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Are flights expensive in Des Moines? How it compares to top airports

Are flights expensive in Des Moines? How it compares to top airports

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Planning to book a flight from the Des Moines International Airport? You’ll find about average prices for your airfare, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Data shows the airport was less expensive than many of its regional neighbors including Omaha and Kansas City.

Where does Des Moines International Airport rank among the most expensive U.S. airports?

Des Moines is the 76th largest airport in the U.S. in terms of passenger volume. Among the 100 largest airports, it ranked as the 48th cheapest and the 51st most expensive in terms of average airfare in 2024.

The average flight price for Des Moines International in the third quarter of 2024 was $369.81, slightly less than the airport’s price in the third quarter of 2023, which was $374.12.

The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids was slightly more expensive during the same period with the average flight costing $381.80.

More: Flying from the Des Moines International Airport in February? Here are the cheapest flights.

How have flight prices at the Des Moines airport changed in recent years?

After dipping in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the average annual airfare price at Des Moines International has grown steadily since 2021.

Here are the average annual airfare prices at DSM since 2018. Full-year data from 2024 is not yet available.

  • 2018: $379.37
  • 2019: $381.76
  • 2020: $303.32
  • 2021: $322.80
  • 2022: $377.66
  • 2023: $390.67

How do other large Midwest airports compare to Des Moines in terms of ticket prices?

Des Moines was one of the cheapest Midwest airports during the third quarter, with only Indianapolis and major hubs in Chicago and Minneapolis coming in cheaper.

  1. Dane County Regional Airport (Madison): 477.69
  2. Eppley Airfield (Omaha): $407.18
  3. Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport: $403.80
  4. Gerald R. Ford International Airport (Grand Rapids): $401.36
  5. Kansas City International: $388.04
  6. St. Louis Lambert International Airport: $383. 61
  7. Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport: $378.49
  8. John Glenn Columbus International Airport: $377.00
  9. Indianapolis International Airport: $369.64
  10. Minneapolis-St Paul International: $354.73
  11. Chicago O’Hare International: $344.51

More: Des Moines International Airport has back-to-back record years for passenger traffic

What were the top 10 most expensive airports in the U.S.?

Out of the 100 largest airports in the U.S., here are the 10 most expensive airports based on average airfare.

  1. Ted Stevens Anchorage (Alaska) International Airport: $502.74
  2. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth (Alabama) International Airport: $486.47
  3. Dane County Regional Airport (Madison, Wisconsin): $477.69
  4. Dulles International Airport (Washington, D.C.): $472.61
  5. Palm Springs (California) International Airport: $450.97
  6. Fresno (California) Yosemite International Airport: $443.81
  7. Greenville-Spartanburg (South Carolina) International Airport: $443.31
  8. Tucson (Arizona) International Airport: $436.55
  9. Northwest Arkansas National Airport: $433.08
  10. Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (Little Rock, Arkansas): $430.33

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

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