Alaska Airlines Launches Des Moines Service

The carrier will begin flights from Des Moines International Airport to Seattle on June 24, 2027.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Air Travel

Wide photograph of an unbranded commercial jet on a flat airfield under open sky, with a distant low-rise terminal and prairie grass beside the runway. — Alaska Airlines will launch nonstop flights from Des Moines International Airport to Seattle on June 24, 2027, adding the seventh airline serving the Iowa capital. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Would you fly from Des Moines airport if more airlines added routes?

Alaska Airlines will launch service at Des Moines International Airport, with its first flight to Seattle scheduled for June 24, 2027. Airport CEO Brian Mulcahy announced the service at a news conference on Thursday, Nov. 12.

Why it matters

The addition makes Alaska the seventh airline serving Des Moines, expanding the nonstop options available to travelers in the city. The airport's passenger traffic has set new records three years in a row, and the new service adds capacity as demand grows.

Des Moines International Airport handled 3.25 million passengers in 2025, a 2.6% increase over 2024, and 2.76 million passengers so far in 2026, up 0.5% from the same period last year. The extraction does not specify whether the airport's incentive payments to Alaska Airlines have been finalized.

The players

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines is the fifth-largest U.S. air carrier, founded in 1932 in Anchorage, Alaska, and it merged with Hawaiian Airlines in 2023.

Brian Mulcahy

Brian Mulcahy is the chief executive of Des Moines International Airport, who announced the new Alaska Airlines service.

The details

Alaska Airlines, the fifth-largest U.S. air carrier and owner of Hawaiian Airlines, operates about 1,500 flights daily across 140 destinations in North and Central America, Asia and the Pacific. The carrier merged with Hawaiian in 2023 and was founded in 1932 in Anchorage, Alaska.

2015: The airport began offering up to $250,000 to airlines adding new routes.
September 2012: Southwest Airlines began service at Des Moines airport.
2021: Allegiant designated Des Moines International Airport as a regional base.
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026: Alaska Airlines service was announced at a news conference.
June 24, 2027: Alaska Airlines' first flight from Des Moines to Seattle is scheduled.

Air Travel
Nov. 12
DSM Airport Offers $225,000 Per New Nonstop Route

Travel Outlook

The Alaska launch continues a pattern in which Des Moines International Airport has added carriers through its route incentive program since 2015, following Southwest's 2012 entry and Allegiant's 2021 regional base designation. The airport's continued record passenger counts suggest the route expansion is tied to sustained demand in the region.

Travelers in Des Moines will gain a new nonstop option to Seattle beginning June 24, 2027, which can be weighed against existing airline schedules when booking. Because the airport's new terminal opens in January 2027 with six additional gates, passengers should expect construction-era changes at the airport before the Alaska service begins.

The takeaway

Airport route incentives can bring new carriers to mid-sized markets, and Des Moines' record traffic suggests the new Alaska service will test how much latent demand exists for West Coast nonstop flights. Travelers planning trips to Seattle from Des Moines should watch for schedule and fare announcements as the June 2027 launch approaches.

What happens next

Alaska Airlines' new terminal at Des Moines International Airport is scheduled to open in January 2027, adding six gates to the current 13, and a seventh gate is scheduled to open by the end of 2027. Alaska's first Des Moines to Seattle flight is scheduled for June 24, 2027.