 stop
$215Frontier
Wed, Apr 29 - Mon, Jun 29
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:59 pm - 1:46 pm
BWI
-
DSM
16h 47m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:45 pm - 3:40 pm
DSM
-
BWI
20h 55m
1 stop
$247Multiple Airlines
Thu, Apr 30 - Mon, Jun 29
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:35 am - 1:46 pm
BWI
-
DSM
8h 11m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:45 pm - 3:40 pm
DSM
-
BWI
20h 55m
1 stop
$253Multiple Airlines
Tue, Apr 14 - Sat, Apr 18
Southwest Logo
6:20 am - 2:05 pm
IAD
-
DSM
8h 45m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
2:10 pm - 10:55 pm
DSM
-
IAD
7h 45m
1 stop
$321Southwest
Tue, Apr 14 - Sat, Apr 18
Southwest Logo
3:40 pm - 10:10 pm
DCA
-
DSM
7h 30m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
5:35 am - 11:20 am
DSM
-
DCA
4h 45m
1 stop
$321Southwest
Fri, May 1 - Sun, Jun 28
Allegiant Air Logo
2:23 pm - 9:55 pm
IAD
-
DSM
8h 32m
1 stop
Allegiant Air Logo
4:01 pm - 5:59 pm
DSM
-
IAD
24h 58m
1 stop
$338Allegiant Air
Wed, Apr 8 - Sat, Apr 18
Delta Logo
10:06 am - 4:33 pm
IAD
-
DSM
7h 27m
1 stop
Delta Logo
6:31 pm - 12:27 am
DSM
-
IAD
4h 56m
1 stop
$367Delta
Fri, May 1 - Thu, Jul 2
Allegiant Air Logo
2:23 pm - 9:55 pm
IAD
-
DSM
8h 32m
1 stop
Allegiant Air Logo
6:00 am - 2:26 pm
DSM
-
IAD
7h 26m
1 stop
$369Allegiant Air
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Washington, D.C. to Des Moines flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest Washington, D.C. to Des Moines flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest return flight from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines costs $239 on the route between Washington, D.C. Reagan-National Airport (DCA) and Des Moines (DSM). It is also the most popular route.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Des Moines is January, where tickets cost $372 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and December, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $609 and $534 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Washington, D.C. 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 $432, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$80
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 18% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 7% lower on average.
Flight from Reagan Washington National Airport to Des Moines

When to book flights from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Des Moines

  • What is the cheapest flight from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines was $80 for a one-way ticket and $160 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between Washington, D.C. 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 airports will I be using when flying from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines?

    There are 2 airports in Washington, D.C. (Washington, D.C. Reagan-National and Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl.) and only 1 airport in Des Moines (Des Moines). The cheapest flights are generally found on the Reagan Washington National Airport to Des Moines flight route.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines?

    American Airlines, and Delta offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the Washington, D.C. to Des Moines flight route.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines?

    The Embraer 175 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Washington, D.C. to Des Moines flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines?

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

  • On which days can I fly direct from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines?

    There are nonstop flights from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines on a daily basis.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines, Southwest or Delta?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines are Southwest and Delta. With an average price for the route of $398 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 $372 and an overall rating of 7.9.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Des Moines.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Des Moines from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Des Moines

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $292 or less one-way and $357 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines.
Find which airlines fly direct from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Washington, D.C. to Des Moines

Monday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Tuesday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Wednesday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Thursday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Friday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Saturday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Sunday

American Airlines

American Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Des Moines to Washington, D.C.

Monday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Tuesday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Wednesday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Thursday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Friday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Saturday

American Airlines

American Airlines

Sunday

American Airlines

American Airlines

See more direct flights

Reviews of the top 4 airlines serving from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 4319 reviews
8.6Crew
8.0Comfort
7.5Entertainment
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

Long layover between flights to Long Island from BWI - need better coordination between flights

4.0 OkayKenny, Mar 2026
TPA - BWI
Read more Southwest reviews

Long layover between flights to Long Island from BWI - need better coordination between flights

I elected to pay for the upgrades and found very little difference

The new seating arrangement is so over priced for what you get.

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.

No food or entertainment, just a quick 40 minute flight. A little bumpy due to Santa Ana winds but pilot has no control over that. Good flight and landing!

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

I realize they are still working out kinks with the new boarding process, but by the time I boarded in group 5, most of the bins were full. All airlines should better enforce small bags and jackets going under the seats until everyone has boarded.

WiFi was not working and didn’t have a beverage service

Snacks are always pretzels. Why can't you also offer peanuts ?

Flight boarded late after announcing on time boarding. Flight arrived only a little late despite late departure. Had trouble connecting to WiFi

Another late night flight and MORE men belligerently drinking and yelling. I had to move from first to economy because they were so obnoxious and disruptive. Crazy to go from a cozy chair to cardboard when you were supposed to be in first. Delta allows was too much drinking which leads to belligerent behavior.

I was in first class and literally the men behind me were so aggressively loud I moved myself to economy. This has become so common on Delta - people using audio without headphones, and men on 12am / late night flights drinking and yelling to talk to each other which prevents anyone around them from resting. Pretty crazy to have to move from first to economy (poorer service, less comfort...). Wild wild. Looking into other airlines.

Love delta smaller commuter plane so no entertainment and paid wifi on MKE-LGA leg was extremely unreliable and slow

Stop changing gates. Stop cancelling flights Stop moving my seat.

