Atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is widely applied in various fields. In DBD, the air flow rate significantly affects the properties and behavior of the discharge process. This study investigates the characteristics of DBD under different air flow rates using a custom-designed reactor. The experimental results show that at Vrms = 12 kV and a discharge gap of 2.5 mm, when the direction of the air flow is parallel to the electric field direction between the electrodes, the total gray value of images in specific regions of the discharge gap decreases as the air flow rate increases. The brightness of the plasma filaments diminishes, their formation decreases, and some plasma filaments extinguish in certain areas. The amplitude of the current pulses during the positive half-cycle gradually decreases, and when the air flow rate reaches 2.55 m/s, the amplitude of the current pulses during the negative half-cycle also begins to decrease with further increase in air flow rate, eventually stabilizing. The presence of fan blades before the high-voltage electrode mitigates the trend of plasma filaments becoming thinner and dimmer at low flow rates, maintaining the stability and density of current pulses during the discharge process. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the impact mechanism of air flow rate on the characteristics of plasma discharge and provide a reference for further research in the field of plasma applications.