Need help booking?
Unpublished phone-only deals available
RDR to DSM: distance & flight time
Red River (Grand Forks Air Force Base) → Des Moines (Des Moines International Airport)
480 mi
773 km · 417 nm
1h 31m
estimated nonstop flight time
Same time
time difference · heading southeast
See live RDR→DSM fares Phone-only fares on this route — call free
Flight time details
480 miles nonstop takes roughly 1h 31m 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
- RDR — Grand Forks Air Force Base · Red River, 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 RDR
- GFK · Grand Forks International Airport10 mi away
- TVF · Thief River Falls Regional Airport57 mi away
- PMB · Pembina Municipal Airport68 mi away
- DVL · Devils Lake Regional Airport70 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 RDR from DSM?
The flight distance from Red River (RDR) to Des Moines (DSM) is 480 miles (773 km, 417 nautical miles), measured along the great-circle route airlines actually fly.
How long is the flight from RDR to DSM?
A nonstop flight takes about 1h 31m 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 RDR to DSM?
Compare live fares online, then call CheapoTrav — our agents have unpublished consolidator fares on RDR–DSM that never appear on search engines, with no booking fees.