Des Moines (DSM) to St Louis (STL)
Flight time
≈ 1h 19m
Bearing
137° SE
Des Moines (DSM) to St Louis (STL) is 259 miles (417 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DSM–STL
Filed traffic dataIn April 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop DSM–STL; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 50% of departures; flights ran 23% full.
Departures
2
April 2026
Seats
213
both directions
Passengers
49
both directions
Load factor
23.0%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DSM–STL?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop DSM–STL departures in April 2026 (1), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- WN
1 departures · 137 seats
Share of departures50.0%35.8%
Load
- YX
1 departures · 76 seats
Share of departures50.0%0.0%
Load
What plane flies DSM–STL?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 50% of DSM–STL departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
1 departures · 35.8% load
50.0% - Embraer E175
1 departures · 0.0% load
50.0%
How has DSM–STL traffic changed?
Nonstop DSM–STL departures fell from 115 in July 2025 to 2 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop DSM–STL traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
July 2025
115 departures · 11,301 passengers
64.9%
Load
August 2025
112 departures · 13,027 passengers
76.3%
Load
September 2025
113 departures · 11,712 passengers
67.6%
Load
October 2025
115 departures · 11,999 passengers
64.2%
Load
November 2025
109 departures · 10,775 passengers
57.1%
Load
December 2025
121 departures · 12,652 passengers
60.7%
Load
January 2026
117 departures · 10,623 passengers
52.6%
Load
February 2026
104 departures · 10,394 passengers
60.3%
Load
March 2026
16 departures · 1,561 passengers
58.1%
Load
April 2026
2 departures · 49 passengers
23.0%
Load
Nonstop DSM–STL traffic has been filed 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 airports
Frequently asked
How far is Des Moines (DSM) from St Louis (STL)?
DSM to STL is 259 miles (417 km / 225 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DSM to STL?
A nonstop covers the 259-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 19m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DSM–STL?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (50.0%), followed by the Embraer E175 (50.0%).
What mileage do I earn flying DSM–STL?
Distance-based programs credit off the 259-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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