Itineraries flown on 20+ days in the Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026 schedule · each leg’s record Aug 2025 – Jul 2026

No clear winner: airlines and hours on this route all land within a few points of 4 in 5 on time.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


American	DSM	PHL	2h 39m	82%	3.6%	329	Flying now
Allegiant	DSM	PHL	2h 16m	42%few flights	9.5%	21	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Philadelphia on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Philadelphia is 1 h ahead of Des Moines). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	DSM 05:10 → MDW 06:30WN 1772	2h 30m Chicago	MDW 09:00 → PHL 11:55WN 4901	5h 45m	95%	91%
Delta + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	DSM 05:35 → ATL 08:44DL 2727	3h 41m Atlanta	ATL 12:25 → PHL 14:36AA 4338 · flown by Republic	8h 01m	98%	90%
United Details →	DSM 05:50 → DEN 06:59UA 4777 · flown by SkyWest	2h 36m Denver	DEN 09:35 → PHL 15:12UA 1575	8h 22m	96%	83%
Delta Details →	DSM 06:50 → MSP 08:12DL 5402 · flown by Endeavor	2h 57m Minneapolis	MSP 11:09 → PHL 14:43DL 2679	6h 52m	95%	80%
Delta Details →	DSM 06:08 → DTW 08:59DL 5414 · flown by Endeavor	1h 11m Detroit	DTW 10:10 → PHL 11:46DL 2331	4h 41m	90%	77%
American Details →	DSM 05:18 → DFW 07:28AA 2326	1h 12m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 08:40 → PHL 13:02AA 2128	6h 44m	89%	75%
United Details →	DSM 06:00 → ORD 07:40UA 1856	3h 53m Chicago	ORD 11:33 → PHL 14:47UA 2182	7h 47m	96%	74%
American Details →	DSM 05:00 → ORD 06:39AA 4519 · flown by Republic	1h 50m Chicago	ORD 08:29 → PHL 11:41AA 471	5h 41m	94%	72%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	DSM 17:34 → DTW 20:27DL 5305 · flown by Endeavor	1h 08m Detroit	DTW 21:35 → PHL 23:17DL 2402	4h 43m	70%	55%
American Details →	DSM 13:41 → CLT 17:11AA 1763	1h 01m Charlotte	CLT 18:12 → PHL 20:12AA 2879	5h 31m	65%	46%
American Details →	DSM 16:48 → DFW 18:59AA 2421	1h 20m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 20:19 → PHL 00:35 +1AA 2542	6h 47m	57%	30%

Same layover, different day-part

How often the first flight arrives too late to connect (45 min minimum), for one-ticket layovers of 45–80 minutes.

Morning

MDW · 1h 10m · leaves 05:10 5%

DTW · 1h 11m · leaves 06:08 10%

ORD · 56m · leaves 09:02 11%

Afternoon and evening

DTW · 1h 08m · leaves 17:34 30%

CLT · 1h 01m · leaves 13:41 35%

DFW · 1h 20m · leaves 16:48 43%

Delays build through the day, so an afternoon first leg eats the layover. A short connection is fine early in the morning and a gamble later on.

Mixing airlines

One ticketMiss it and the airline rebooks you; bags go through. 45 min is enough.

Separate ticketsMiss it and you buy a new ticket. Re-check bags, clear security again: we require 90 min.

The table above includes two-ticket connections (marked “two tickets”), held to the 90-minute minimum. One ticket only →

Regional partners count as the airline that sells them: SkyWest flying Delta Connection is one Delta ticket.

How these are worked out. Makes the connection: share of the last year’s flights where the first flight arrived with at least 45 minutes to spare (90 on separate tickets). Arrives on time: first flight not cancelled × connection made × second flight not cancelled and arriving within 15 minutes. Not yet counted: the second flight also leaving late (which helps), gate-to-gate distance at the hub, and rebooking after a missed connection.

About this data: US DOT on-time records, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, all US airlines; regional flights count under the airline that sells them. Schedules (which flights and connections exist, and their times) are as of Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026; seasonal flights outside that window aren’t ranked. Rebuilt monthly. JSON