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Route

Chicago → Des Moines

MDWChicagoChicago Midway International Airport
DSMDes MoinesDes Moines International Airport
Distance
305 mi
Estimated flight time
~1h 5m

Same local time in Chicago and Des Moines.

Observed nonstop

View the reverse route

How often does this route fly?

Frequency

A couple of times a day

On average around 2 flights a day, observed from October 2025 to September 2026.

2
flights per day
3
busiest month · Jun
1
quietest month · Oct
52 min
measured flight time
12 / 12
months seen

Through the year

Per day, month by month

  1. 1Jan2026
  2. 1Feb
  3. 2Mar
  4. 2Apr
  5. 2May
  6. 3Jun
  7. 2Jul
  8. 2Aug
  9. 3Sep
  10. 1Oct2025
  11. 1Nov
  12. 1Dec

Airlines

Who flies it

Southwest Airlinesspring

Through the day

Departure times

Local time in Chicago. Most departures between 10:00 and 13:00.

  1. 00:00
  2. 01:00
  3. 02:00
  4. 03:00
  5. 04:00
  6. 05:00
  7. 06:00
  8. 07:00
  9. 08:00
  10. 09:00
  11. 10:00
  12. 11:00
  13. 12:00
  14. 13:00
  15. 14:00
  16. 15:00
  17. 16:00
  18. 17:00
  19. 18:00
  20. 19:00
  21. 20:00
  22. 21:00
  23. 22:00
  24. 23:00

Through the week

By weekday

  1. 1.4Mon
  2. 1.5Tue
  3. 1.7Wed
  4. 1.7Thu
  5. 1.8Fri
  6. 1.6Sat
  7. 1.3Sun

Fleet

Aircraft observed

  1. Boeing 737-700B73742%
  2. Boeing 737 MAX 8B38M15%
  3. Boeing 737-800B73811%
  4. Cessna Citation LatitudeC68A4%
  5. Embraer Phenom 300E55P3%
All the numbers in a table
MonthPer daySeenAirlines
January 2026115–
    February 202616–
      March 2026260
      • Southwest Airlines47×
      April 2026268
      • Southwest Airlines50×
      May 2026267
      • Southwest Airlines49×
      June 2026385
      • Southwest Airlines58×
      July 2026272
      • Southwest Airlines57×
      August 2026271
      • Southwest Airlines58×
      September 2026386
      • Southwest Airlines59×
      October 2025117–
        November 2025110–
          December 202517–

            Airlines observed on this route

            From observed callsign routes on MDW-DSM - not a booking guarantee.

            Southwest Airlines

            WN · SWA

            Hub: DEN Denver

            117 departure airportsView airline →

            About this route

            • Domestic route: both airports are in the same country.
            • The opposite direction has also been observed as a direct connection.
            • Direct destinations observed from Chicago: 108.
            • Direct destinations observed from Des Moines: 50.

            The airports on this route

            Chicago Midway International Airport

            Chicago, United StatesMDW / KMDW

            Major airport · 108 direct destinations · 4 runways · longest runway 6,522 ft

            57 °F · CloudySource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center

            Airport pageAll direct destinations

            Des Moines International Airport

            Des Moines, United StatesDSM / KDSM

            Regional airport · 50 direct destinations · 2 runways · longest runway 9,003 ft

            52 °F · CloudySource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center

            Airport pageAll direct destinations

            Alternative airports for this journey

            Same journey, a different airport nearby - with an observed direct connection.

            ORD DSMChicago O'Hare International AirportChicago is about 16 mi from Chicago.View route →RFD DSMChicago Rockford International AirportChicago is about 75 mi from Chicago.View route →MKE DSMGeneral Mitchell International AirportMilwaukee is about 81 mi from Chicago.View route →

            About the route from Chicago to Des Moines

            The observed direct connection between Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and Des Moines International Airport (DSM) covers approximately 305 mi. The estimated flight time is around 1h 5m. Southwest Airlines has been observed on this connection in the available route data.

            Frequently asked questions about this route

            How far is Chicago from Des Moines by air?
            The great-circle distance between Chicago Midway International Airport and Des Moines International Airport is approximately 305 mi.
            How long is the flight from Chicago to Des Moines?
            Based on the distance, the estimated flight time is about 1h 5m. This is an estimate, not a schedule.
            Is there a direct connection from Chicago to Des Moines?
            Yes, a direct connection between MDW and DSM has been observed in our route data.
            Which airlines have been observed on this route?
            In the available route data: Southwest Airlines.
            How often is there a flight from Chicago to Des Moines?
            On average around 2 flights a day, measured over twelve months (October 2025 to September 2026) in the flight archive, with 564 observed flights. Mainly Southwest Airlines. That is an observation, not a timetable.
            What is the current time difference between Chicago and Des Moines?
            Same local time in Chicago and Des Moines.

            Where this data comes from

            The route data comes from the flight archive (ADS-B, adsb.lol): which connections actually flew over the last twelve full months and who flew them, combined with our own airport, runway, and airline datasets. It is reference data about observed routes - not a current timetable and no claim about bookability.

            The frequency and aircraft on this page come from the flight archive (ADS-B, 12 months, October 2025 to September 2026), summarized per route per month. We do not see every flight, so it is a floor, not a count.

            Route data updated on October 11, 2026.