RDU - DSM

$153 Find Cheap Flights from Raleigh to Des Moines

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Raleigh to Des Moines departing on 1/1. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
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Search hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Des Moines

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Raleigh to Des Moines, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Raleigh to Des Moines, as well as popular online travel agencies
In the last 7 days travelers have searched 41,299,237 times on KAYAK, and here is why:

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Cheap Flight Deals from Raleigh to Des Moines (RDU-DSM)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Raleigh to Des Moines that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Raleigh to Des Moines

Recommended round-trip deals departing in the coming months from the most popular airlines that fly from Raleigh to Des Moines.
Discover the best prices and deals for you by selecting your travel dates.
Choose your dates
6:00 am - 4:34 pmRDU-DSM
11h 34m1 stop
12:15 pm - 10:40 pmDSM-RDU
9h 25m1 stop
$295American Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, Jan 10 - Sun, Jan 12
6:00 am - 4:34 pmRDU-DSM
11h 34m1 stop
12:15 pm - 10:40 pmDSM-RDU
9h 25m1 stop
$296American Airlines
Find Deal
Sun, Feb 2 - Sun, Feb 9
4:42 pm - 11:01 pmRDU-DSM
7h 19m1 stop
2:06 pm - 8:25 pmDSM-RDU
5h 19m1 stop
$336American Airlines
Find Deal
Sun, Jan 19 - Sat, Jan 25
6:17 am - 2:44 pmRDU-DSM
9h 27m2 stops
3:28 pm - 11:44 pmDSM-RDU
7h 16m2 stops
$358United Airlines
Find Deal
Sun, Jan 19 - Sat, Jan 25
10:25 am - 10:19 pmRDU-DSM
12h 54m2 stops
4:40 pm - 1:21 pmDSM-RDU
19h 41m2 stops
Sun, Feb 2 - Sun, Feb 9
6:45 am - 12:20 pmRDU-DSM
6h 35m2 stops
6:10 am - 5:15 pmDSM-RDU
10h 05m2 stops
$396Southwest
Find Deal
Fri, Jan 10 - Sun, Jan 12
7:17 pm - 6:22 pmRDU-DSM
24h 05m3 stops
4:40 pm - 1:21 pmDSM-RDU
19h 41m2 stops
Sun, Feb 2 - Sun, Feb 9
10:10 am - 8:32 pmRDU-DSM
11h 22m2 stops
8:00 am - 8:00 pmDSM-RDU
11h 00m2 stops
$446United Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Feb 3 - Mon, Feb 10
8:45 pm - 11:55 pmRDU-DSM
4h 10m1 stop
9:00 am - 6:55 pmDSM-RDU
8h 55m1 stop
$501Southwest
Find Deal
Mon, Dec 30 - Sat, Feb 1
6:00 am - 11:45 amRDU-DSM
6h 45m1 stop
6:30 pm - 11:51 pmDSM-RDU
4h 21m1 stop
$597Delta
Find Deal
Mon, Dec 30 - Sun, Jan 5

Flights from Raleigh to Des Moines - Travel Insights & Trends

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Raleigh to Des Moines to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Raleigh to Des Moines?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Raleigh to Des Moines clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to Des Moines on a Saturday and more expensive on a Sunday. On your return trip to Raleigh, you should consider flying back on a Wednesday, and avoid Sundays for better deals.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Raleigh to Des Moines?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Raleigh to Des Moines, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.
The cheapest month for flights from Raleigh to Des Moines is January, where tickets cost $331 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and March, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $476 and $457 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Raleigh to Des Moines?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Raleigh to Des Moines, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.
To get a below average price on the flight from Raleigh to Des Moines, you should book around 3 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 25 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

February

High season

September

Cheapest flight

$153
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 16% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 14% lower on average.
Flight from Raleigh to Des Moines

When to book flights from Raleigh to Des Moines

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Raleigh to Des Moines based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking flights from Raleigh to Des Moines

  • What is the cheapest flight from Raleigh to Des Moines?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Raleigh to Des Moines was $153 for a one-way ticket and $295 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between Raleigh and Des Moines?

    No, a passport isn't needed to fly from Raleigh to Des Moines. However, local authorities might ask for an official ID.

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Raleigh to Des Moines?

    Raleigh and Des Moines are both served by 1 main airport. You will leave Raleigh from Raleigh-Durham and will be arriving at Des Moines.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Raleigh to Des Moines?

