WAS - DSM

$94 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 2/18. 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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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

Sat, Nov 15 - Mon, Nov 17
Frontier Logo
2:00 pm - 1:47 pmDCA-DSM
24h 47m1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:32 pm - 9:59 pmDSM-DCA
6h 27m1 stop
$189Frontier
Find Deal
Sat, Nov 15 - Mon, Nov 17
Frontier Logo
6:00 pm - 1:47 pmDCA-DSM
20h 47m1 stop
Frontier Logo
2:32 pm - 9:59 pmDSM-DCA
6h 27m1 stop
$212Frontier
Find Deal
Tue, Dec 16 - Wed, Dec 17
American Airlines Logo
10:30 am - 12:23 pmDCA-DSM
2h 53mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 9:29 amDSM-DCA
2h 29mnonstop
$293American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Nov 27 - Tue, Dec 2
Delta Logo
7:00 am - 12:15 pmBWI-DSM
6h 15m1 stop
Delta Logo
6:33 pm - 12:19 amDSM-BWI
4h 46m1 stop
$299Delta
Find Deal
Tue, Dec 16 - Wed, Dec 17
American Airlines Logo
6:45 am - 11:42 amDCA-DSM
5h 57m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
12:57 pm - 4:24 pmDSM-DCA
2h 27mnonstop
$303American Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Dec 16 - Tue, Jan 6
Delta Logo
5:03 pm - 8:46 pmIAD-DSM
4h 43m1 stop
Delta Logo
6:24 am - 11:47 amDSM-IAD
4h 23m1 stop
$313Delta
Find Deal
Tue, Dec 16 - Wed, Dec 17
Southwest Logo
7:10 am - 11:25 amBWI-DSM
5h 15m1 stop
Southwest Logo
6:15 am - 1:55 pmDSM-BWI
6h 40m2 stops
$318Southwest
Find Deal
Thu, Dec 18 - Mon, Jan 5
Southwest Logo
6:50 pm - 11:35 pmDCA-DSM
5h 45m1 stop
Southwest Logo
5:45 am - 12:50 pmDSM-DCA
6h 05m2 stops
$318Southwest
Find Deal
Tue, Dec 2 - Sat, Dec 6
United Airlines Logo
5:18 pm - 9:37 pmBWI-DSM
5h 19m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
5:45 am - 5:24 pmDSM-BWI
10h 39m2 stops
$322United Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Nov 24 - Fri, Nov 28
United Airlines Logo
6:15 am - 10:30 amBWI-DSM
5h 15m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
11:26 am - 5:14 pmDSM-BWI
4h 48m1 stop
$324United Airlines
Find Deal

Everything you should know

Top airlines
Frontier
Cheapest • from $189 (round-trip)
Southwest
Best reviews • 8.0 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Top routes
DCA-DSM
Cheapest
DCA-DSM
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
November
Cheapest • 9% price drop
May
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
Cheapest round-trip
$189
Typical prices: $382-$527
Frontier
Sat 11/15Mon 11/17
DCA - DSM • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$293
Typical prices: $377-$532
American Airlines
Tue 12/16Wed 12/17
DCA - DSM • Non-stop
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!
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 $293 on the route between Washington, D.C. Reagan-National Airport (DCA) and Des Moines (DSM). It is also the most popular route.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. to Des Moines clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

For Washington, D.C. to Des Moines, Thursday is the cheapest day to fly on average and Sunday is the most expensive. Flying from Des Moines back to Washington, D.C., the best deals are generally found on Saturday, with Sunday being the most expensive.

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 November, where tickets cost $398 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and August, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $573 and $448 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.

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 1 stop layover the cheapest option at $440 on average.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$94
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 7% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 3% 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 $94 for a one-way ticket and $189 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 $436 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 $342 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 $188 or less one-way and $350 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 4241 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
8.6Crew
7.5Entertainment
8.0Comfort
Airline reviews

Ever since Southwest starting charging for bags, passengers don't want to pay to check their bags, so the gate agents have to beg people to check their roller bags now because there's "not enough space". This was a terrible business move by Southwest.

8.0 ExcellentGreg, Oct 2025OAK - BUR
Read more Southwest reviews

Ever since Southwest starting charging for bags, passengers don't want to pay to check their bags, so the gate agents have to beg people to check their roller bags now because there's "not enough space". This was a terrible business move by Southwest.

Full cans of soda would be nice. A choice between two snacks would be appreciated.

Tried watching free movie and it kept freezing so I couldn’t finish.

All was good. I just had a hard time getting connected to the WiFi/internet during the flight

Sacrament staff are always polite and helpful. Airport is easy to maneuver and boarding is straightforward.

Great flight. Outstanding Service. Southwest was able to put us on a direct flight to Denver when the connection could have been affected by a later arrival to Baltimore. The direct flight was less expensive that the flight with the connection in Baltimore.

Delays delays delays. Late taking off, late landing, wait for a gate, etc.

Boarded on time but once we were ready for take off, the crew determined that, although every seat was taken, somehow someone was on the wrong flight. Delay, delay delay, announcements and ended up with one person checking EVERY ID against their passenger Manifest only to figure out it was a "clerical error." We departed 54 minutes late causing me to run in the St. Louis Airport to make my connection and lose the priority boarding spot I had paid for. Unnecessary delay.

