About the Area
Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is located 4.8 km southwest of downtown Des Moines, the buzzing capital of Iowa. It is connected to 25 major airline hubs and vacation destinations.
More than just a gateway, Des Moines has a lot to offer to its visitors. It has beautiful scenic trails for hiking, cycling, or skating. Its restaurants offer must-try regional specialties that are served fresh and with distinctive good flavors.
Des Moines is also an art lover’s sanctuary. From its praise-worthy artworks and gorgeous architecture to its performing arts scene such as ballets, you will surely enjoy its artistic vibe.
In 2020, Des Moines received several recognitions and was ranked #5 Best Place to Live and #3 Best Affordable Place to Live in the United States by the U.S. News and World Report. These facts just prove that this bustling city is certainly worth visiting.
About Des Moines International Airport
The two-runway Des Moines International Airport is a civil-military airport that caters to passengers and air cargoes. It is also home to the 132nd Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard.
It offers several amenities for the comfort of passengers such as nursing pods, meet and greet area, dining options, and meeting rooms. Shopping for gifts and other items is also made possible, while the whole terminal is easily accessible with ramps and access points for the disabled throughout the airport.
The airport has two concourses labeled as Concourse A and Concourse C. There are five gates at Concourse A, and seven gates at Concourse C.
There are two ATMs inside the airport. One is in the terminal concourse while another one is located at the gate level. Both of them are easy to spot as they are located near restaurants. Unfortunately, there is no currency exchange inside the airport as of this writing.
DSM does not have any lounges. But it does offer several spots to relax in while you are waiting for your flight.
Security checkpoints open at 3:45 AM every day. As for the ticket counters, they usually open between 3:30 AM and 4:00 AM. Note that some of them don’t stay open all the time. They only open approximately two hours prior to a scheduled flight and then close again afterward.
You will have to check with your airline on this, as each airline has different policies. Some of them would allow you to travel with your pet as long as it is small enough to fit into a kennel and should stay inside it during the flight. As for the airport, it provides a service relief area for animals, and it is located outside of the terminal, north of the skywalk.
Yes, the airport offers free Wi-Fi courtesy of Boingo Wireless. It is for a limited time only, but you can sign up for affordable plans if you go beyond the allotted time.
Are there car rental facilities?
The car rental agencies are conveniently located inside the terminal, right in the baggage claim area. Other ground transportation options are also available such as buses, paratransit, shuttles, limousines, and taxi cabs. With all the available options, getting a vehicle service from this airport is easy.
Popular Destinations
The airport served a total of 2,919,904 passengers in 2020 with the following places as the top destinations:
- Chicago-O’Hare, Illinois
- Denver, Colorado
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
- Phoenix, Arizona