    The Boeing 737-900 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Raleigh to Des Moines flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Raleigh to Des Moines?

    oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance are the airline alliances operating flights between Raleigh and Des Moines, with SkyTeam being the most commonly used for this route.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Raleigh to Des Moines, Southwest or Delta?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Raleigh to Des Moines are Southwest and Delta. With an average price for the route of $398 and an overall rating of 8.1, Southwest is the most popular choice. Delta is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $417 and an overall rating of 8.0.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Raleigh to Des Moines?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Raleigh to Des Moines.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Raleigh to Des Moines?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Des Moines from Raleigh is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Raleigh to Des Moines?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Des Moines with an airline and back to Raleigh with another airline. Booking your flights between Raleigh and DSM can sometimes prove cheaper using this method.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Raleigh to Des Moines?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Des Moines from Raleigh up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top 5 airlines serving from Raleigh to Des Moines

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Raleigh to Des Moines. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Raleigh to Des Moines? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.1
SouthwestOverall score based on 4821 reviews
8.7Crew
7.2Food
8.1Comfort
7.7Entertainment
8.2Boarding
Airline reviews

I recently flew Southwest from San Jose to Honolulu. I was very impressed with the flight crew, especially the flight attendant in charge of the front of the plane. She came through the aisle at least five times for drinks and water, and two times for snacks. I have not seen such service since I flew first class. Also, for the first time, they gave us the correct baggage claim number, and the luggage came out quickly. I can't wait for Southwest to have assigned seating! I absolutely hate the Cattle Call boarding procedure and the mad dash to get seats and overhead bins. However, the boarding was efficient.

10.0 ExcellentWilliam Drew, Dec 2024SJC - HNL
Read more Southwest reviews

I recently flew Southwest from San Jose to Honolulu. I was very impressed with the flight crew, especially the flight attendant in charge of the front of the plane. She came through the aisle at least five times for drinks and water, and two times for snacks. I have not seen such service since I flew first class. Also, for the first time, they gave us the correct baggage claim number, and the luggage came out quickly. I can't wait for Southwest to have assigned seating! I absolutely hate the Cattle Call boarding procedure and the mad dash to get seats and overhead bins. However, the boarding was efficient.

Crew was great flight was great baggage claim was a failure. It took over 1 hour for bags to arrive. Poor communication poor effort when I spoke to the supervisor about the delay

Much better than the.last. flight on SW on Thanksgiving day

Fine, but how to board on SW versus othrr airlines, is just lame. Goood staff though and all was solid otherwise.

The movies using Southwest WiFi kept pausing and I had to restart multiple times.

It went well. Plane wasn't full. Will be great when assigned seating is in place

Everything was great except the food. The pretzels are really crappy.

For the first time in a long time we had a flawless experience with Southwest. Both flights were early and no mechanical errors at all. We were shocked and pleasantly surprised 😮.

It was fine. For some reason the flight was much longer than usual. It may have been explained, but I had noise cancelling earbuds on and missed a couple of announcements. The crew was fine, but there was a flight attendant who kept telling dumb jokes, occasionally one I found distasteful. This was my second time with him, but luckily it was a late flight so he didn't do as many. But I heard all of today's jokes twice, which was two times too many. Good takeout and landing.

One of the crew performed a hilarious skit to accompany the standard instructions. Passengers enjoyed it so much they applauded at the end!

I was with one of the last zones to board. It was kind of annoying to finally get called to board and my whole section was already on the plane. Clearly they boarded with previous zones. So by the time I got on board, there were no spaces for my luggage above my head. I had to put my luggage 4+ rows behind me, which meant that I had to wait even longer to get off the plane, since I had to wait for those rows to clear the aisle before I could retrieve my luggage and exit the plane. This also held up the plane cleaners, as they couldn't service my row until I cleared it, so they were all standing there waiting for me, while I'm standing there waiting for the other passengers to clear the aisle. Anyways, I wasn't in a rush this time, so I just waited, but I could see that being a problem in the future. Now, I could have checked my luggage, of course, but coincidentally, a friend of mine on the same flight got their luggage damaged (wheel completely knocked off) and was told by the Baggage Attendant in the airport that Delta doesn't "cover wheel damage" on luggage. This was disappointing to hear. I'm glad I didn't check mine through. If it were my luggage, I'd be highly frustrated to hear that. It makes me not want to check my luggage in the future.

The dear was very limited in space. I could put my water bottle in seat basket. Also, there was no inflight entertainment in the delta app?

Typically I give delta excellent reviews. Our flight was delayed 2hrs, I was one of the fortunate ones who were able to get to my connecting flight. Also, annoying that on the connecting flight boarding personnel make me put away a small bag into my carryon. It small enough to put in back pocket seat, why hold me and the line up to just push it into my carryon.

Everything was great. Great service, excellent communication, and early arrival

Delta flight attendants poorly managed the boarding process and overhead storage. My bag was checked last minute and no claim ticket was provided. My bag is now lost. Complete incompetence by all flight crew involved.

