DSM

$1,804 Find Cheap Flights to Des Moines – Compare and Save

1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

Save 26% or more on flights. Compare deals from all over the web.

Never overpay with our price tracking tools.

Filter searches by price, airline and more to find your best flights.

Everything you should know

Cheapest return flight
$1,804
Typical prices: $1,547-$2,571
Delta
Thu 1/3Thu 8/3
MEL - DSM • 2 stops
Top airlines
Best reviews • 7.8 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
Top routes
Cheapest • 20% average savings
Most popular
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 18% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
+1
Good to know
+1
Start a new search
KAYAK searches hundreds of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you enjoy your trip to Des Moines!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights to Des Moines

 
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals to Des Moines

Mon, 1 Mar - Mon, 8 Mar
Delta Logo
10:10 - 21:13MEL  Melbourne-DSM Des Moines
28h 03m2 stops Los Angeles Minneapolis St Paul
Delta Logo
11:04 - 08:00DSM  Des Moines-MEL Melbourne
27h 56m2 stops Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Los Angeles
$1,804Delta
Thu, 21 Jan - Wed, 3 Feb
Delta Logo
10:10 - 21:14MEL  Melbourne-DSM Des Moines
28h 04m2 stops Los Angeles Minneapolis St Paul
Delta Logo
10:40 - 08:00DSM  Des Moines-MEL Melbourne
28h 20m2 stops Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Los Angeles
$1,804Delta
Mon, 1 Mar - Wed, 10 Mar
Delta Logo
10:10 - 22:29MEL  Melbourne-DSM Des Moines
29h 19m2 stops Los Angeles Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson
Delta Logo
07:00 - 08:00DSM  Des Moines-MEL Melbourne
32h 00m2 stops Minneapolis St Paul Los Angeles
$1,806Delta
Mon, 1 Mar - Wed, 10 Mar
Delta Logo
10:10 - 21:24MEL  Melbourne-DSM Des Moines
28h 14m2 stops Los Angeles Minneapolis St Paul
Delta Logo
07:00 - 08:00DSM  Des Moines-MEL Melbourne
32h 00m2 stops Minneapolis St Paul Los Angeles
$1,807Delta
Thu, 21 Jan - Wed, 3 Feb
American Airlines Logo
12:00 - 14:33MEL  Melbourne-DSM Des Moines
19h 33m1 stop Dallas/Fort Worth
American Airlines Logo
19:49 - 13:20DSM  Des Moines-MEL Melbourne
24h 31m2 stops Los Angeles Sydney Kingsford Smith
$1,853American Airlines
Wed, 20 Jan - Fri, 12 Feb
United Airlines Logo
11:20 - 20:38SYD  Sydney Kingsford Smith-DSM Des Moines
26h 18m2 stops Los Angeles Denver Intl
United Airlines Logo
14:57 - 09:20DSM  Des Moines-SYD Sydney Kingsford Smith
25h 23m2 stops Houston George Bush Intcntl San Francisco
$1,874United Airlines
Mon, 1 Feb - Fri, 26 Feb
United Airlines Logo
11:50 - 17:35SYD  Sydney Kingsford Smith-DSM Des Moines
22h 45m2 stops San Francisco Chicago O'Hare Intl
United Airlines Logo
13:05 - 06:20DSM  Des Moines-SYD Sydney Kingsford Smith
24h 15m2 stops Chicago O'Hare Intl San Francisco
$1,874United Airlines
Mon, 1 Feb - Fri, 26 Feb
United Airlines Logo
09:20 - 14:19SYD  Sydney Kingsford Smith-DSM Des Moines
21h 59m1 stop Houston George Bush Intcntl
United Airlines Logo
13:05 - 09:05DSM  Des Moines-SYD Sydney Kingsford Smith
27h 00m2 stops Chicago O'Hare Intl Los Angeles
$1,874United Airlines
Wed, 20 Jan - Fri, 12 Feb
United Airlines Logo
09:20 - 14:19SYD  Sydney Kingsford Smith-DSM Des Moines
21h 59m1 stop Houston George Bush Intcntl
United Airlines Logo
13:28 - 09:20DSM  Des Moines-SYD Sydney Kingsford Smith
26h 52m2 stops Denver Intl San Francisco
$1,874United Airlines
Thu, 21 Jan - Wed, 3 Feb
Qantas Airways Logo
12:00 - 14:33MEL  Melbourne-DSM Des Moines
19h 33m1 stop Dallas/Fort Worth
Qantas Airways Logo
16:56 - 05:00DSM  Des Moines-MEL Melbourne
43h 04m1 stop Dallas/Fort Worth
$1,883Qantas Airways
Booking Insights

Price, demand, and travel trends for flights to Des Moines

Use KAYAK data on prices, travel dates, airlines, and seasonal trends to compare options and book flights with more confidence.

What is the cheapest flight to Des Moines?

Melbourne Airport to Des Moines is the cheapest route at $1,804 return, found in the past 5 days on KAYAK. KAYAK data shows this is also the most popular route.

