San Francisco

$95+ Cheap flights from Des Moines to San Francisco (DSM - SFO)

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a Cheapflights user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight departing on 3/18. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
DSM — SFO
Apr 3 — Apr 101
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Cheap flight deals from Des Moines to San Francisco

Cheapest flights from Des Moines to San Francisco
Explore the most affordable flight options available from Des Moines to San Francisco. Find the lowest fares from popular airlines and budget airlines, with prices last updated on March 4, 2026.

This Kiwi.com deal was found by Cheapflights users on 3/3. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Kiwi.com is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Mon 4/138:14 pm
DSM
-
SFO
1 stop29h 11m
Multiple Airlines
Wed 4/297:00 am
SFO
-
DSM
2 stops35h 13m
Multiple Airlines
Deal found 3/3$207
This Kiwi.com deal was found by Cheapflights users on 3/3. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Kiwi.com is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Mon 4/138:14 pm
DSM
-
SFO
1 stop29h 11m
Frontier
Sun 4/266:00 am
SFO
-
DSM
1 stop29h 09m
Frontier
Deal found 3/3$214
This Frontier deal was found by Cheapflights users on 2/28. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Frontier is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Fri 4/38:14 pm
DSM
-
SFO
1 stop6h 09m
Frontier
Thu 4/99:05 pm
SFO
-
DSM
1 stop20h 09m
Frontier
Deal found 2/28$221
This Kiwi.com deal was found by Cheapflights users on 3/3. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Kiwi.com is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Mon 4/138:14 pm
DSM
-
SFO
1 stop29h 11m
Multiple Airlines
Tue 4/2810:38 pm
SFO
-
DSM
2 stops37h 08m
Multiple Airlines
Deal found 3/3$232
This Expedia deal was found by Cheapflights users on 3/3. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Expedia is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Mon 5/48:23 pm
DSM
-
SFO
1 stop6h 04m
Frontier
Mon 5/116:00 am
SFO
-
DSM
1 stop5h 29m
Frontier
Deal found 3/3$240
This Kiwi.com deal was found by Cheapflights users on 3/1. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Kiwi.com is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Fri 4/172:04 pm
DSM
-
SFO
1 stop12h 23m
Multiple Airlines
Wed 4/227:40 pm
SFO
-
DSM
1 stop20h 21m
Multiple Airlines
Deal found 3/1$243
This Kiwi.com deal was found by Cheapflights users on 3/3. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Kiwi.com is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Mon 4/138:14 pm
DSM
-
SFO
1 stop29h 11m
Multiple Airlines
Thu 4/305:23 pm
SFO
-
DSM
1 stop22h 20m
Multiple Airlines
Deal found 3/3$244
This Expedia deal was found by Cheapflights users on 2/28. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Expedia is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Fri 4/38:14 pm
DSM
-
SFO
1 stop6h 09m
Frontier
Mon 4/66:00 am
SFO
-
DSM
1 stop11h 14m
Frontier
Deal found 2/28$250

Find flight deals from Des Moines to San Francisco

Discover tips and strategies to find the most affordable flight options for your journey from Des Moines (DSM) to San Francisco (SFO). Learn about various techniques such as flexible date searches, comparing prices across and setting up price alerts. Use these methods to find the cheapest flights available for your travel needs. Data last updated March 4, 2026.

Most accurate provider

FlightHub
3 stars

Most trusted provider

FlightHub
3 stars

Round-trip from

$207
(Kiwi.com)

One-way from

$95
(Priceline)

Popular in

March

Cheapest in

September

Average price

$498
Provider with most accurate pricing for Des Moines-San Francisco flight deals.
Provider most trusted by Cheapflights users for Des Moines-San Francisco flights.
From Des Moines to San Francisco
One-way flight from Des Moines to San Francisco
Highest demand for flights based on searches. 1% potential increase in price ($5 potential increase over avg. RT price).
Cheapest flight prices on average. 1% potential price decrease ($7 potential savings vs. average RT price).
Average for round-trip flights in March 2026

Cheapflights Fare Finder

 
Customize your flight search to find flights from Des Moines to San Francisco that fit within your specific budget. Explore options based on user searches and filter the results based on your desired price range. Find flights that match your budget for a cost-effective journey. Over the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made 2,558,603 searches. Data last updated March 4, 2026.
Use the filters below to find and compare flights from Des Moines to San Francisco that are best for you.

