Need help booking?
Unpublished phone-only deals available
STK to DSM: distance & flight time
Sterling (Sterling Municipal Airport) → Des Moines (Des Moines International Airport)
504 mi
811 km · 438 nm
1h 34m
estimated nonstop flight time
+1h
time difference · heading east
See live STK→DSM fares Phone-only fares on this route — call free
Flight time details
504 miles nonstop takes roughly 1h 34m gate to gate, flying east. Add 45–90 minutes per connection if there's no nonstop service. Remember to factor the 1-hour time gain when reading arrival times on your ticket.
The two airports
- STK — Sterling Municipal Airport · Sterling, 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 STK
- AKO · Colorado Plains Regional Airport30 mi away
- SNY · Sidney Municipal-Lloyd W Carr Field37 mi away
- DEN · Denver International Airport91 mi away
- GXY · Greeley–Weld County Airport73 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 STK from DSM?
The flight distance from Sterling (STK) 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 STK 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.
What is the time difference between Sterling and Des Moines?
Des Moines is 1 hour ahead of Sterling.
What is the cheapest way to fly from STK to DSM?
Compare live fares online, then call CheapoTrav — our agents have unpublished consolidator fares on STK–DSM that never appear on search engines, with no booking fees.