Des Moines Airport Security Wait Times & DSM Queue Guide 2026

Des Moines Airport Security Wait Times Today

The Des Moines Airport security wait time estimates below reflect typical queues at the Concourse A and Concourse C checkpoints for this hour and day of week. Des Moines International Airport (DSM/KDSM) operates one terminal building with two concourses and a dedicated security checkpoint at the entrance to each. The Concourse A checkpoint serves passengers traveling on Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Allegiant Air (gates A1 through A5). The Concourse C checkpoint serves passengers on American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Frontier Airlines (gates C1 through C7). Both checkpoints open at 3:00 a.m. daily and remain open until the last departure. TSA PreCheck lanes are available at both checkpoints. Des Moines Airport does not have CLEAR biometric lanes.

How Long Is Security at Des Moines Airport?

Security wait times at Des Moines Airport depend primarily on the time of day and which concourse you are departing from. During the quiet midweek midday window from 09:00 to 15:00, most passengers clear the standard lane in 5 to 10 minutes at either checkpoint. During the morning peak from 05:00 to 08:00, when Southwest and United concentrate their earliest morning departures from Concourse A, waits of 10 to 18 minutes are common in the Concourse A standard lane, and can reach 20 minutes on the busiest Fridays and Mondays. The Concourse C checkpoint tends to be calmer during the morning hours, with American, Delta and Frontier operating later morning and midday departure waves, though it can see queues of 10 to 15 minutes during the 16:00 to 18:00 afternoon window.

TSA PreCheck members at DSM typically clear the dedicated PreCheck lane in under 7 minutes at most hours. PreCheck lanes are confirmed available at both the Concourse A and Concourse C checkpoints. PreCheck hours vary by day of the week at Des Moines Airport and may close earlier on slower midweek days; check flydsm.com for the current posted schedule before traveling on a Wednesday or Thursday evening. There is no CLEAR biometric lane at Des Moines Airport, so TSA PreCheck is the only program available to speed up the identity and physical screening process at DSM.

A practical advantage of the two-checkpoint layout at Des Moines Airport is that queues are split between concourses rather than funneling every passenger through one location. If you are departing from Concourse A during the morning Southwest departure bank and the queue is long, there is no option to switch checkpoints, as the Concourse C checkpoint only admits passengers with gates C1 through C7. Plan your arrival based on your own concourse. The entire terminal is compact and walkable end to end in under 10 minutes, and gate walks from either checkpoint are short, but the queue split does mean conditions at one checkpoint can differ substantially from the other during peak periods.

Des Moines Airport Security and the 2026 Screening Setup

Des Moines Airport uses standard X-ray screening at both its Concourse A and Concourse C checkpoints as of April 2026. CT scanner technology, which allows laptops to remain inside carry-on bags for screening, has not been deployed at DSM. Passengers in the standard lane must remove electronics larger than a cell phone from their carry-on bags and place them in a separate bin. The TSA 3-1-1 liquid rule applies in full at both checkpoints: each liquid container must be 3.4 ounces or 100ml or less, and all containers must fit in a single clear quart-sized resealable bag placed separately in a bin.

One meaningful change took effect at Des Moines Airport in July 2025: TSA ended routine shoe removal nationwide on July 8, 2025. Passengers at both DSM checkpoints no longer need to remove shoes as a standard step during screening. Officers may still request removal during secondary checks for certain footwear types including very thick soles or boots that trigger alarms. TSA PreCheck members remain exempt from the laptop and liquid bin requirements regardless of scanner type, providing the main practical shortcut through the screening area itself.

REAL ID enforcement began at all US airport checkpoints on May 7, 2025. A REAL ID-compliant state ID or driver’s licence (marked with a star) or a US passport is required to pass through both DSM checkpoints. There is no TSA PreCheck enrollment center on site at Des Moines Airport, so travelers who wish to enroll must do so in advance at tsaprecheck.com or at an enrollment center at another location.