Fly from

Fly to

Route

Depart

Return

Price

Des MoinesSan Francisco

DSM - SFO

DSMSFO

Des Moines

Sat 4/4

4:25 pm-9:26 pm

1 stop7h 01m

San Francisco

Wed 4/8

6:20 am-3:42 pm

1 stop7h 22m

$357

Des MoinesSan Francisco

DSM - SFO

DSMSFO

Des Moines

Tue 4/14

6:30 pm-10:10 pm

1 stop5h 40m

San Francisco

Tue 4/21

10:05 am-9:15 pm

2 stops9h 10m

$362

Des MoinesSan Francisco

DSM - SFO

DSMSFO

Des Moines

Thu 4/16

7:10 pm-11:05 pm

1 stop5h 55m

San Francisco

Mon 4/20

5:25 am-1:10 pm

1 stop5h 45m

$379

Des MoinesSan Francisco

DSM - SFO

DSMSFO

Des Moines

Sat 4/18

6:40 am-12:35 pm

2 stops7h 55m

San Francisco

Sat 4/25

10:00 am-6:00 pm

1 stop6h 00m

$382

Des MoinesSan Francisco

DSM - SFO

DSMSFO

Des Moines

Fri 4/17

1:45 pm-10:10 pm

2 stops10h 25m

San Francisco

Fri 4/24

11:10 am-9:55 pm

2 stops8h 45m

$407

Des MoinesSan Francisco

DSM - SFO

DSMSFO

Des Moines

Sun 5/3

5:30 am-9:35 am

1 stop6h 05m

San Francisco

Wed 5/6

10:55 pm-9:23 am

1 stop8h 28m

$412

Des MoinesSan Francisco

DSM - SFO

DSMSFO

Des Moines

Fri 4/17

6:50 am-12:35 pm

2 stops7h 45m

San Francisco

Wed 4/22

10:30 am-9:15 pm

2 stops8h 45m

$412

Des MoinesSan Francisco

DSM - SFO

DSMSFO

Des Moines

Sat 4/11

6:40 am-10:25 am

1 stop5h 45m

San Francisco

Thu 4/16

11:10 am-9:55 pm

2 stops8h 45m

$423

Des MoinesSan Francisco

DSM - SFO

DSMSFO

Des Moines

Tue 6/16

7:00 pm-10:25 pm

1 stop5h 25m

San Francisco

Fri 8/7

11:15 am-9:15 pm

1 stop8h 00m

$447

Des MoinesSan Francisco

DSM - SFO

DSMSFO

Des Moines

Fri 3/20

8:21 pm-12:28 am

1 stop6h 07m

San Francisco

Mon 3/23

6:00 am-7:16 pm

1 stop11h 16m

$454

Flights are sorted by cheapest round-trip flights first.

Deals found on 3/4

Showing 1-10 of 20 resultsSorted by cheapest first
1
2

Compare providers for flights from Des Moines to San Francisco

Provider information is updated monthly. Please note that these providers often have deals for this flight, but the availability may vary on a day-by-day basis on Cheapflights.
Use the table below to compare price accuracy, trust ratings, and cancellation policies for each provider offering flight deals from Des Moines to San Francisco in March.
ProviderPrice AccuracyTrust Score*
ExpediaPrice Accuracy1 starTrust Score*3 stars
FlightHubPrice Accuracy3 starsTrust Score*3 stars
JustAirTicketPrice Accuracy-Trust Score*1 star

*The Trust Score is based on feedback from users after their booking experience. It measures overall satisfaction, helping us identify issues like hidden fees, problems during the ticketing process, and the quality of customer service. This score is our best indicator of the provider's quality and reliability.

