Denver (DEN) → Des Moines (DSM)
A reference for the Denver International Airport to Des Moines International Airport route. You'll find the operators on file, the great-circle geometry, the connecting options if no nonstop fits your dates, and a short profile of each endpoint airport.
The flight from Denver (DEN) to Des Moines (DSM) covers a great-circle distance of roughly 946 km (588 miles). Aircraft leave Denver International Airport on an initial east heading. As US domestic sectors go, this one sits in the medium-haul bracket: long enough that most carriers run it as its own dedicated rotation, but short enough to fit inside a single crew duty period.
2 carriers file a direct DEN to DSM sector, with Frontier Airlines and United Airlines among the operators on record. A route attracting this many carriers usually points to a city pair with both leisure and business demand, or a competitive hub-to-hub link where the airline alliances overlap on the same metal.
Operators on the DEN → DSM direction
Carriers with at least one scheduled rotation on this sector in the OpenFlights dataset, ranked by the number of code-shared filings.
| IATA | Airline | Country | Callsign |
|---|---|---|---|
| F9 | Frontier Airlines | United States | FRONTIER FLIGHT |
| UA | United Airlines | United States | UNITED |
A medium-haul sector of this length is an operational sweet spot. Block time lands near 1h 51m, well inside a single crew duty for most carriers, and modern narrow-bodies (A320neo, 737 MAX, A321) can fly it without payload restrictions. Premium-cabin product on this kind of sector is usually a recliner seat rather than a fully flat bed.
If a nonstop doesn't match your dates, Atlanta (ATL), Chicago (ORD), and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) show up on both ends of the network and make the most natural connecting points. The connecting-hubs grid below extends that list to the eight strongest options, ranked by each airport's overall departure activity. That ranking is a fast proxy for how many onward flights a single stop is likely to feed.
Connecting hubs
Airports that already appear on both ends of this network. They're the natural one-stop options when no nonstop matches your dates, ranked by overall departure activity.
Both endpoints sit inside the United States, so this counts as a domestic sector for fare-bucket, baggage, and carry-on purposes. Reservations on US carriers usually pick up the standard domestic checked-bag fee unless you hold elite status, and TSA PreCheck eligibility applies at the departure airport. See the United States routes index for other domestic pairs in the same network.
On the day of operation, the DEN to DSM direction lifts off heading east, then the great-circle track curves to compensate for the Earth's rotation. The return DSM to DEN sector heads west out of the gate, with 2 operators on file for the inbound side. Combine the two operator lists for a full picture of the city pair's competitive landscape.
BTS domestic traffic (DEN → DSM, 2025)
Real 2025 passenger, freight, and departure-frequency totals for this exact non-stop segment, from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics T-100 Domestic Segment (All Carriers) database — not an OpenFlights field. Scheduled-passenger service (BTS service class F) only; all-cargo and non-scheduled service are excluded.
| Carrier code | Carrier (BTS record) | Passengers | Departures performed |
|---|---|---|---|
| UA | United Air Lines Inc. | 90,862 | 762 |
| WN | Southwest Airlines Co. | 60,193 | 483 |
| OO | SkyWest Airlines Inc. | 52,973 | 843 |
| F9 | Frontier Airlines Inc. | 20,918 | 139 |
| DL | Delta Air Lines Inc. | 189 | 1 |
| AA | American Airlines Inc. | 172 | 1 |
Aircraft types flown on this segment in 2025, by departures performed: Embraer ERJ-175 (735 departures), Airbus Industrie A319 (357 departures), Boeing 737-700/700LR/Max 7 (269 departures), Boeing 737-800 (259 departures), Airbus Industrie A320-100/200 (228 departures), Boeing B737 Max 800 (121 departures), Airbus Industrie A320-200n (117 departures), Canadair RJ-700 (108 departures) and 4 other aircraft type(s). Mail carried: 0 lb. Departures scheduled vs. performed: 2,235 scheduled, 2,229 performed.
Data as of: full calendar year 2025 (all 12 months) · Source: BTS T-100 Domestic Segment (All Carriers), U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics (public domain, U.S. government work). Carrier names and aircraft-type descriptions are BTS's own record values, not this site's. Figures reflect carrier-filed BTS reports, not real-time bookings. See the BTS domestic traffic hub and methodology for match coverage and corrections path.
Endpoints
Other routes from Denver (DEN)
Other destinations served from the same origin. Handy for combining trips or for finding an alternate first leg.
Other routes into Des Moines (DSM)
Other origins that already file scheduled service into the destination airport.
Reading this route page
The operator list reflects scheduled-route filings in the OpenFlights dataset, not real-time availability. A carrier appearing here publishes a scheduled service on this sector. It isn't a live timetable, and the actual flight numbers, frequencies, and aircraft types shift season to season. For booking and current schedules, cross-reference the airline page above with the carrier's own website.
Distance here is the great-circle arc between the two airports' published coordinates. Real flight tracks wander off that line because of wind, ATC routings, oceanic crossings, and political airspace constraints. Block time is an estimate covering ground taxi, climb, cruise at typical jet speeds, and descent. Real block times shift with aircraft type, weather, and traffic, so treat the stat-strip number as a planning indicator rather than a published flight time.