Everything about Kansas City International Airport totally explained
Kansas City International Airport, originally named
Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public
airport located 15 miles (24
km) northwest of the
central business district of
Kansas City, in
Platte County,
Missouri,
United States.
Kansas City International was ranked No. 1 among medium-size airports in the
J.D. Power and Associates 2007 North America Airport Satisfaction Study (receiving five out of five stars in all categories except baggage claim in which it got four) The study considers an airport mid-size when it handles a capacity of 10 to 30 million passengers a year.
In February 2008,
U.S. News & World Report ranked the airport the "3rd least miserable airport" in the United States, based on the 47 busiest airports in the country.
Kansas City International Airport currently serves as a secondary airline hub for
Midwest Airlines, and
Southwest Airlines also operates a large number of daily flights.
The airport has always been a civilian airport and has never had an
Air National Guard unit assigned to it unlike many major comparable sized airports.
History
Kansas City Industrial Airport
The airport (originally informally called Kansas City Industrial Airport) was built after the
Great Flood of 1951 destroyed the facilities of both of Kansas City's hometown airlines
Mid-Continent Airlines and
TWA at
Fairfax Airport across the
Missouri River from the city's main
Kansas City Downtown Airport (which wasn't as severely damaged in the flood).
Fairfax was the main hub for passenger and airmail traffic handled by Mid-Continent. TWA had its main overhaul base in a former
B-25 Bomber factory at Fairfax although TWA commercial flights flew out of the main downtown airport.
Kansas City was looking to build an airport that could handle runways and recognized that its expansion options were limited at the Downtown airport.
At the time, Kansas City already owned
Grandview Airport south of the city which had ample room for expansion. However, Kansas City chose to build an entirely new airport north of the city away from the Missouri River following intense lobbying by Platte County native
Jay B. Dillingham, president of the
Kansas City Stockyards which had also been destroyed in the flood.
The specific site just north of the then unincorporated hamlet of
Hampton, Missouri was picked in May 1953 (with an anticipated cost of $23 million) under the guidance of City Manager
L.P. Cookingham. Cookingham Drive is now the main access road to the airport. Ground was broken in September 1954. The first jet runways opened in 1956. At about the same time the city donated the southern Grandview Airport to the
United States Air Force to become
Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base.
The airport site was directly across
U.S. 71 (now
I-29) from the
Red Crown Tourist Court where outlaws
Bonnie & Clyde engaged in a 1933 shootout with law enforcement which ultimately resulted in the death of Clyde's brother
Buck Barrow and the capture of Buck's wife
Blanche Barrow.
Mid-Continent International Airport
Although Mid Continent merged with Braniff in 1952, Kansas City decided to name the new airport on the basis of Mid Continent's historic roots (serving the
Mid-continent Oil Field).
TWA formally signed an agreement to move its overhaul base to the airport in 1954 in which the city built and owned the $18 million base but lease it back to TWA.
The airport didn't have scheduled passenger service until a 1963
Federal Aviation Agency memo called the Downtown Airport "one of the poorest major airports in the country for large jet aircraft" and recommended against spending any more federal dollars on it.
In addition to the expansion limits there were questions whether it could handle the new
Boeing 747). Jets had to make steep climbs and descents to avoid the downtown skyscrapers on the high
Missouri River bluffs at
Quality Hill at the south end of the runway. Further, Downtown Kansas City was right in the flight path for takeoffs and landings, resulting in a constant roar downtown while Mid-Continent was surrounded by open farm land.
TWA's "Airport of the Future"
In 1966 voters in a 24:1 margin approved a $150 million bond issue following a campaign by Mayor
Ilus W. Davis to move the city's main airport to an expanded Mid-Continent. The city had considered building its new airport five miles (8 km) north of downtown Kansas City in the Missouri River bottoms as well as locations in southern
Jackson County, Missouri, but decided to stick with the property it already owned.
At the time the airport property was in an unincorporated area of Platte County. During construction the small town of
Platte City, Missouri, annexed the airport.
Kansas City eventually annexed the airport.
Kivett and Myers designed the terminals and control tower. It was dedicated on October 23, 1972 by Vice President
Spiro Agnew. Labor strife and interruptions raised its cost to $250 million. Kansas City renamed the airport Kansas City International Airport. Kansas City's two major hub airlines TWA and Braniff along with carriers moved to the airport.