Des Moines Airport Security Checkpoints: What to Expect

Des Moines Airport has two security checkpoints, both located inside the main terminal building on the upper level. The Concourse A checkpoint is positioned at the entrance to Concourse A and admits passengers with gates A1 through A5. The Concourse C checkpoint is positioned at the entrance to Concourse C and admits passengers with gates C1 through C7. Passengers must use the checkpoint that serves their departure gate; there is no shared pre-security area that provides access to both concourses from a single point. Both checkpoints have TSA PreCheck lanes. Neither has CLEAR.

After clearing either checkpoint, the gate area for that concourse opens directly. Concourse A is compact with five gates; the furthest gate from the checkpoint is a 3 to 5 minute walk. Concourse C has seven gates; the furthest gate from the checkpoint is a 5 to 7 minute walk. The two concourses are not connected airside; passengers who enter the wrong checkpoint would need to exit the secure zone, re-queue and re-enter at the correct checkpoint. Confirm your gate letter before joining the security queue. Airline check-in desks are on the upper level of the main terminal near both checkpoint entrances. Curbside check-in is available for Southwest Airlines passengers on the departures kerb.

Concourse A at Des Moines Airport

Concourse C at Des Moines Airport

Des Moines Airport Security Peak Hours and Best Times to Fly

The two busiest windows at Des Moines Airport security are 05:00 to 08:00 and 16:00 to 18:00. At the Concourse A checkpoint, Southwest and United concentrate their earliest morning departure banks in the 05:30 to 07:30 window every weekday, generating the most acute queue conditions at the airport. Because Concourse A has only five gates and one checkpoint, all Concourse A volume builds at the same location during this window. Concourse C tends to be calmer in the mornings but sees its sharpest queues during the afternoon wave. Fridays, Mondays and Sundays are the most congested days at DSM overall. Sunday afternoons see a concentrated return wave from weekend travelers that builds the afternoon and evening peak at both checkpoints.

Holiday travel periods add substantially to all baselines. Thanksgiving week, the Christmas and New Year period, Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend generate the longest queues of the year at DSM. The quietest windows are 09:00 to 15:00 on weekdays and after 20:00 on any day. A Tuesday or Wednesday midday departure during a non-holiday period is the most relaxed combination available at Des Moines Airport. The very early window from 03:00 to 05:00 is also quiet at both checkpoints, but builds sharply at Concourse A once Southwest morning operations begin around 05:30.

Des Moines Airport Priority Security: TSA PreCheck

Priority security at Des Moines Airport runs through one program: TSA PreCheck. There is no CLEAR at DSM, no airline-managed priority security lane and no paid per-trip priority pass. Southwest Airlines does not operate a business class cabin. American, Delta and United passengers without TSA PreCheck queue in the standard lane alongside all other travelers. The only meaningful way to move through both DSM checkpoints materially faster is TSA PreCheck.

Recommended Arrival Times at Des Moines Airport

Des Moines Airport recommends arriving at least 90 minutes before your domestic flight departure, and a 2-hour buffer is the safer target during peak periods or if you are checking bags. The 90-minute minimum does not account for parking, bag drop or the time to confirm your concourse and join the correct checkpoint queue. DSM serves domestic destinations only; there are no international departure timings to plan for at Des Moines Airport. Travelers requiring international flights must connect through a hub such as Chicago O'Hare, Dallas Fort Worth or Minneapolis Saint Paul.

Des Moines Airport is served by DART, Des Moines Area Regional Transit, with bus routes connecting the terminal to downtown Des Moines and surrounding suburbs. Ride-share pickup and drop-off is available at the terminal kerb. Parking at DSM includes three garages and open economy lots; a new parking garage opened in 2025, increasing covered parking capacity, but economy lots remain the best value for trips longer than a day. Allow extra time for parking during LiftDSM construction activity, which may affect some access routes around the facility.

When Should I Leave for Des Moines Airport? Calculator

Enter your flight departure time below to get a recommended time to be inside the DSM terminal. The calculator factors in the typical Des Moines Airport security wait at your departure hour, gate walk time, bag drop time and a safety buffer. All flights at Des Moines Airport are domestic.

Tips to Beat Des Moines Airport Security Queues

A few straightforward decisions can significantly reduce your time at either DSM checkpoint regardless of when you are flying.

