Des Moines (DSM) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Flight time
≈ 3h 41m
Bearing
257° W
Des Moines (DSM) to Los Angeles (LAX) is 1,444 miles (2,324 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DSM–LAX
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, SkyWest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop DSM–LAX; the Embraer E175 was the most common aircraft at 100% of departures; flights ran 78% full.
Departures
63
May 2026
Seats
4,788
both directions
Passengers
3,716
both directions
Load factor
77.6%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DSM–LAX?
SkyWest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop DSM–LAX in May 2026 (63 departures).
- OO
63 departures · 4,788 seats
Share of departures100.0%77.6%
Load
What plane flies DSM–LAX?
In May 2026, the Embraer E175 flew 100% of DSM–LAX departures.
- Embraer E175
63 departures · 77.6% load
100.0%
How has DSM–LAX traffic changed?
Nonstop DSM–LAX departures rose from 1 in June 2025 to 63 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DSM–LAX traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
1 departures · 173 passengers
96.1%
Load
July 2025
1 departures · 165 passengers
82.5%
Load
August 2025
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
September 2025
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
October 2025
53 departures · 3,016 passengers
74.9%
Load
November 2025
63 departures · 3,170 passengers
66.2%
Load
December 2025
62 departures · 3,201 passengers
68.3%
Load
January 2026
61 departures · 3,288 passengers
70.9%
Load
February 2026
56 departures · 3,035 passengers
71.3%
Load
March 2026
63 departures · 3,829 passengers
78.4%
Load
April 2026
59 departures · 3,269 passengers
73.6%
Load
May 2026
63 departures · 3,716 passengers
77.6%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DSM → LAX
74.1% full
32 departures · 1,803 passengers
LAX → DSM
81.2% full
31 departures · 1,913 passengers
Nonstop DSM–LAX traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Des Moines (DSM) from Los Angeles (LAX)?
DSM to LAX is 1,444 miles (2,324 km / 1,255 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DSM to LAX?
A nonstop covers the 1,444-mile great-circle distance in roughly 3h 41m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DSM–LAX?
In May 2026, the Embraer E175 flew the largest share of departures (100.0%).
What mileage do I earn flying DSM–LAX?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,444-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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