KCRag Forum

GRID wrote: One of my favorite airports is Sky Harbor....Although I would still take KCI's convenience over it anyday.

I've only changed planes there.  But from what I've seen...barf!  Apparently I wasn't anywhere near what you took pictures of.

I had no idea KCI had half the restaurants in those pictures! Where the hell have I been?

I think KCI is very nice and easy to get in and out. The only thing that sucks is the location and there's nothing we can do about that now.

a coworker told me that one of the mayoral candidates (she couldn't remember which one) has gone on record saying that KCI is a fine airport but that it's too expensive to operate b/c there are so many security checkpoints due to the structure of KCI (multiple checkpoints in each terminal instead of one per terminal).

the candidate said that the city council has discussed building a new airport just south of the current one, b/c right now there are abundant federal dollars available for airports and airport upgrades. 

skim82 wrote: How would you classify best? If you mean up to date and modern, there are many airports that I have been to similiar in size to KC that are FAR better.  For example Northern KY Intl./Cincinatti, Cleveland, Memphis, Portland, etc.

never flown in to cincinnati or memphis. i don't recall being wowed by cleveland airport when i was there in '97 (have they had a recent remodel?). portland is, as always, in a class of its own relative to other cities of its size.

really, i think it comes down to whether or not you think the overall design of KCI is fundamentally sound. i'm someone who doesn't like to spend time in airports and am much more impressed by the total package a city has to offer. for example, i like tulsa far better than OKC, but tulsa's airport is shit. o'hare, hartfield, dulles are all huge and may have impressive features, but they're all sprawling caverns of harried travelers and bad sports bars. KCI segments the crowd in such a way that arriving or departing is a very calm and low-key affair... a complete contrast to all of the "better" airports being referenced.

but to repeat my earlier mantra, we'll never get a new airport until the current one outgrows its current capacity.

KCMax wrote: I had no idea KCI had half the restaurants in those pictures! Where the hell have I been?

I think KCI is very nice and easy to get in and out. The only thing that sucks is the location and there's nothing we can do about that now.

What the hell's wrong with the location?  It's 20 minutes from downtown, near one of the nicer suburban areas of the metro (29&Barry) and very easy to get in and out of (no traffic).  Fly a lot, don't live in Lee's Summit or South JoCo, but even from those places, you can get to KCI faster than you can in many towns where the airport is in a congested area.

Its waaaay out there and surrounded by farmland. I know that shouldn't be that great of a consideration, but I hate how that's the image a lot of people who fly in here see when they arrive.

KCMax wrote: Its waaaay out there and surrounded by farmland. I know that shouldn't be that great of a consideration, but I hate how that's the image a lot of people who fly in here see when they arrive.

Ever been to Denver's Airport....it is in the freaking middle of nowhere and probably 30 miles East of downtown.....it is extremely isolated with little development around it.

^^ Exactly.

Time to lock this pointless thread.

Yea, I realize there are probably a lot of airports like that. I just don't like it.

Narita (Tokyo) is another. In fact, it's probably worse. I remember it taking nearly an hour to get into Tokyo.

Here is a schematic for how the airport could upgrade to a central terminal without building entirely new.
first off, each of the three terminals would become the plane access areas.  there would be three security checkpoints, one at the entrance to each terminal, which would be at the existing opening into the terminal circles.  that opening would be connected across the drop off road to the central circle, which would be the main terminal, with ticketing, baggage, etc.  drop off would be on the existing main circle drive, and would be to the internal main circle.  the parking garages could still exist as short term parking, as long as all access moved to the central ring to security and then back into the circles.
Of course, this would save money on security, as each of the three terminals would only have one access point, and the entire terminal would become an open ring of shops, food places, and gates on one side.
the internal side of each terminal would be completely blocked off from the old roads and garages.

I like your idea voltopt. That would be pretty cool.

As someone who flies for buisness 20 times a year I love KCI. Work springs for the parking garage in the terminal circles. So all I have to do when I get off the plane at KCI with my carry on luggage is walk to the escalator then thru the tunnel to the garage. I always park on the bottom level. Most times the car is within 50 feet of the door to the terminal. If I have checked luggage, the baggage claim is typically no more than 50 feet from the gate. Absouletly fantastic compared to other airports.

When flying out of KCI the biggest plus is the short lines at security. I have been thru several airports that have had huge lines for security at the entrance to a terminal. The KCI approach of separate security check points for each group of gates is vastly superior to the central terminal approach.

KCI isn't a good place to transfer from one flight to another but it is very good for people leaving from or comming to Kansas City.

voltopt wrote: Here is a schematic for how the airport could upgrade to a central terminal without building entirely new.

that would make a direct light rail connection a lot easier...   

KCMax wrote: Yea, I realize there are probably a lot of airports like that. I just don't like it.

Would you rather tear down Gladstone or Raytown to expand it like what Lambert is doing?  KCI is no longer "way" out there.  It's right of the edge of the city, the flight patterns tend to be over western KCK or Smithville, but oh well.  When I fly into KCI from cities to the south east, you fly over the entire city.

Seems like everybody who flys a lot (like myself) love the airport.

Not a bad idea voltopt, but KCI has spent over half billion on the airport in the past few years.  I think they are done.  Plus if light rail ever reaches KCI, they will loose a ton of revenue.

If flight growth continues, we will probably be discussing expansion within the next decade.  That being said there are already plans for a D Terminal.  As someone who travels a great deal, there are good points and bad points about our airport.  The best is the easy parking and gate access.

I would recommend the following... Build a new terminal and then add additions between all four terminals with amentities and moving walkways.  This could be in conjunction with parking garages on the circle parking lots (revenue).  It could also possibly add a couple gates on each connector if necessary.  Travellers would then be able to traverse between the terminals without boarding a bus (one of the big negatives).  The new D Terminal should be designed with limited central security points.  This would allow for better services, easier international travel, and more flexibility for a hub should that become an issue.  This plan balances the best of KCI while adding a much easier terminal for connecting flights.    

Connecting the terminals would be the most cost effective way to fix many of KCI's "service" problems, then you could concentrate most of the retail and dining in terminal B yet still have easy access to it from the entire airport.  The bigest problem is no single terminal can support the critical mass of retail KCI needs alone.  You just are never going to get inter-terminal activity via the red bus and with them all connected together, you could easily direct people to other terminals.  It wouldn't be any further of a walk than you do in other big airports walking form the secondary terminals and concourses that offer little services to the main terminal where most of the activity is.

KCTigerFan wrote: If flight growth continues, we will probably be discussing expansion within the next decade. 

And if we don't expand it, KCI will probably threaten to relocate to Las Vegas or Portland.

KCMax wrote: And if we don't expand it, KCI will probably threaten to relocate to Las Vegas or Portland.

Or Johnson County