Travel is far exceeding levels during the pandemic, but still falls short of 2019 numbers. Author: Jon Diaz (WOI) Updated: 10:40 PM CDT May 14, 2021
DES MOINES, Iowa Travel across the country and in Iowa is on the rise.
Knoxville resident Christine Meyers just got back from a trip visiting her family in Florida. I think that people are just feeling more secure, and they re just can t wait to get out and go somewhere, said Meyers as she picked up her luggage at Des Moines International Airport on Friday.
While Meyers has traveled a few times during the pandemic, Houston resident Shelley Von Dielingen who s visiting Iowa for a special surprise party is just now taking to the skies.
May 13, 2021
Masks off. if you re fully vaccinated. and not flying anywhere. So, yeah, keep those masks around. Many of us are ready to make up for lost vacation time by flying away from Central Iowa for a bit. Great news!! Des Moines International Airport will now be flying DIRECT to more cities starting in July!!!
You can now fly direct to 23 cities, both Phoenix and Houston are offering direct flights to both of their airports.
As of July 1, Allegiant Air will make Des Moines one of their home bases. They will be adding more destinations, too. Get ready to fly!!! As of now, the CDC is still recommending that masks be worn on flights.
Washington, D.C.
The airport expects to see Philadelphia back on the nonstop schedule in August, and New York s LaGuardia Airport when business picks up, likely in late summer or early fall, said Kayla Kovarna, communications manager. We are excited so many nonstop options are back on the schedule for Iowans to get away, she said.
The news comes as passengers traffic at the airport rebounds. In April, the airport had 141,067 passengers travel to its 18 destinations. That s a whopping 1,210% increase from April 2020, when air travel ground to a near-halt as the coronavirus pandemic spread throughout the country.
Yet there s still a long way to go to get back to record highs the airport was experiencing before the pandemic. In April 2019, 241,156 passengers traveled through Des Moines.