Many of the design decisions of the airport were driven by primary tenant TWA which envisioned it would be its hub with 747's and
Supersonic Transports whisking people from America's heartland to all points on the globe. Streets around the airport had the names of Mexico City Avenue, Brasilia Avenue, Paris Street, London Avenue, Tel Aviv Avenue and so forth.
TWA vetoed concepts to model the airport on
Washington Dulles International Airport and
Tampa International Airport because those two airports had people movers which it deemed would be too expensive. TWA insisted on a "Drive to Your Gate" concept with flight gates only from the roadway (signs along the roadway identified the specific flights leaving each gate). The single-level terminals had no stairs. A similar layout was to be implemented at
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
TWA's flawed vision
TWA's vision for the future of flight which had been pioneered by the
TWA Flight Center at
JFK Airport in New York City (which also featured cars close to the gates design) proved obsolete almost from the start.
The terminals turned out to be unfriendly to the 747 since passengers spilled out of the gate area into the halls. Further, when security checkpoints began being instituted in the 1970s to stem the tide of hijackings, they were difficult and expensive to implement since security checkpoints had to be installed at each gate area rather than at a centralized area.
As a result, passenger services were non-existent downstream of the security checkpoint in the gate area. No restrooms were available, and there were no shops, restaurants, newsstands, ATMs or any other passenger services available without exiting the secure area and being rescreened upon re-entry.
Shortly after the airport opened TWA asked that the terminals be rebuilt to address these issues. Kansas City, citing the massive cost overruns on a newly built airport to TWA specification, refused, prompting TWA to move its hub to
Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport in
St. Louis, Missouri.
Design
MCI passenger terminals have a unique structure comprising 3 terminals in the shape of rings. Each ring has short term parking in the center of the ring. Thus, it's possible for a traveler to park, walk no more than a hundred feet, and go directly to their gate. Arriving travelers can leave their gate, and walk immediately out of the terminal without passing through any corridors. The Kansas City Airport also has several off site airport parking facilities. Slogans at the time of the bond issue were "The world's shortest walk to fly" and "Drive to your gate."
(External Link
) A proposed 4th ring as well as a fourth runway have never been built. Though, until the new rental car facility was built, one could see the foundation laid for the 4th terminal.
Kansas City and the airlines have opted against any "people movers" connecting the three rings. Instead frequent buses take passengers around the rings. Initially there was a charge of 25 cents to ride the bus. However following a massive outcry by travelers the charge was lifted and transportation is now free.
Security
After the establishment of the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), MCI was one of five airports where the TSA has experimented with using independent contractors to provide all traveler inspector services. The airport uses
FirstLine Transportation Security, an independent contractor who conforms to TSA's recruiting and training standards. TSA supervises these independent contractors, but they're not federal employees.
See:
TSA Announcement of Private Security Screening Pilot Program
Renovations
A $258 million Terminal Improvement Project was completed in November 2004. Under lead designer
360 Architecture, the following improvements were made:
- Increased the size of each structural bay to provide larger vestibules, additional space for concessions, more public seating and improved customer service
- The addition of retail space at curbside and airside to provide improved customer service
- A more functional and cost effective signage solution that relocates associated mechanical ductwork to the apron level below, thus exposing more of the existing concrete and original structure while allowing more natural light into the concourse areas.
Other improvements include new finishes throughout, new entrance vestibules to improve the air lock between the building interior and exterior, new baggage claim devices, updated retail areas, new exterior glazing and a common design for ticket counters that includes sunshade devices.
All three terminals now include blue terrazzo floors
(External Link) (which won a 2002 Honor Award from The National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association), updated arrival/departure screens and restrooms and concessions are now available inside passenger holding areas. In May 2007, the final portion of the project (a new rental car facility and additional art fixtures) were completed.
One major problem remains after the renovation. The modifications necessary to implement TSA security created a situation where many 'sanitized' gate areas have only a single restroom stall each for men and women (added during the renovation); the remaining restrooms are across the hall, which is now outside the secured area, necessitating an extra trip through TSA security.
In 2006 the airport began offering free
Wi-Fi.
As part of the renovation, the airport became one of several in the United States to offer a washing area for
Muslim taxicab drivers, allowing them to perform their religious ablutions in a safe and sanitary manner. The installation was funded by the airport taxi license fee.
