Transit is important to everyone, and we can make a difference. Successful transit includes a healthy, vital commercial airport. The Des Moines International Airport is a critical regional economic growth engine. Therefore, the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Transit 2030 Task Force is working with the airport, the business community and the public to expand commercial air service and make fares more competitive.

DSM is currently the 90th most active commercial airport in the nation. With eight carriers and 17 non-stop destinations, DSM provides a competitive balance of commercial air service. The airport continues to roll out amenities for passengers, with kids’ tables in each gate area, a language interpreting service, high-speed wireless Internet access, a new cell phone parking area, refurbished boarding bridges, a new restaurant and a new gift shop.

In addition, DSM’s carriers continue to add service:

• Allegiant Air joined the airport in 2003 with non-stop flights to Las Vegas and added flights to Orlando in 2005.

• Last year, SkyWest added non-stop service to Salt Lake City and American Eagle added non-stop service to New York LaGuardia.

• In 2005, Northwest began offering non-stop flights to Washington National.

As a result of these efforts, DSM continues to dramatically drive up usage. Boardings last year reached 979,000, an increase of 27,000 compared with 2005.

Despite these successes, the airline industry remains volatile. Carriers operate on razor-thin profit margins and struggle to keep fares down, making decisions to expand services into new markets difficult. Carriers go where the numbers are and where they can make the best return on their investment.

In responding to these market forces, the airport has heightened its marketing efforts to Central Iowa travelers who are taking their business to the airports in Kansas City and Omaha for lower fares. Specifically, DSM is highlighting that the costs of vehicle operation (approximately 48.5 cents per mile) and a hotel stay outweigh any savings from a lower ticket price. In addition, the average cost of a one-way ticket out of Des Moines was $173, within $43 of Kansas City’s average fare and within $35 of Omaha’s, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Taking those numbers into consideration, DSM launched its marketing effort “Do the Math” to encourage people to decide which airport provides the best value in economic terms.

Our mission is clear – we can do more to encourage our businesses and community to view flying out of our airport as an investment. Buying an airplane ticket is equal to buying a piece of our future, and we need to decide where we want to invest for our future: in Central Iowa or in another market. If it is our goal to get existing carriers to expand commercial air service, attract new carriers, and make ticket prices more competitive, we must do more to support DSM and fly local. Our transit is our future.

Kevin Prust is chairman of the Transit 2030 Task Force and managing director at RSM McGladrey Inc.

To submit an opinion piece for possible publication in the Business Record, contact Jim Pollock at jimpollock@bpcdm.com.