How long does it really take to fly from Fayetteville (Arkansas) to Des Moines? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach Des Moines, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.
Tuesday, 12:27 pm: start in Fayetteville (Arkansas)
drive for about 52 minutes
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 2:14 pm at the latest
1:19 pm: Northwest Arkansas Regional (XNA)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 2:44 pm
1:49 pm: get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time
2:49 pm: arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate
3:19 pm: prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat
3:34 pm: board ExpressJet Airlines Inc. flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
3:44 pm: this is your scheduled departure time
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 4 minutes
3:48 pm: so this is your actual departure time
it takes the plane an average of 16 minutes to taxi to the runway
4:04 pm: wheels up! take-off from XNA
fly for about 1.5 hours in the air
6:22 pm (local time): Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
Atlanta, GA is 1 hour ahead of Fayetteville, AR
so the time in Fayetteville (Arkansas) is actually 5:22 pm
land at the connecting airport
taxi on the runway for an average of 8 minutes to the gate
6:30 pm (local time): arrive at the connecting airport
make sure you schedule enough time for your layover
there may be a minimum connection time for your flight
8:15 pm (local time): get to your connection gate
with the average delay, you have about 1 hour, 45 minutes
8:30 pm (local time): board Delta Air Lines Inc. connecting flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
8:40 pm (local time): scheduled departure time for connecting flight
but remember flights can be delayed, so take that into account
it takes the plane an average of 14 minutes to taxi to the runway
8:54 pm (local time): wheels up again! take-off from
fly for about 2 hours in the air
9:40 pm (local time): Des Moines International (DSM)
Des Moines is 1 hour behind Atlanta, GA
and the same time as Fayetteville (Arkansas)
taxi on the runway for an average of 5 minutes to the gate
9:45 pm (local time): arrive at the gate at DSM
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 16 minutes to your destination
10:01 pm (local time): arrive in Des Moines
Now finally, let's look at an example flight from XNA to DSM and figure out how long it would take to fly including take-off and landing, and time to taxi on the runway.
So now we can finally get an idea of the total travel time from Fayetteville (Arkansas) to Des Moines including time spent getting to/from the airports, an estimated wait time of 2 hours at the airport for TSA security lines and waiting at the gate, and the actual flight itself.
Total travel time: 4 hours
How far is Des Moines from Fayetteville (Arkansas)? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.
Flight distance: 383 miles or 617 km
Flight time: 1 hour, 16 minutes
Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 9 hours, 34 minutes.
Flying private is roughly 9.6x faster, and saves you about 8.5 hours in your total travel time.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula.
This is a relatively short flight in a private plane, but you might be planning to book a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.
Looking at flights on ExpressJet Airlines Inc. from XNA to ATL, and connecting flights on Delta Air Lines Inc. from ATL to DSM, here's a breakdown of the number of flights available each day:
Based on these statistical results, we chose Tuesday for the flight itinerary above.
The most common route is XNA to ATL, then connecting to DSM, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:
We picked ExpressJet Airlines Inc. for your main flight, and Delta Air Lines Inc. for your connecting flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:
Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to Des Moines, Iowa. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Des Moines. Check out some of the questions people have asked about Des Moines like What's the best neighborhood in Des Moines for a first time visitor? Click the button below to explore Des Moines in detail.
The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from Des Moines to Fayetteville (Arkansas), or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.
You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a Fayetteville (Arkansas) to Des Moines road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from Fayetteville (Arkansas) to Des Moines?
If you happen to know Fayetteville (Arkansas), don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about Fayetteville (Arkansas)!