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
US DOT T-100 · filed 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%
passengers ÷ seats
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
Southwest Airlines
1 departures · 137 seats
Share of departures50.0%35.8%
Load
- YX
Republic Airways
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 111 in May 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.
May 2025
111 departures · 13,435 passengers
78.3%
Load
June 2025
115 departures · 13,194 passengers
76.8%
Load
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 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 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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