You're standing in the middle of Des Moines International Airport (DSM), coffee in hand, staring at the departure board. It’s February. It’s freezing. And all you want is the humid, citrus-scented air of Central Florida. If you think grabbing a ticket to Orlando is as simple as clicking the first "deal" you see on a search engine, you're probably leaving enough money on the table to pay for a day's worth of Genie+ passes at Disney.
Honestly, the way people book des moines orlando flights is kinda broken. Most travelers assume that because Des Moines is a smaller market, they’re stuck with $400 layovers in Charlotte or Chicago. That is just not true anymore.
The Nonstop Myth and the Two-Airport Trap
Here is the thing: "Orlando" isn't just one destination. When you’re flying out of DSM, you have to decide between Orlando International (MCO) and Orlando Sanford (SFB). If you mix these up, your Uber bill from the airport might actually cost more than your flight.
Allegiant Air is the heavy hitter for direct routes, but they don't fly into MCO. They land at Sanford. It’s about 45 minutes north of the theme parks. If you're heading to New Smyrna Beach or Daytona, it’s a dream. If you’re trying to hit the Magic Kingdom by noon? It’s a bit of a haul. Allegiant usually runs these flights on a limited schedule—often just two or three times a week. Right now, in early 2026, you can catch flight G4 459 leaving DSM in the late afternoon and landing in Florida just before 10:00 PM.
Frontier and the MCO Connection
Then there's Frontier. They’ve been aggressive lately. You’ll see nonstop flights from Des Moines to MCO (the big airport) popping up on Thursdays and Sundays. I’ve seen one-way fares as low as $50. But—and this is a huge "but"—Frontier is the king of the "unbundled" fare. By the time you pay for a carry-on bag and a seat where your knees aren't touching your chin, that $50 flight is $130.
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Southwest also plays in this space, often with one-stop connections through St. Louis (STL) or Nashville (BNA). The "Bags Fly Free" perk is basically a midwesterner's love language. If you're packing heavy for a week-long cruise out of Port Canaveral, Southwest almost always wins on total value, even if the base fare looks higher than the budget carriers.
When to Pull the Trigger
Timing is everything. You've heard the "book on a Tuesday" advice? It’s mostly nonsense now. Algorithms don't care about the day of the week you book; they care about the day of the week you fly.
Data from early 2026 shows that March is actually the sweet spot for prices. It sounds counterintuitive because of Spring Break, but the sheer volume of flights keeps prices competitive. If you fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you're looking at a 20% to 30% discount compared to Friday departures.
- The 40-Day Rule: For the DSM to MCO route, booking roughly 40 days out hits the pricing floor.
- The "Last Minute" Mirage: Waiting until the week of the flight in 2026 is a gamble you will lose. Fares often spike by $150 in the final 14 days.
- The September Steal: If you can handle the Florida humidity and the risk of a late-afternoon thunderstorm, September is consistently the cheapest month to fly this route, with round-trip totals often dipping below $180.
Why Your Layover Choice Matters
If you can't snag a nonstop, you’re going to have a layover. Don't just look at the price; look at the airport.
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Connecting through O'Hare (ORD) in the winter is playing Russian Roulette with your vacation. A dusting of snow in Chicago can turn your three-hour journey into a twelve-hour nightmare at a gate in Terminal 3. If you have the choice, take the connection through Atlanta (ATL) or Charlotte (CLT). The weather is more reliable, and the flight paths are more direct.
Delta and American dominate the one-stop market out of Des Moines. American will funnel you through Charlotte or Dallas/Fort Worth. Delta is almost always going to send you through Minneapolis or Atlanta. These legacy carriers are pricier, sure. But if your flight gets cancelled, they have the "recovery" power to get you on another plane three hours later. If Allegiant cancels your flight on a Friday, you might be waiting until Monday for the next available seat.
The Real Cost of "Cheap"
Let’s talk about the math. I recently looked at a family of four trying to find des moines orlando flights for a Disney trip.
The "budget" option was $480 total for the seats. After adding four carry-on bags ($240), seat assignments so the seven-year-old wasn't sitting next to a stranger ($120), and the Uber from Sanford to Disney ($90), the "cheap" flight cost $930.
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The "expensive" legacy carrier was $800 total. It included bags, let them pick seats for free, and landed at MCO where they could hop on a cheaper shuttle.
Basically, the "expensive" flight was $130 cheaper.
Making the Move
If you’re ready to book, do it with a strategy. Use a meta-search tool like Kayak or Google Flights to see the broad landscape, but always check Southwest’s actual website separately because they don't share their data with those sites.
Once you find a price you like, book it. In the current 2026 travel climate, "Goldilocks" fares—those perfect, ultra-low prices—disappear within hours.
Your Action Plan
- Check the Airport: Double-check if you’re flying into MCO or SFB. This dictates your ground transportation.
- Bag Check: Calculate your baggage fees before you hit "purchase."
- Track the Fare: Use a price alert tool. If the price drops on a major carrier like Delta or American, you can often get a flight credit for the difference.
- The 24-Hour Rule: Remember that Federal law allows you to cancel any flight within 24 hours of booking for a full refund, provided you booked at least seven days before departure. Use this if you find a better deal right after you buy.
Stop overthinking the "perfect" time and focus on the total cost. Get your bags packed, get to DSM ninety minutes early, and get yourself to the sun.