A Southwest Airlines plane lands in Des Moines on Sept. 25, 2013. Des Moines airport officials credit the introduction of low-fare airlines like Southwest for increasing the number of passengers to a total of 2.2 million in 2013.(Photo: CHRISTOPHER GANNON/REGISTER FILE PHOTO)



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Des Moines airport officials say Southwest Airlines sees the potential for a flight to Denver and a second connection to Las Vegas.


Southwest, though, says that while business has been good in Des Moines, the company doesn't have plans for any new flights right now.


So goes the process of courting the airlines, as airport officials put it.


Kevin Foley, executive director of the Des Moines International Airport, flew to Southwest's headquarters in Dallas earlier this month to meet with airline officials and pitch them on the demand for new flights. He brought with him former airport chief Don Smithey, who retired this year and is often credited with helping bring Southwest to Des Moines.


Both have publicly stated their desire for a Southwest flight from Des Moines to St. Louis to Orlando, Fla. Foley said they pushed for that flight again in the meeting, but Southwest officials seemed to be looking West.


"They are very aware that a Denver connection would work well for them," he said. "And the Des Moines to Las Vegas flight is going gang-busters."


Las Vegas and Denver are the top two destinations, respectively, for travelers flying from Des Moines.


Southwest launched a daily flight to Las Vegas in September. United and Frontier airlines currently offer flights to Denver. Frontier's Denver flight is usually full and airport officials have also urged Frontier to add a second connection, Foley said.


Both cities are relatively large hubs for Southwest and offer connections to airports throughout the West, Foley said.


Southwest landed in Des Moines in 2012, launching a daily flight to Chicago Midway. Since then, Des Moines has outperformed Southwest's expectations, but the airline doesn't have any immediate plans to announce new flights, said company spokesperson Michelle Agnew.


The number of jets available is a factor. Southwest doesn't plan to grow its fleet this year; any new jets will replace aging ones, Agnew said.


"If we're going to add a flight right now, we have to look at somewhere else where we can pull an aircraft," she said.


A St. Louis flight is high on Foley's wish-list because it would serve businesses like Monsanto and Emerson Electric which are based in St. Louis and have offices in central Iowa.


Orlando, a vacation hot-spot, is served by Allegiant Airlines but the flights depart only four days a week and land at the city's secondary airport, Orlando-Sanford International.


Foley said he walked away from the meeting with Southwest feeling positive.


"It will pay dividends. I'm sure it will; I just don't know when," he said. "(Southwest) was very non-committal because they don't have the planes to put into new markets."


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