AA4971American Airlines · DSM → LAX
live · 4m ago
Route confirmed American Airlines

AA4971 Des MoinesDSM · 18:48 Los AngelesLAX · 20:42

AA4971 by American Airlines flies from Des Moines (DSM) to Los Angeles (LAX).

Right nowNext departure today Operates daily
18:48

scheduled from DSM

⚖ AA4971 typically leaves +13 and lands −5. The air wins minutes back.

Where the minutes go

last 7 operations · gate push → arrival
0+50+99+149 min
09-10
+117 gate · +78 arrival
09-08
+149 gate · +111 arrival
09-07
+13 gate · −16 arrival
09-06
+71 gate · +63 arrival
09-05
+3 gate · −25 arrival
09-04
+18 gate · −11 arrival
09-03
+117 gate · +78 arrival

The bar is how late it left the gate; the ring is where it actually arrived. Board clocks, not estimates.

The last 30 days

arrival outcome per operation

median arrival −5 min · 0 cancelled · 11 operations tracked

The route today

live boards
DSMDes MoinesModerate riskDSM delay board →
LAXLos AngelesOn-time likelyLAX delay board →
DSM→LAXevery carrier, schedules and on-time historyRoute intelligence →

Weather lens

Delay & cancellation outlook for this flight

Measured, 90-day sample
44%Chance of 15+ min delay
1.9%Chance of cancellation
+13 minAvg hub delay right now

Conditions at DSM and LAX are near their clear-air norm right now, so this reflects the route's recent baseline rather than a weather penalty. For this route and airline, under conditions like today's, over the last 90 days.

Pro Flight Search tracking, 90 days · the weather × delay correlation study → · live weather risk by airport →

When it flies

scheduled departures
061422
M
T
W
T
F
S
S

Each mark is a scheduled departure at its origin-local time. Today is highlighted.

Other Des Moines to Los Angeles flights today

same route · American Airlines
AA6409departs 18:07

If AA4971 is cancelled, this is the other American Airlines nonstop flight from Des Moines to Los Angeles on the same day, with scheduled departure times in DSM local time. Most flights posting a delay still operate — rebooking usually only beats a very large posted delay. Every airline on this route →

How AA4971 actually runs

Pro Flight Search has tracked every published board update for AA4971 across the DSM and LAX boards: schedule changes, gate pushes and actual clocks. Usually lands on time. Based on 10 confirmed landings · 6/10 within 15 min of schedule. Pushes back late but makes up time in the air.

The verdict above is that record speaking, so it reflects how AA4971 operates rather than what the timetable promises. Numbers refresh as new flights operate.

Technical record

How this operation is measured

board clocksaircraft

Board log

scheduled → actual, per operation
09-10DSM 18:48 20:45 (+117)LAX 20:42 22:00 (+78)
09-08DSM 18:48 21:17 (+149)LAX 20:42 22:33 (+111)
09-07DSM 18:48 19:01 (+13)LAX 20:42 20:26 (−16)
09-06DSM 18:48 19:59 (+71)LAX 20:42 21:45 (+63)
09-05DSM 18:48 18:51 (+3)LAX 20:42 20:17 (−25)
09-04DSM 18:48 19:06 (+18)LAX 20:42 20:31 (−11)
09-03DSM 18:48 20:45 (+117)LAX 20:42 22:00 (+78)
09-02DSM 18:48 18:59 (+11)LAX 20:28 20:23 (−5)
09-01DSM 18:48 19:00 (+12)LAX 20:42 20:31 (−11)
08-31DSM 18:48 18:59 (+11)LAX 20:42 20:26 (−16)
08-30DSM 18:48 18:58 (+10)LAX

Aircraft

Recent tails: N504SY, N502SY, N517SY, N514SY.

Board clocks recorded as DSM and LAX published them.

Cite this data

Journalists, bloggers, and researchers may cite this page with attribution and a link to Pro Flight Search.

Suggested citation

Pro Flight Search — AA4971 Des Moines to Los Angeles on-time performance, measured from the DSM and LAX airport boards.

Canonical URL
https://proflightsearch.com/flight/AA4971
How we measure this →