  • Most accurate provider: When it comes to deals on Des Moines-San Francisco flights, users find the pricing of FlightHub to be most consistent on Cheapflights vs. FlightHub Users can find the same prices on Des Moines-San Francisco flight deals on Cheapflights vs. FlightHub >95% of the time. Price accuracy is based on data collected from Des Moines-San Francisco flight searches over the past month and is updated monthly.
  • Most trusted provider: When it comes to deals on Des Moines-San Francisco flights, Cheapflights users trust FlightHub the most. FlightHub has received a user feedback score of 3 out of 3 stars (3 being the best), meaning they have been trusted the most by Cheapflights users looking for Des Moines-San Francisco flight deals. Provider user feedback score is based on Cheapflights searches over the past month and is updated monthly.

Best time to book a flight from Des Moines to San Francisco

Have a flexible travel schedule? Discover the best time to fly to San Francisco from Des Moines with our price prediction graph.
Estimated round-trip price
Rates are based on past data. Find the cheapest month and day to book your flight based on your travel requirements, then search for cheap deals.

Cheapflights Insights

Everything you need to know about your flight from Des Moines to San Francisco

What is the cheapest month to book a flight from Des Moines to San Francisco?

Currently, February is the cheapest month in which you can book a flight from Des Moines to San Francisco (average of $157). Flying from Des Moines to San Francisco in May is currently the most expensive (average of $327). There are several factors that can impact the price of a flight, so comparing airlines, departure airports and flight times can provide users with more options.

Reviews of airlines servicing San Francisco

Get insights into the airlines that provide service to San Francisco. Read reviews, discover amenities, and learn about the overall travel experience offered by airlines. Use this information to make informed decisions when choosing an airline for your flight to San Francisco. Reviews last updated March 4, 2026.
Read reviews from past customers who have flown Southwest, Delta, and United Airlines from Des Moines to San Francisco. Users can see the overall rating for each airline as well as how each is rated in terms of entertainment options, comfort, food, crew/service, and boarding process.

Overall

8.0

Crew

8.6

Entertainment

7.5

Food

7.0

Boarding

8.1

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
8.0
Excellent

Walter,Aug 2025

OAK - SAN

Dozens of flights and I've never seen a row's beverages forgotten. I even went back and asked the attendant to check on them and nothing. I really hope it didn't have something to do with the Black mother with her kid in the row. Otherwise it was a typical Southwest flight, rapid boarding, tolerable leg room.

Overall

8.0

Crew

8.6

Entertainment

7.5

Food

7.0

Boarding

8.1

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
8.0
Excellent

Walter,Aug 2025

OAK - SAN

Dozens of flights and I've never seen a row's beverages forgotten. I even went back and asked the attendant to check on them and nothing. I really hope it didn't have something to do with the Black mother with her kid in the row. Otherwise it was a typical Southwest flight, rapid boarding, tolerable leg room.

Overall

8.0

Crew

8.6

Entertainment

7.5

Food

7.0

Boarding

8.1

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
8.0
Excellent

Walter,Aug 2025

OAK - SAN

Dozens of flights and I've never seen a row's beverages forgotten. I even went back and asked the attendant to check on them and nothing. I really hope it didn't have something to do with the Black mother with her kid in the row. Otherwise it was a typical Southwest flight, rapid boarding, tolerable leg room.

Overall

8.0

Crew

8.6

Entertainment

7.5

Food

7.0

Boarding

8.1

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
8.0
Excellent

Walter,Aug 2025

OAK - SAN

Dozens of flights and I've never seen a row's beverages forgotten. I even went back and asked the attendant to check on them and nothing. I really hope it didn't have something to do with the Black mother with her kid in the row. Otherwise it was a typical Southwest flight, rapid boarding, tolerable leg room.