I was re-booked onto another flight because my original flight was delayed and I would have missed my connector. I ended up in the “C” group after paying extra to be in the “A “ group on the original flight. At least if you’re going to re-book people, re-book them into the same group.

Flight was delayed due to plane not passing inspection And one of the crew had to time out and we had to wait for another one A 3 hour delay

Staff were friendly and happy. Delta could make sure passengers that don't have the app know of changes. Without Kayak I would not have known about the change of gate or the delay. Kayak was faster to notify me.

They ended up paying for the bag twice, but the counter wouldn't take my baggage receipt. Left it to me to resolve. Not sure how to resolve the issue.

The customer service before board was very rude and when I expressed my concerns about making the connecting flight she laughed and told me I bought the wrong ticket. I explained once it showed the flight was delayed it no longer let me change seats or anything. I was trying to upgrade to make sure I would get to the next gate on time.

Non stop on long haul is the way to go. Great experience

The flight used a B767 with a very old interior from before 2014. The entertainment system did not work at all during the flight despite attempts to reset the system. It was like they flew this route just to be competitive.

They changed planes and the new plane couldn’t carry enough fuel to fly across the country so we had to stop in Kansas City to refuel. Flight was delayed .

Flight was too crowded and seats are too small, especially since passengrs are getting larger. Having a middle seat is ALWAYS tough! Woman on my left was large & kept creeping in to my space. Flight personnel were great! Have more savory rather than sweet snacks please.

Flight was crowded and the woman sitting on my left was large & kept crouching in to my space. You need bigger seats or smaller passengers to fit into the seats you DO have! Snack were OK. Would appreciate if airlines had more savory rather than sweet snacks, thank you!

Delayed flight (1hour) plus a long layover after an overnight flight with no backup plane available.

We were delayed, which I think had to do with air traffic control. Otherwise, everything was great.

During booking, I kept trying submitting my payment from the Mexican website and it didn't work. After I had the idea to change it to the Canadian website, it worked but I had to be charged the equivalent of 50 CAD more. I received the clear instruction that I would only be able to check-in at the airport and that it was impossible to select a seat 24 hours before departure, that I had to pay 144 CAD to do so, although not only was I able to check-in 24 hours before departure, but I could have selected my seats for free then. All in all, I almost threw $200 out the window due to misleading information. Besides, the app kept crashing, the information to get to the gate on the app was inaccurate, my gate was switched and I was only informed once in the air (luckily I had noticed the departure pannel), I was not addressed in my language beforehand and even if I tried I was immediately answered in English (which meant the crew understood but didn't want to answer accordingly), there was only one snack & beverage service on my medium haul flight and no beverage service on my short haul flight. To be fair, the planes were comfortable, the crew apart from the language issue was helpful, dynamic and engaging, the plane was clean and the directions were clear and direct. United has a lot of potential to be one of my favourite airlines, but the devil is in the details and a lot of them missed the target.

Better WiFi. I cannot understand that in 2025, United is so behind on a technology that is now a necessity and still painfully unreliable, slow and keeps disconnecting.

Great service on board. Boarding a bit slow due to process. Food was pretty average.

Very small cramped plane for an international flight. Everything else was good, but it was maybe the smallest comfort-wise I've ever been on for longer than 3-4 hours and the trip was 7.5

Flight was delayed 3 hours. No food and drink vouchers was provided. They offered a mini pretzel bag and water .

Staff was rude. Didn’t give water for 2 hours. Worst service

Was on time until within 1 hour of flight-how does that happen? Staff very friendly.

I liked the choice of lemon ginger tea. I think stewardesses can be more considerate of older people needs.

We were given vouchers we couldn’t use with a 5.5 hour delay

I fly UAL 7-8 times per year. This flight was not up to snuff because it boarded very late "due to unexpected delays in restocking the plane" and yet Flight Aware showed the plane had landed some 10 hours earlier--so I think they could have planned accordingly. The FA's were nice but harried. The video system had to be rebooted 3-4 times. The food service was rather abrupt; they forgot my row and when I asked for my meal, they brought it with some impatience. Overall, the flight was fine, but the little details made it feel somewhat mundane and hurried.

The flight attendant, a black woman with curly hair who sat near Row 21, was wonderful and kind.

It was good..clean, comfy seat. Friendly warm welcoming crew. Was able to check my cabin luggage at the gate which I was able to pickup in a decent time from baggage claim. The app gave all updates from delays to baggage claim info. Overall smooth flight.

Flight was delayed leaving Dallas. Arrived about 2 hours later than scheduled.

Flight delayed and missed connection. Rescheduled flight cancelled after 6 hrs wait. Rerouted thru ORD, flight cancelled, overnight stay in ORD. Still in the air on new flight!

We are too tired and frustrated to comment politely at this point

Terrible. Our luggage was delayed and couldn’t be delivered for several days. We got bad information from the airline agents at baggage claim. We had to pick up our car so we wouldn’t be charged for an extra day. We got lost in the maze of airport parking. The baggage claim agents didn’t offer us any compensation for our extra time and expense. We are tired, hungry and very frustrated.

The flight was flawless and we even arrived between 20 and 25 minutes early!

The only thing to like was that we eventually got to our destination

It took way too long to diagnose and solve the problem of a broken crew member cabin seat. Though compensation for the volunteer who left the flight was very kind.

We fly American Airlines quite a bit. And we always fly business class when traveling internationally. We were a bit disappointed with the comfort of this particular plane as well as the entertainment options.

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

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