Des Moines (DSM) TSA wait times
Security at Des Moines International Airport is running about 8 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 5 to 15 minutes at 11 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 3 minutes.DSM security is about 8 minutes now, usually 5 to 15 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 6 AM and 1 to 3 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 5 to 15 minutes now
Down 4 min since 5 am.
How long is security at Des Moines, and when is DSM busiest?
So how long is security at Des Moines? The left chart shows the Des Moines security wait time hour by hour, built from DSM's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 4 to 8 PM; plan around the 5 to 6 AM and 1 to 3 PM rushes.Calmest 4 to 8 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through DSM? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Fort Dodge (FOD) and Waterloo (ALO), or every airport in Iowa.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 11 am (Now) | 3 flights | 8 min |
| noon | 4 flights | 10 min |
| 1 pm | 4 flights | 10 min |
| 2 pm | 3 flights | 8 min |
| 3 pm | 2 flights | 7 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
DSM security, common questions
How early should I get to DSM?
For a domestic flight out of Des Moines, plan to be inside the terminal about an hour before departure, and about an hour for an international one. That covers a 10 to 20 minute checkpoint queue at the Friday peak plus the walk to the gate. Outside the peak you can safely trim it; the calculator above works it out from your actual departure time.
What is the busiest time at DSM security?
Friday around 4 am, when 5 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Saturday at 6 pm, at roughly 5 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at DSM?
At the Friday peak it turns a 10 to 20 minute queue into something closer to 5 minutes. Over a five year membership that is worth it if you fly more than about three round trips a year through an airport this busy. The trusted traveler calculator prices it against your own flying.
When does security open at DSM?
Des Moines International Airport does not publish checkpoint opening hours in any national feed, so we will not invent them. What the schedule does show is that the first departures leave around 2 am, and checkpoints generally open about two hours before the first flight of the day.
How long is security at Des Moines?
At the Friday peak around 4 am, the standard lane at DSM typically runs 10 to 20 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 5 minutes. These are modeled from the airport's own departure schedule, so they move hour by hour, which is what the chart on this page shows.
How much time does PreCheck save at DSM?
At the busy Friday peak, PreCheck turns the standard 10 to 20 minute wait into about 5 minutes, a saving of roughly 10 minutes when it matters most. Off-peak the two lanes are much closer, because a short line is short in either one.
Tips for DSM, from the data
- Fly between 4 to 8 PM if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The 4 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 13 minutes in the standard lane.
- SkyWest runs 19% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
Related
Modeled from the flight schedule, not measured. How these numbers are made.