Red Economy Lot

$7 a day is the rock-bottom on-airport rate at DSM

The Red Economy Lot sits about 0.5 miles from Des Moines International Airport’s Terminal 1 and runs at $2 per hour with a $7 daily max, easily the lowest posted on-airport price. It’s a remote surface lot, card-payment only, so plan for a tap or chip card instead of cash at exit.

A shuttle loops between the Red Economy Lot and the terminal with an advertised 15-minute interval, and the ride itself runs around 10–15 minutes depending on traffic. Airport parking maps mark it clearly as the farthest official option, so you’re trading distance and time for that $7/day cap.

Regulars in reviews mention using Red Economy for week-long trips, doing the math at roughly $49 for seven days instead of paying closer to double in closer lots. They also build in 20–25 minutes from locking the car in Red Economy to reaching the Terminal 1 ticket counter during busy times, counting both the wait and the shuttle ride.

Complaints on Google cluster around late-night returns, when that “every 15 minutes” shuttle headway can stretch beyond the posted interval. A few flyers report standing 20–30 minutes at the curb after 11 p.m., so that last leg back to the lot sometimes drags after long flights.

Tip: If your flight out of DSM boards before 7 a.m., pad your schedule and be parked in the Red Economy Lot at least 60 minutes before boarding to cover a slow shuttle cycle and still clear security at Terminal 1 without stress.