How much is a flight to Des Moines?

On average, a return flight from Australia to Des Moines costs $1,921, based on KAYAK data over the past 12 months. Return fares from Melbourne average $1,581, while Brisbane runs a bit higher at $1,685.

What is the cheapest day to fly to Des Moines?

Friday is the cheapest day to fly to Des Moines at $1,595 return on average over the past 12 months on KAYAK. Monday is the most expensive at $4,075.

What is the cheapest month to fly to Des Moines?

•September is the cheapest month to fly to Des Moines with an average price of $1,584 return.
•June ($2,781) and October ($2,407) are the most expensive.

Based on KAYAK data over the past 12 months.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Des Moines?

Morning flights to Des Moines are the cheapest at $1,811 return on average. Evening flights are the most expensive at $3,073.

What is a good deal for flights to Des Moines?

Flights under $1,547 are considered a good deal. 25% of KAYAK users found return flights to Des Moines at or below these prices, with the lowest fares from:
•Melbourne $1,345
•Brisbane $1,538.

Key details for flights to Des Moines

Low season

October

Cheapest flight

$1,804
Beat the crowds with an average 59% drop in travellers.
The most popular month to fly with an average 64% increase in travellers.
Return flight from Melbourne Airport to Des Moines

When to book flights to Des Moines

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel to Des Moines based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated return price

Your questions about flights to Des Moines, answered

Find helpful route details based on KAYAK data, including flight times, airports, airlines, and booking questions.

  • How do I know if a flight to Des Moines is a good deal?

    A good deal on a flight to Des Moines is around $1,547 return. This fare is in the lowest 25% of return flight prices searched on KAYAK, averaged across the cities most often searched as origins by KAYAK users.

  • Which city has the cheapest flights to Des Moines?

    Based on fares booked in the past 5 days, the cheapest flights to Des Moines are from Melbourne, starting at $1,804 return.

  • What is the difference between the most popular and the most frequent airline at Des Moines?

    American Airlines operates the most flights from Australia to Des Moines at 0 per week, while Qantas Airways is the airline most often selected by KAYAK users searching for flights from Australia to Des Moines. The two are often different because flight volume reflects an airline's schedule, while popularity reflects traveller choice.

Your guide to booking Des Moines flights

From booking to airport arrival, find tips to help you plan your flight with more confidence.
  • For flights to Des Moines, a good return fare is around $1,547. If you find a fare below that, you're getting a strong deal.
  • If your travel dates are flexible, consider flying to Des Moines in September. Return fares historically average $1,584, making September the cheapest month to travel based on KAYAK data from the last 12 months.
  • Before you book:

    • Check the route's typical price range so you can spot a deal.
    • Confirm baggage fees and seat selection costs on budget carriers.
    • Verify whether you need any travel documents beyond an ID.
    • Pick a departure airport, since your nearest may not be the cheapest origin.
  • Shift your departure to morning to save up to $1,261 on a return flight. Morning flights to Des Moines average $1,811 compared to $3,073 for afternoon flights.

Reviews of the top airline flying to Des Moines

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with to Des Moines? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.3
United AirlinesOverall score based on 10463 reviews
7.1Entertainment
7.3Comfort
7.7Boarding
8.1Crew
6.7Food
Airline reviews

Uncomfortable plastic seats even in premium economy. No free wifi. Even paid wifi was spotty to nonexistent. Bad food. Much worse than economy on foreign carriers like Qantas.

4.0 Okayziv, May 2026
Read more United Airlines reviews

Uncomfortable plastic seats even in premium economy. No free wifi. Even paid wifi was spotty to nonexistent. Bad food. Much worse than economy on foreign carriers like Qantas.

A long delay. Don't travel late in the day.

The seat was comfortable. There was a lot of turbulence. If it weren't for that,it would have been okay.

Good flight. However, when booked flight with United, assumed the layover included by United in San Francisco of 1 hr and 40 minutes was sufficient . Not so and would recommend at least 2 hours or more. Needed to go through US immigration (very long lineups), then pick up bags, take all the way to another terminal, running because we did not have sufficient time. We made the flight because they held the door for us but luggage didn’t follow.

It was good but only meal served is very less. Meantime good to add rice and chicken in one of meal

I found the staff to not be very attentive at all. When paying for Business Class you expect a certain type of service and that was not found. They were almost rude even

It was great, I’m very grateful for the pilots and crew flight attendants for everything.

Flight was great. Efficient boarding. Short flight. Early arrival. Friendly flight crew. The entertainment system did not work well. Could not access it until the aircraft reached 10K feet or more. Lots of glitches.

Great. Food going from Australia to the US was better than other way around, but still needs improvement in terms of quality and quantity!!!

No food service almost missed because of first flight delays

Travelling to a place near Des Moines?

Book flights to Des Moines if you plan to visit one of these locations
Clive
West Des Moines
Oskaloosa

More options for your flight to Des Moines