• Enroll in TSA PreCheck before your next DSM flight. At $78 for five years, PreCheck is the most practical security upgrade at Des Moines Airport and the only available priority program at DSM. Any passenger who flies more than twice a year through DSM and does not hold PreCheck is adding 10 to 15 minutes to their Concourse A morning experience. There is no TSA enrollment center at DSM, so apply at tsaprecheck.com or at an enrollment center at another location well before your trip.
• Know your concourse before you arrive. Des Moines Airport has two separate checkpoints and they do not share access. Concourse A serves Southwest, United and Allegiant (gates A1 to A5). Concourse C serves American, Delta and Frontier (gates C1 to C7). Joining the wrong queue means exiting the secure zone, walking to the correct checkpoint and re-queuing. Check your boarding pass gate letter before entering the terminal.
• Avoid the 05:30 to 07:30 window at Concourse A standard lane if you do not hold PreCheck. Southwest and United morning banks generate the most acute queue conditions at DSM. If your Southwest flight departs at 07:00 and you do not hold TSA PreCheck, arriving at the terminal by 05:15 puts you ahead of the main wave. After 05:30 the Concourse A standard lane fills quickly and stays busy until around 08:30.
• Remove laptops before joining the bin queue. DSM uses standard X-ray at both checkpoints. Having your laptop out of your bag and ready to place in a bin before you reach the conveyor reduces your time at the belt and helps the passengers behind you. Pack your bag so the laptop can be removed quickly without unpacking other items.
• Pack liquids in your checked bag where possible. The 3-1-1 rule applies at both DSM checkpoints and standard X-ray is in use. Removing a liquids bag from your carry-on adds time at the conveyor. Checking a bag removes this step from your security experience, though it adds 15 minutes for bag drop at the airline counter.
• Use the MyTSA app before you leave home. The MyTSA app provides checkpoint-level wait time estimates for DSM. Checking 30 to 60 minutes before you plan to depart allows you to judge whether the morning peak is running longer than usual. There is no official live wait display on the flydsm.com website, making the MyTSA app the most reliable planning tool available.
• Use mobile boarding passes and check in early online. Southwest allows check-in beginning 24 hours before departure; the exact time you check in determines your boarding group. Delta, American and United also support mobile boarding passes, reducing landside processing time before you reach the checkpoint.
• Allow extra time during LiftDSM construction. The $445 million terminal expansion is under active construction in 2026 with Phase 1 targeting an early 2027 opening. Construction activity may affect parking access and some approach roads. Check flydsm.com for any posted access advisories before driving to the airport, particularly during peak summer and holiday travel periods.

Des Moines Airport Layout and Terminal Overview

Des Moines International Airport (DSM/KDSM) is located approximately 5 miles southwest of downtown Des Moines at 5800 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, Iowa 50321. It is owned and operated by the Des Moines Airport Authority and serves as Iowa’s largest commercial air gateway. The airport served a record 3,176,952 passengers in 2024, a 2.6 percent increase from 2023 and the second consecutive year above three million travelers. Six airlines operate scheduled passenger service at DSM: Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Frontier Airlines, serving more than 35 nonstop destinations as of 2025.

The current terminal is a single building with two concourses. Concourse A (gates A1 through A5) serves Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Allegiant Air, with its security checkpoint at the concourse entrance on the upper level of the main terminal. Concourse C (gates C1 through C7) serves American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Frontier Airlines, with its own security checkpoint at the concourse entrance. There is no Concourse B for passenger use. Airline check-in desks are on the upper level near both checkpoint entrances. Baggage claim occupies the lower level along with rental car counters, taxi and ride-share pick-up, and a DART bus stop. Three parking garages and open economy lots serve the terminal, with a new garage added in 2025. For the full terminal layout, gate locations and navigation guide, see our Des Moines Airport map and terminal guide.

The LiftDSM expansion program, valued at $445 million, will replace the existing terminal with a new facility featuring 18 gates, expanded security screening capacity with modern equipment, upgraded concessions and improved baggage handling. Construction began in 2023 and Phase 1 of the new terminal is on track for an early 2027 opening. The current Concourse A and Concourse C checkpoints will remain the active screening points throughout 2026.