We need a new airport!!!

[flyingember]

I really do think a new airport is a slam dunk when people sit down and look at all the information, but people have such short attention spans, get their information differently, and a lot go into it thinking KCI is the world's best airport so they literally won't listen to any other viewpoint.

Some people still think their taxes will go up.

[KCFan]

This gal does a great job of putting KCI into perspective:

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/co ... 67429.html

[kboish]

Local labor leader announces election challenge to Loar

Nay-sayers are feeling the heat.

[flyingember]

This gal does a great job of putting KCI into perspective:

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/co ... 67429.html

She's my new favorite writer

[Highlander]

This gal does a great job of putting KCI into perspective:

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/co ... 67429.html

Good editorial. It basically says what I've been saying here for years - KCI's convenience is mythical and overplayed. I just went on a long trip back to the lower 48 and visited several airports (Anchorage, Seattle, Denver (twice), Austin, Tulsa, San Jose, San Francisco and Dallas Love). I found exactly NONE of them any less convenient than KCI and I never waited in a security line more than 5 minutes. At San Francisco, the only thing delaying my departure from the airport being less than 10 minutes (including bag collection) was that my Uber driver was stuck in traffic. When I left the Bay area, I was at my gate in San Jose within 5-10 minutes of reaching the airport. Denver gets a lot of bad press (which I don't understand) and the writer is correct in pointing out the traffic differential. That said, I think Denver does a proportionally better job at being "convenient" with 58 million passengers than KC does with 11 million. As always, I remain convinced that KCI's "convenience" is solely a factor of what it is - a smallish non-hub airport in a medium sized city. It's no more convenient than any other airport that fits that bill.

[im2kull]

This gal does a great job of putting KCI into perspective:

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/co ... 67429.html

Good editorial. It basically says what I've been saying here for years - KCI's convenience is mythical and overplayed.

Go walk on the people movers for miles at a time at Detroits new airport, then come back and talk about convenience. I'm pretty sure it takes 45 minutes to walk 1/3rd the length of that massive over-ly sized, food and retail laden airport. It was clearly built to be a mall first, and airport second. What's to prevent that from happening here?

[mean]

Well, the fact that Detroit has several times the traffic and is a major Delta hub for starters. Even if you think, as I do, that the impetus behind the initial movement toward a single terminal was motivated primarily by a desire to increase revenue, you'd have to be delusional to imagine something on the scale of DTW coming here.

And anyway, DTW isn't a single terminal.

[KCFan]

This gal does a great job of putting KCI into perspective:

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/co ... 67429.html

Good editorial. It basically says what I've been saying here for years - KCI's convenience is mythical and overplayed.

Go walk on the people movers for miles at a time at Detroits new airport, then come back and talk about convenience. I'm pretty sure it takes 45 minutes to walk 1/3rd the length of that massive over-ly sized, food and retail laden airport. It was clearly built to be a mall first, and airport second. What's to prevent that from happening here?

What is wrong with Kansas Citians? Why is it so difficult to grasp that KCI is a fraction of the size of the airports you hate? Detroit? Seriously? Detroit has 4 times the number of gates of what's proposed by a single terminal KCI. Nevermind it does more than 33 million travelers per year (vs 11 million KCI). KCI is in no danger of becoming Detroit's airport in any of our lifetimes. KCI is much more similar in size to Omaha, Des Moines, and Wichita's airports than any of the airports people have complained about.

[longviewmo]

Hot take: the people complaining about walking more than a couple hundred feet might be the ones who really need to walk a bit extra anyways.

