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
Filed traffic dataIn June 2026, SkyWest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 5 carriers flying nonstop DSM–ORD; the Embraer E175 was the most common aircraft at 36% of departures; flights ran 78% full.
Departures
573
June 2026
Seats
47,677
both directions
Passengers
37,206
both directions
Load factor
78.0%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DSM–ORD?
SkyWest Airlines operated the most nonstop DSM–ORD departures in June 2026 (212), one of 5 carriers on the route.
- OO
212 departures · 14,564 seats
Share of departures37.0%76.4%
Load
- UA
133 departures · 17,943 seats
Share of departures23.2%78.2%
Load
- YX
113 departures · 8,588 seats
Share of departures19.7%85.4%
Load
- G7
61 departures · 3,050 seats
Share of departures10.6%90.7%
Load
- MQ
54 departures · 3,532 seats
Share of departures9.4%54.9%
Load
What plane flies DSM–ORD?
In June 2026, the Embraer E175 flew 36% of DSM–ORD departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Embraer E175
207 departures · 83.4% load
36.1% - Bombardier CRJ-700
112 departures · 71.5% load
19.6% - Airbus A319
91 departures · 80.6% load
15.9% - Bombardier CRJ-550
69 departures · 88.7% load
12.0% - Embraer E170
52 departures · 55.7% load
9.1% - Airbus A320
22 departures · 72.9% load
3.8% - Boeing 737-700
8 departures · 73.0% load
1.4% - Boeing 737-900ER
8 departures · 77.9% load
1.4% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
3 departures · 64.6% load
0.5% - Airbus A321neo
1 departures · 92.0% load
0.2%
How has DSM–ORD traffic changed?
Nonstop DSM–ORD departures rose from 569 in July 2025 to 573 in June 2026.
Monthly nonstop DSM–ORD traffic, trailing 12 months through June 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
May 2026
736 departures · 46,762 passengers
71.4%
Load
June 2026
573 departures · 37,206 passengers
78.0%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DSM → ORD
77.4% full
290 departures · 18,877 passengers
ORD → DSM
78.7% full
283 departures · 18,329 passengers
Nonstop DSM–ORD traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through June 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
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 June 2026, the Embraer E175 flew the largest share of departures (36.1%), followed by the Bombardier CRJ-700 (19.6%).
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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