Overall

8.0

Crew

8.6

Entertainment

7.5

Food

7.0

Boarding

8.1

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
8.0
Excellent

Walter,Aug 2025

OAK - SAN

Dozens of flights and I've never seen a row's beverages forgotten. I even went back and asked the attendant to check on them and nothing. I really hope it didn't have something to do with the Black mother with her kid in the row. Otherwise it was a typical Southwest flight, rapid boarding, tolerable leg room.

Overall

8.0

Crew

8.6

Entertainment

7.5

Food

7.0

Boarding

8.1

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
8.0
Excellent

Walter,Aug 2025

OAK - SAN

Dozens of flights and I've never seen a row's beverages forgotten. I even went back and asked the attendant to check on them and nothing. I really hope it didn't have something to do with the Black mother with her kid in the row. Otherwise it was a typical Southwest flight, rapid boarding, tolerable leg room.

Related info for your journey

Find useful and relevant information for your journey from Des Moines to San Francisco. Access travel guides, tips, and recommendations to enhance your travel experience. Get information about local attractions, weather, transportation options, and more.
  • How long is the flight from Des Moines to San Francisco?

    Southwest and American Airlines can get you from Des Moines to San Francisco in just under 10h 07m. Your travel time can differ by up to 18m. Airlines will cover a distance of 1545 mi. This flight may include one or multiple stops.

  • What are the cheapest airlines flying from Des Moines to San Francisco round-trip?

    Our cheapest airline available from Des Moines to San Francisco is Frontier. Our recent data shows that you can find tickets from as low as $158 on this airline. Additional options worth looking into are Delta and American Airlines, starting at $243 and $336 round-trip. Frontier is currently priced 62% below the average price you’ll pay for this route.

  • What are the cheapest airlines to fly from Des Moines to San Francisco one-way?

    The cheapest airline one-way is Frontier, with whom users have recently found tickets for as low as $92. However, be on the lookout for offers from Delta and American Airlines, as they are both options that can get you from Des Moines to San Francisco for a low price.

  • Can I find deals for flights from Des Moines to San Francisco that include hotel bookings?

    Yes. In addition to deals on Des Moines to San Francisco flights, Cheapflights offers vacation packages that include both flights and hotel.

  • How can I find direct flights from Des Moines to San Francisco?

    After entering your origin and destination, apply the non-stop filter on the search result page to find direct flights from Des Moines to San Francisco.

  • Can I find deals for business class flights from Des Moines to San Francisco?

    Yes. Cheapflights offers flight deals from Des Moines to San Francisco by cabin class. In addition to browsing deals, you can also filter by cabin class on the search results page after making a search.

  • What is the cheapest month to book a flight from Des Moines to San Francisco?

    Currently, February is the cheapest month in which you can book a flight from Des Moines to San Francisco (average of $157). Flying from Des Moines to San Francisco in May is currently the most expensive (average of $327). There are several factors that can impact the price of a flight, so comparing airlines, departure airports and flight times can provide users with more options.

See more FAQs

Traveling to a place near San Francisco?

Book flights to San Francisco if you plan to visit one of these locations
South San Francisco
Santa Cruz
Santa Clara
Livermore
Roseville
Watsonville
San Bruno
Daly City
Sunnyvale
Vacaville
Turlock
San Carlos
San Ramon
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Davis
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Union City

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Top 5 airlines flying from Des Moines to San Francisco

Discover the top 5 airlines that operate flights from Des Moines to San Francisco. Compare their services, reliability, and customer satisfaction ratings to choose the airline that best suits your travel preferences and needs. Over the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made 2,558,603 searches. Data last updated March 4, 2026.
AirlineCheapestAverageFlexibilityOn-time
FrontierCheapest$158Average$247FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-time62%
DeltaCheapest$243Average$365FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-timeN/A
SouthwestCheapest$336Average$446FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-time63%
American AirlinesCheapest$336Average$412FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-time71%
United AirlinesCheapest$342Average$496FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-time69%

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