I was chatting with airport boss Kevin Foley the other day when we started talking about the growing list of nonstop flights. It’s not as long a list as many would like, but it’s heading in the right direction. And planes are largely full, which makes airlines happy and more likely to add more flights at Des Moines International Airport. I somewhat jokingly said it would be nice to have a nonstop to Cancun for those cold-weather escapes so many of us like to book. It’s not that far-fetched, Foley said. Federal officials are considering a system in which Americans could clear customs at places such as Cancun, opening up the possibility of direct flights to and from places like Des Moines, where the current customs staffing is too minimal to clear returning travelers. It might be even easier to add the remote customs clearance at places such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which are under U.S. control, Foley added.