[shinatoo]

Same ones that bought a house in Johnson County in the 90s and complains that the airports too far away

[aknowledgeableperson]

I don't have a stake in this topic since I am no longer a KC resident but I can share my recent experiences with KCI and Las Vegas.
Left KC on Sunday. Experience wasn't bad. The secured wait area for the Southwest was crowded even for the size of the aircraft being used. Would hate to see what would it be like if a larger passenger craft was being used. Ate a good breakfast before leaving for the airport so didn't have to worry about food choices. So the major complaint would be the secured wait area.
Arriving in Las Vegas on Sunday wasn't bad either. A long walk and short monorail raid to the baggage area. No major complaint.
Leaving Las Vegas early Thursday evening wasn't bad. Breeze though security checkpoint but a long walk to the gate since it was at the end of the building. Food choices were plentiful but that would be because of how busy the airport is but at least the food is inside the secured area. The wait area was crowded around our gate but that was mainly the result of surrounding gates also being used for flights because of delayed flights. Other gate areas were less crowded. Our gate and another right next to it were loading at the same time. While the experience wasn't great there is no major complaint.
Arriving KCI before midnight Thursday was a so-so experience. A rather long walk from the gate to the baggage claim area. Not quite sure what happened but it appeared one carousel broke down so had to shift to the one next to it. A long wait for the baggage to appear. Catching the shuttle to the long term parking was also an experience. A long wait for a bus which was then packed to capacity before we could get on so had to wait for another shuttle and we were loaded to capacity and many more were left waiting. Overall grade - below average.

All-in-all I do like the idea of separate arrival/departure areas which KCI doesn't have and probably wouldn't have with renovations. Having food choices in the secured area is also a plus that probably wouldn't be possible with renovations. Having larger secured boarding areas would also be a plus with a new terminal, something that wouldn't be possible with renovations. Walking difference between renovations and building new may be hard to compare. Of course a new terminal for KCI would not be as large as terminals for bigger airports so distances may be comparable.

Some may disagree with me that it was smart to renovate the stadiums years ago mainly because the old designs were not obsolete and it was cheaper than building new. Renovating the current terminals at KCI would be a mistake. KCI's design is obsolete and to do a worthwhile renovation may be just as expensive, if not more, than building new.

[Highlander]

Hot take: the people complaining about walking more than a couple hundred feet might be the ones who really need to walk a bit extra anyways.

I'm always very disappointed how many steps my fit bit records after most walks through American airports. I get more steps at Cotsco on a regular basis - far more.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Hot take: the people complaining about walking more than a couple hundred feet might be the ones who really need to walk a bit extra anyways.

I'm always very disappointed how many steps my fit bit records after most walks through American airports. I get more steps at Cotsco on a regular basis - far more.

For the public shows at Bartle like the Car Show and the Boat Show and the Home Show some people would complain about having to walk 2 or 3 blocks to get from their parking spot to the ticket booth. We would laugh about it. They would be doing far more walking inside the hall seeing the show.

[shaffe]

Go walk on the people movers for miles at a time at Detroits new airport, then come back and talk about convenience. I'm pretty sure it takes 45 minutes to walk 1/3rd the length of that massive over-ly sized, food and retail laden airport. It was clearly built to be a mall first, and airport second. What's to prevent that from happening here?

Maybe because literally not a single plan that has been offered to date will make KCI into one singular and linear terminal? Also DTW is, according to Wikipedia (I've never been there) 1 mile long from end to end. If it takes you 45 minute to walk even the entire thing, let alone 1/3, then you're going to run into problems at any airport in America. There's also a people mover that can get you from end to end in 3 minutes.

[KCPowercat]

Quit. Comparing. To. Huge. Hub. Airports.

[WoodDraw]

"Convenience" is rapidly becoming my least favorite word of 2017.

[rxlexi]

I found myself chuckling last week after having the most amazingly convenient (that word again!) airport experience of my life, at KCI.

All of the cards aligned - late arrival (10:45 PM) on Thursday evening from Little Rock, exiting on SW gate nearest the baggage claim, bags were actually unloaded very quickly and waiting for us, walk over to the valet ($27/day) and have car brought to me mere steps from baggage claim, drive right home. There was, essentially, no waiting or walking at all from plane to baggage to car.

Fun to experience the myth one time. Of course we all know what a more typical experience is like. Can't build a new airport soon enough.

[KCPowercat]

Valet? Big spender!

[FangKC]

New poll shows support growing for new single terminal at KCI

http://www.kmbc.com/article/poll-kc-tax ... s/10013864

[KCPowercat]

55% before education / pretty pictures? I'll take it.