Inexpensive, got an exit row aisle aeat with no middle passenger, bought a great breakfast sandwich, flight comfortable & arrived ahead of schedule.

Customer service at the gate in the flight was exceptional. On time. Aircraft and seat was decent. Thanks Delta. 💗

It was terrible, if they ran flights on time it would make a big difference.

Great flight. On-time, comfortable, clean aircraft, and offered snacks pre-flight to plan for a potentially turbulent route. I wish there was Wi-Fi an all Delta Aircrafts but for a short flight this is not much of a problem.

Delta seems to be improving in many areas, except they are super bad with the food available. Bring back normal food service on long flights.

We arrived early and finally made it to our gate almost an hour after.

The reason I don’t fly United. No in seat entertainment for a long flight and inconsistent WiFi and entertainment available from my device.

We were delayed 3x and because I didn’t purchase my tickets directly from United Airlines I was told I Have to take care of it myself so I called Underpricer and they helped me but before I changed my flights I took the risk of sticking by what my tickets were and was lucky to have gotten on the original all flight with only 15 mins before take off. not sure if I will do this again

The planes are so dirty! Food crumbs and finger print smudges, Dust over the vents and carpet stains. It’s disgusting.

Everything good until we waited for jet bridge at SFO. Then pilot gets on speaker & said it won’t reach plane- too short, need to go to different gate. Then 5 min later, adjusted plane/jetbridge & all ok?!?

David went above and beyond to make our flight the best that it could be

Was a pain having to leave the plane and reboard but glad the plane was fixed

How badly can you screw up baggage claim? We were told to go to baggage claim too for our bags from this flight. Another flights bags were there. They finished up. More bags from a different flight arrived. Our bags did not Finally the baggage claim belt stopped working and and are flight was still listed on the arrivals for that baggage claim 2. And then nothing It turns out that they had been delivered not only the United baggage claim but far away on a Delta baggage claim No I never told us. It was only the people looking around who had been on the flight But I’m sure there was plenty of time for the employees to raffle through the bags and steal whatever they wanted

The bag drop personal were not helpful. There was no food on the flight. Boeing aircraft, lousy as always. Everything else was fine.

We had to wait almost an hour for the wheelchair porter to be ready to pick up my mother. And when she arrived in Newark airport the porter was not there and she started walking with her cane and her poor mobility. When the Newark porter found her they didn't want to transfer her bags to the wheelchair for her.

My flight got delayed for almost 4hrs and then it thankfully went to only 2hrs. Then we were told that there were no space for carry on bags and I had to get it checked... well I counted at least 8 spaces that weren't used and I was one of the few left that actually had one. There was definitely enough space and either the crew can't count or just genuinely are so lazy they don't want to do their jobs correctly and make sure that there ACTUALLY is no space.

The experience was good! I did not try any food, or in house entertainment. I don’t believe there were any tvs. Nothing major that stood out, but low key and good! Thanks!!

Missed our connector because our first flight was delayed, it was a miracle that we managed to get a second flight. Luggage was lost. People were rude. Flight was delayed and overbooked. Terrible experience. Worst flight I’ve ever had out of hundreds of domestic and international flights. I’ve been on a more comfortable 20 hour flight from Guam than the two hours it took NC TO FL.

Great flight from Charlotte to Orlando. In flight wifi and entertainment was not working til 25 minutes were left in the flight would be my only complaint.

One of the reasons I fly American is because the seating is more comfortable than most airlines. Even in the back of the plane.

Charlotte NC agents were great and ended up with decent seats after having to switch flights amidst Hurricane situation. CMH was a different story. Doors to flight closed 15 minutes before departure so we nearly were left behind. Flight crew were OK but nothing to brag about for sure

No choice of meal in first class. Was the worst meal I’ve ever had in first class.

It was late, then the bathroom was inoperable plus it was very hot as well. Plane was very old

Other than Charlotte airport being crowded and a mush of people at the gate and even through the priority lane, the flight was great.

Easy trip, left on time. Very impressed. Great pilot who talked to us

Delayed each time on a round trip with no significant weather interference. Updates to flight times came after the fact. 30 min behind in boarding and board and phone still show an on time departure. Some mysterious extra 300 miles that came so surprising they had to fuel while we were already on board?

A lady asked to stop the flight after the tunnel pulled away and we began to depart a flight that was already hours late. The attendance respectfully stopped the the plane and had the tunnel return. After the tunnel returned the passenger claimed to have changed her mind . The tunnel was then put in reverse and the passenger remained on the plane .. They should have sent the sick passenger off the plane like initially replaced. They existed a couple off the plane prior to that situation.. So.. all and all.. it was a long and flight.. .

terrible cascading delays and unhelpful customer service. uncomfortable plane. crew was great, however!

