Need help booking?
Unpublished phone-only deals available
DSM to STL: distance & flight time
Des Moines (Des Moines International Airport) → St. Louis (St Louis Lambert International Airport)
259 mi
417 km · 225 nm
1h 9m
estimated nonstop flight time
Same time
time difference · heading southeast
See live DSM→STL fares Phone-only fares on this route — call free
Flight time details
259 miles nonstop takes roughly 1h 9m 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
- DSM — Des Moines International Airport · Des Moines, United States
- STL — St Louis Lambert International Airport · St. Louis, 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 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
Near STL
- SUS · Spirit of St Louis Airport16 mi away
- ALN · St Louis Regional Airport20 mi away
- BLV · Scott AFB/Midamerica Airport32 mi away
- SPI · Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport84 mi away
Frequently asked questions
How far is DSM from STL?
The flight distance from Des Moines (DSM) to St. Louis (STL) is 259 miles (417 km, 225 nautical miles), measured along the great-circle route airlines actually fly.
How long is the flight from DSM to STL?
A nonstop flight takes about 1h 9m gate to gate. Actual time varies with winds, routing and season — eastbound transatlantic flights, for example, are usually faster than the return.
What is the cheapest way to fly from DSM to STL?
Compare live fares online, then call CheapoTrav — our agents have unpublished consolidator fares on DSM–STL that never appear on search engines, with no booking fees.