Need help booking?
Unpublished phone-only deals available
BIS to DSM: distance & flight time
Bismarck (Bismarck Municipal Airport) → Des Moines (Des Moines International Airport)
504 mi
811 km · 438 nm
1h 34m
estimated nonstop flight time
Same time
time difference · heading southeast
See live BIS→DSM fares Phone-only fares on this route — call free
Flight time details
504 miles nonstop takes roughly 1h 34m gate to gate, flying southeast. Add 45–90 minutes per connection if there's no nonstop service. Both airports share the same local time, so schedules read exactly as flown.
The two airports
- BIS — Bismarck Municipal Airport · Bismarck, United States
- DSM — Des Moines International Airport · Des Moines, United States
Distances are great-circle ("as the crow flies") — the same basis airlines use for frequent-flyer miles.
Alternate airports can cut this fare
Flying from or into a nearby airport is the #1 trick our agents use to beat online prices. Call and we'll compare every combination on one call.
Near BIS
- MBG · Mobridge Municipal Airport86 mi away
- DIK · Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport97 mi away
- JMS · Jamestown Regional Airport98 mi away
- MOT · Minot International Airport106 mi away
Near DSM
- OTM · Ottumwa Regional Airport70 mi away
- FOD · Fort Dodge Regional Airport75 mi away
- ALO · Waterloo Regional Airport96 mi away
- CID · The Eastern Iowa Airport104 mi away
Frequently asked questions
How far is BIS from DSM?
The flight distance from Bismarck (BIS) to Des Moines (DSM) is 504 miles (811 km, 438 nautical miles), measured along the great-circle route airlines actually fly.
How long is the flight from BIS to DSM?
A nonstop flight takes about 1h 34m gate to gate. Actual time varies with winds, routing and season — eastbound transatlantic flights, for example, are usually faster than the return.
Are there nonstop flights from BIS to DSM?
Nonstop service on BIS–DSM depends on the season and the day of week. Run the fare search on this page with the nonstop filter applied to see current direct options; when there is no nonstop, a single connection through a carrier hub adds roughly 2–4 hours to the 1h 34m nonstop estimate.
What is the cheapest way to fly from BIS to DSM?
Compare live fares online, then call CheapoTrav — our agents have unpublished consolidator fares on BIS–DSM that never appear on search engines, with no booking fees.
Why are some BIS to DSM fares phone-only?
Consolidator contracts let us sell certain BIS–DSM tickets below the price airlines permit us to publish online, so those fares can only be quoted over the phone. Call the travel desk and an agent will check phone-only inventory for your dates.