I ended up paying $70+ dollars to for a carryon because the website is confusing and misleading. I now realize I did not need to pay that. I request a refund. I will pay extra to other airlines and not fly Frontier again.

With frontier you get what you pay for. The flight was two hours late. It’s a tight fit for the number of people they bring but you get to where you’re going cheap. Sometimes that’s more important than a nifty drink and cool TV..

Charges unexpected. For seat that didnt recline. Please reverse extra seat and carryon charge. Bad business that is a bait and switch.

Although we received an email from Kayak AND the airline, turns out we were not on Frontier’s manifest for the flight. We had to purchase tickets at the gate. Not sure where this transaction fell apart, but it did. We are now disputing the charges for the SLC to PDX flight originally booked through Kayak.

We had an awful experience getting our bags checked in. Frontier’s check in on the app manipulated us into buying the business package because that was the only option available for a checked bag which included two checked bags per person which we did not need. Upon arriving to the airport, we stood in line for what seemed like forever at the baggage check in and there was no one available at the counter. We were first in line and we were afraid we were going to miss our flight due to the baggage attendant being late. After realizing there were a lot of other people waiting at the baggage check in and no one available. I reached out to Frontier and could not get any customer service so I had to call the airport to page the baggage attendant to send someone to the counter to check in our bags before we were able to go through security , I finally spoke to the attendant at the counter and explained to her that we had to pay for two checked bags person a total of six bags when we only had a total of three bags between three people she said to reach out to Frontier and they would issue a refund for the three bags that we paid for and did not need. I reached out to Frontier which I was not able to reach anybody by phone so I had to go through their automated chat feature, which sent me around in circles until I finally reached a representative to assist me. I explained to them what happened and they explained that they were not able to assist me. I continued to push the issue with them as this was very frustrating and they finally put in a customer service ticket where we were issued a flight credit and we were so disappointed because after this experience, we NEVER want to fly Frontier again, and we do not want a credit that we will not use. Frontier charged us almost $500 for us to check three bags which is absolutely absurd! The customer service agents were not able to offer anything else other than a flight credit and I do not feel like my frustrations were truly heard , we will never use Frontier Airlines again ! Truly Theft by Manipulation! They should be ashamed!

I couldn’t check in because the app didn’t work. It took 3 Frontier employees at the counter to get me checked in. Flight left 3 hours after departure time

One crew member was rude about our bags. Be nice about it. We don’t fly a lot. And the fact that you have to pay for a carry on is ridiculous

Book cheap flights from Raleigh to Des Moines

Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best one-way flight deals from Raleigh to Des Moines found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
1/1Wed
1 stopAmerican Airlines
6h 08mRDU-DSM
$153
1/3Fri
1 stopAmerican Airlines
6h 08mRDU-DSM
$213
1/3Fri
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
7h 33mRDU-DSM
$218
1/1Wed
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
6h 51mRDU-DSM
$263
1/5Sun
3 stops
35h 34mRDU-DSM
$270
12/28Sat
1 stopDelta
5h 10mRDU-DSM
$318
12/28Sat
2 stops
34h 10mRDU-DSM
$490
1/1Wed
3 stopsUnited Airlines
28h 25mRDU-DSM
$536
1/3Fri
3 stopsUnited Airlines
18h 44mRDU-DSM
$595

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Last minute flights from Raleigh to Des Moines

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

 
These last-minute flight deals are the cheapest flights found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours for flights from Raleigh to Des Moines that are departing in the next 10 days.
12/21Sat
multi-stopDelta
6h 16mRDU-DSM
12/25Wed
multi-stopDelta
4h 40mDSM-RDU
$876
12/21Sat
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
8h 29mRDU-DSM
12/25Wed
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
6h 19mDSM-RDU
$952
12/20Fri
multi-stopUnited Airlines
6h 07mRDU-DSM
12/25Wed
multi-stopUnited Airlines
12h 42mDSM-RDU
$1,187
12/21Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
5h 26mRDU-DSM
12/25Wed
multi-stopUnited Airlines
8h 23mDSM-RDU
$1,518
12/21Sat
multi-stopDelta
7h 10mRDU-DSM
12/25Wed
multi-stopDelta
8h 08mDSM-RDU
$1,812
12/20Fri
multi-stopUnited Airlines
5h 58mRDU-DSM
12/25Wed
multi-stopUnited Airlines
6h 33mDSM-RDU
$1,933

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Everything you need to know for your flight from Raleigh to Des Moines

Information on your arrival and departure airports

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