Des Moines (DSM) to Chicago (ORD)
Flight time
≈ 1h 24m
Bearing
82° E
Des Moines (DSM) to Chicago (ORD) is 298 miles (480 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DSM–ORD
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, SkyWest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 6 carriers flying nonstop DSM–ORD; the Embraer E175 was the most common aircraft at 41% of departures; flights ran 67% full.
Departures
719
April 2026
Seats
63,872
both directions
Passengers
42,740
both directions
Load factor
66.9%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies DSM–ORD?
SkyWest Airlines operated the most nonstop DSM–ORD departures in April 2026 (227), one of 6 carriers on the route.
- OO
SkyWest Airlines
227 departures · 13,775 seats
Share of departures31.6%69.6%
Load
- MQ
Envoy Air
154 departures · 11,373 seats
Share of departures21.4%66.6%
Load
- YX
Republic Airways
114 departures · 8,642 seats
Share of departures15.9%66.0%
Load
- UA
United Airlines
112 departures · 16,698 seats
Share of departures15.6%71.5%
Load
- AA
American Airlines
98 departures · 12,684 seats
Share of departures13.6%58.0%
Load
- G7
GoJet Airlines
14 departures · 700 seats
Share of departures1.9%81.7%
Load
What plane flies DSM–ORD?
In April 2026, the Embraer E175 flew 41% of DSM–ORD departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Embraer E175
294 departures · 65.2% load
40.9% - Bombardier CRJ-550
117 departures · 80.5% load
16.3% - Airbus A319
114 departures · 61.5% load
15.9% - Bombardier CRJ-700
65 departures · 67.9% load
9.0% - Boeing 737-800
34 departures · 75.5% load
4.7% - Boeing 737-700
32 departures · 71.3% load
4.5% - Embraer E170
30 departures · 65.7% load
4.2% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
8 departures · 62.5% load
1.1% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
8 departures · 64.3% load
1.1% - Airbus A320
6 departures · 63.8% load
0.8% - Boeing 737-900ER
6 departures · 48.3% load
0.8% - Bombardier CRJ-200
3 departures · 25.3% load
0.4% - Airbus A321neo
2 departures · 90.0% load
0.3%
How has DSM–ORD traffic changed?
Nonstop DSM–ORD departures rose from 549 in May 2025 to 719 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop DSM–ORD traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
549 departures · 41,748 passengers
81.3%
Load
June 2025
579 departures · 43,458 passengers
82.9%
Load
July 2025
569 departures · 43,918 passengers
83.6%
Load
August 2025
581 departures · 44,941 passengers
78.6%
Load
September 2025
530 departures · 41,558 passengers
70.2%
Load
October 2025
591 departures · 44,991 passengers
70.1%
Load
November 2025
488 departures · 30,799 passengers
67.8%
Load
December 2025
526 departures · 33,875 passengers
73.7%
Load
January 2026
440 departures · 29,146 passengers
76.5%
Load
February 2026
476 departures · 31,735 passengers
78.5%
Load
March 2026
581 departures · 38,418 passengers
72.8%
Load
April 2026
719 departures · 42,740 passengers
66.9%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
DSM → ORD
69.2% full
361 departures · 22,267 passengers
ORD → DSM
64.6% full
358 departures · 20,473 passengers
Nonstop DSM–ORD 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 Chicago (ORD)?
DSM to ORD is 298 miles (480 km / 259 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DSM to ORD?
A nonstop covers the 298-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 24m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DSM–ORD?
In April 2026, the Embraer E175 flew the largest share of departures (40.9%), followed by the Bombardier CRJ-550 (16.3%).
What mileage do I earn flying DSM–ORD?
Distance-based programs credit off the 298-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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