Des Moines (DSM) to Houston (IAH)
Flight time
≈ 2h 24m
Bearing
187° S
Des Moines (DSM) to Houston (IAH) is 804 miles (1,293 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DSM–IAH
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop DSM–IAH; the Embraer E175 was the most common aircraft at 49% of departures; flights ran 79% full.
Departures
121
April 2026
Seats
12,692
both directions
Passengers
10,038
both directions
Load factor
79.1%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies DSM–IAH?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop DSM–IAH departures in April 2026 (62), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- UA
United Airlines
62 departures · 8,448 seats
Share of departures51.2%77.1%
Load
- YV
Mesa Airlines
59 departures · 4,244 seats
Share of departures48.8%82.9%
Load
What plane flies DSM–IAH?
In April 2026, the Embraer E175 flew 49% of DSM–IAH departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Embraer E175
59 departures · 82.9% load
48.8% - Airbus A319
45 departures · 81.0% load
37.2% - Airbus A320
7 departures · 63.7% load
5.8% - Boeing 737-800
6 departures · 63.6% load
5.0% - Airbus A321neo
2 departures · 90.0% load
1.7% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
2 departures · 78.3% load
1.7%
How has DSM–IAH traffic changed?
Nonstop DSM–IAH departures fell from 122 in May 2025 to 121 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop DSM–IAH traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
122 departures · 10,100 passengers
78.4%
Load
June 2025
119 departures · 10,498 passengers
85.8%
Load
July 2025
122 departures · 10,231 passengers
83.9%
Load
August 2025
123 departures · 9,949 passengers
80.8%
Load
September 2025
121 departures · 8,783 passengers
71.3%
Load
October 2025
124 departures · 9,835 passengers
77.9%
Load
November 2025
115 departures · 8,695 passengers
74.0%
Load
December 2025
122 departures · 8,983 passengers
82.3%
Load
January 2026
120 departures · 10,691 passengers
78.6%
Load
February 2026
110 departures · 10,914 passengers
83.8%
Load
March 2026
116 departures · 10,384 passengers
79.8%
Load
April 2026
121 departures · 10,038 passengers
79.1%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
IAH → DSM
78.8% full
61 departures · 5,135 passengers
DSM → IAH
79.4% full
60 departures · 4,903 passengers
Nonstop DSM–IAH traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Des Moines (DSM) from Houston (IAH)?
DSM to IAH is 804 miles (1,293 km / 698 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DSM to IAH?
A nonstop covers the 804-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 24m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DSM–IAH?
In April 2026, the Embraer E175 flew the largest share of departures (48.8%), followed by the Airbus A319 (37.2%).
What mileage do I earn flying DSM–IAH?
Distance-based programs credit off the 804-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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