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.
Look up a route, or build a trip
Change the airports, or add stops for a multi-leg trip.
What actually flies DSM–ORD
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, SkyWest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 6 carriers flying nonstop DSM–ORD; the Embraer E175 was the most common aircraft at 33% of departures; flights ran 71% full.
Departures
736
May 2026
Seats
65,522
both directions
Passengers
46,762
both directions
Load factor
71.4%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DSM–ORD?
SkyWest Airlines operated the most nonstop DSM–ORD departures in May 2026 (224), one of 6 carriers on the route.
- OO
224 departures · 14,051 seats
Share of departures30.4%76.0%
Load
- UA
162 departures · 22,732 seats
Share of departures22.0%72.0%
Load
- MQ
140 departures · 10,199 seats
Share of departures19.0%66.6%
Load
- YX
83 departures · 6,308 seats
Share of departures11.3%69.6%
Load
- AA
75 departures · 9,632 seats
Share of departures10.2%65.1%
Load
- G7
52 departures · 2,600 seats
Share of departures7.1%86.7%
Load
What plane flies DSM–ORD?
In May 2026, the Embraer E175 flew 33% of DSM–ORD departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Embraer E175
245 departures · 71.8% load
33.3% - Airbus A319
163 departures · 72.2% load
22.1% - Bombardier CRJ-550
130 departures · 83.8% load
17.7% - Bombardier CRJ-700
83 departures · 68.4% load
11.3% - Embraer E170
40 departures · 62.2% load
5.4% - Airbus A320
38 departures · 68.6% load
5.2% - Boeing 737-800
14 departures · 60.2% load
1.9% - Boeing 737-900ER
8 departures · 68.6% load
1.1% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
8 departures · 55.4% load
1.1% - Boeing 737-700
6 departures · 80.2% load
0.8% - Bombardier CRJ-200
1 departures · 0.0% load
0.1%
How has DSM–ORD traffic changed?
Nonstop DSM–ORD departures rose from 579 in June 2025 to 736 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DSM–ORD traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
May 2026
736 departures · 46,762 passengers
71.4%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
ORD → DSM
70.4% full
369 departures · 23,095 passengers
DSM → ORD
72.3% full
367 departures · 23,667 passengers
Nonstop DSM–ORD 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 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 May 2026, the Embraer E175 flew the largest share of departures (33.3%), followed by the Airbus A319 (22.1%).
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.
Keep exploring
Every route below is its own page.
Other routes from ORD
Popular long-haul routes