Extremely disappointed with Delta. They canceled flight last minute and then I rebooked the other flights and with which were delayed as well

Could not get my connecting flight boarding pass until four hrs before departure! Ver annoying especially since the staff could not explain why!

The flight was flying with 30% capacity. The flight my seat from preferred seating to back of the seat. Even though i can understand that this was to balance the flight weight. The flight attendance decided to do the serving near my seat and in the middle , their noices woke me up from sleep , when i realized that the service has ended and when they were going back asked for a coffee, for which they answered they have completed teh service in my location. That really upset me as they woke me up and also rejected the coffee i asked. I ended up landing with a headache, thanks to the crew that screwed up my travel

Delayed. Hot. Passenger next to me was so large I couldn’t move.

Same experience as the flight from Norfolk to Atlanta where people are boarded in zones that don't make sense. People behind you on the plane will get on before you and they take the luggage space on your row.

The boarding process doesn't make sense since some people that will sit behind your rows are boarded before you and then they take up the luggage space above your head. I then have to wait for people to get off the plane before I can go back to get my luggage.

The flight was delayed so we were dead tired, and after that the turbulence was horrible. I was very scared.

Wonderful. Quick boarding. Early departure and we arrived 30 minutes early at our destination. Unfortunately, when you arrive early, there is still a departing aircraft at our gate. We had to park for 30 minutes until the gate was clear. So our early arrival was not really early at the gate. Otherwise it was a quick and smooth flight. Appreciated the efficiency.

Wifi took a while to kick in and we had a maintenance issue that took over 40 mins at the gate in Washington before pulling back

Very good. Because of the delays with my previous flight, I missed my connection, but I was able to book another flight through the United app easily.

Was happy we finally got upgraded in 1st class. The seat getting old. The cushiness need some improvement.

Ineffective communication with United resulted in lost baggage. Their Baggage Tracing counter at MUC was shut down from 11:00-14:15 on my arrival. Undertrained, underinformed staff had me Running all over MUC to find someone to help me to no avail. Staff was rude, unhelpful, and unable to effectively use the systems they did have operational. They refused to contact United in any way or provide any accommodation or other resources while I waited for my luggage. This has destroyed my downstream itinerary. If they had even the slightest visibility I may have been able to reschedule/plan, but again, their staff provided nothing, and did nothing more than their website, which doesn’t even work on a standard phone browser. Miserable failure at all levels that weren’t associated with the operation of the aircraft.

Sat next to a one year old. She crawled all over the place and made me laugh.

The Crew and the food was the worst I ever had in Business Class. First they told us there were no space for carry on. It was plenty of space over our 2 row seats, we had to ask to let us travel with it which was accepted. They were aware that we had to run for the connection due to the previous flight delay. Have us one hour waiting for more customers and not even offer a glass of water. Then started the service and they started to serve other passengers drinks in business and did not offer any drinks until they serve our pre ordered meal and I ask for something to drink. I had to wait until they finished to serve all passengers until Inget something. The crew was the worts I ever had for Business Class in my life.

Not great experience - we were super late boarding due to issues with aircraft. Then when we finally all got onboard and seated and they started taxiing out to the runway they just stopped then turned around and went back to the airport. Apparently the crew “ran out of time” to legally fly us. They mentioned that they were about 2 minutes away from taking off. I understand the rules and safety but kinda wonder why they would have bothered boarding us in the first place? Had to go all the way back and de plane and then wait in a HUGE line to get a hotel (this is somewhere around 2:30am) finally got to hotel by Uber (no shuttle after 20min so gave up) and they ended up putting us all back on the same aircraft at 10am next morning so got about 2.5 hours sleep. They did give us. $250 credit, but it was a São Paulo Brazil flight out of Dulles. The flight and everything was fine.

Starlink wifi on the Embraer E175 is an excellent experience. I was able to connect and work from IAD all the way to approach into BTV.

Never going to fly your airline again if it can be avoided.

Flight delay for mechanical. Inbound arrived on time. No one said why mechanical delay.

Flight boarded, departed and landed on time. Excellent service from flight attendant in FIRST

This was one of the most frustrating travel experiences I've had to date. I had changed my flight day of to this one as it was slated to depart on time. It ended up being so delayed that my original flight took off before this one did. The boarding process began but eventually stopped and everyone had to get off the plane as a problem was identified. The person at the front desk just tried to laugh it off as if this wasn't already a huge inconvenience. From there, we eventually got to board only to sit at the gate for an additional hour because of some additional issue. This was extremely frustrating and caused a lot of stress.

It was a little concerning to hear the ground crew arguing with the flight crew over baggage space. Instead of taking them and checking them, they started checking for space in the first class cabin moving items around like the flight crew didn't know what they were doing. I was embarrassed for them.

The boarding by groups is pointless. The first two groups worked fine, but almost Noone boarded in goups three thru five leaving the vast majority boarding when group six was called. It defeated the purpose of spreading out the crowd.

delayed due to weather. Could not communicate with family since the wifi was broken

I got sick nothing contagious but distressing and the care I received by Kayla? Keighly the flight attendant will be memorable for ever. Thank You

We were told the flight was delayed 5 times, then it was moved to the next day.

Flight delay was communicated before leaving for airport which caused it to be a non-event. Great flight and crew!

Everything you need to know for your flight from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines

Information on your arrival and departure airports