Facilities and aircraft
Kansas City International Airport covers an area of 10,200
acres (4,128
ha) which contains three
runways. For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 178,466 aircraft operations, an average of 488 per day: 71% scheduled commercial, 20%
air taxi, 8%
general aviation and <1% military.
Through the years Kansas City had continued to invest in the three decentralized terminal concept by building multi-level parking structures on the inside fields of each of the "C" terminals -- connected via tunnels.
On December 7th 2007, an update to the airports master plan (Required every 10 years for every major U.S. airport by the FAA) unveiled new plans for a central terminal.
The proposed master plan emphacised It would be built on vacant property south of the airfield and would hold a centralized security checkpoint, a concourse for concessionaires and shops, and four wings for gates. Those wings could be expanded later, the consultant said. Since the south portion of the airfield is vacant, construction would in no way hamper current operations. An extension of runway 1R to the length of has been proposed, as well as a 4th runway just west of current runway 1L has also been discussed. The architects working on the new master plans are Landrum & Brown. A resolution will be offered to the city council in regards to the plan in the summer of 2008.
MCI instead of KCI
Despite requests from Kansas City, the airport has been unable to change its original
International Air Transport Association (IATA) Mid-Continent designation of MCI which had already been registered on navigational charts. Further complicating requests to change the designation, the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at the time reserved all call letters with "K" or "W" for radio and television stations and so KCI wasn't viable.
Wichita, Kansas in 1973 laid claim to the Mid-Continent name for its
Municipal Airport (
IATA: ICT,
ICAO: KICT) after Kansas City abandoned it. However, Wichita had no luck in changing its IATA designation for the same reasons (including the forbidden "W").
The downtown Kansas City airport got around the "K" restriction because it was originally called Municipal Airport and so its designation is MKC and for added incentive it was in Missouri.
The "W" and "K" restrictions have since been lifted but the IATA is reluctant to change names that have appeared on navigational charts.
Hubs
MCI currently is a hub for
Midwest Airlines.
Southwest Airlines also operates a high number of flights (68 daily on weekdays). However, it doesn't classify MCI as a focus city (as Southwest doesn't refer to any city as a "hub").
This airport served as a hub for the now defunct airlines of
Eastern Air Lines,
Vanguard Airlines, and
Braniff Airways. It was also a former hub for TWA and
US Airways. TWA (through its successor
American Airlines) continues to use the overhaul base although on a diminished 900-employee basis.
At 10,000 acres (40 km²), it's one of the largest airfields in the
United States. In addition to passenger service, the airport is an active general aviation field, and a very active cargo airport. In 2006 it served 10.6 million passengers.
Transportation to and from the airport
While MCI is conveniently located on major highways
Interstate 29 and
Interstate 435, it's from downtown and even further from common business destinations in the southern suburbs. The paucity of other transportation options make renting a car the default option. Most national franchises are represented at a
consolidated rental car facility.
The
Kansas City Area Transportation Agency operates one public bus service to the airport, route 129x. It only operates 18 times per day, between 6 AM and 6 PM, Monday-Friday. It operates between a stop in Terminal C (only) and the downtown bus center with intermediate stops. Systemwide fare is $1.25 as of 2006.
A number of
private scheduled shared shuttle services operate from MCI to regional cities (including
Saint Joseph, Missouri;
Columbia, Missouri;
Topeka, Kansas;
Lawrence, Kansas); and military bases (
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri;
Fort Riley, Kansas;
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and
Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri).
In November 2006, voters of Kansas City approved a 25-year extension of a 3/8-cent sales tax that will help pay for a light rail system. Initial plans call for a rail line extending from Kansas City International Airport in the north, to
Swope Park,
Starlight Theater Kansas City, and the
Kansas City Zoo in the south, creating another transportation option for travelers in and out of KCI.
Terminals, airlines, and destinations
Terminal A
Gates A1 - A30
Air Canada Gates A10 - A12
AirTran Airways Gate A15 (Atlanta, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando)
Great Lakes Airlines Gates A1 - A5 (Burlington (IA), Denver, Dodge City, Garden City, Great Bend, Hays, Manhattan, Salina)
Island Air (Grand Island, Harrison, Hot Springs, Joplin) [startdate TBD]
Mesa Airlines Gates A1 - A5 (Harrison) [endsTBD]
Midwest Airlines Gates A19 - A30 (Boston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York-LaGuardia, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Tampa [seasonal], Washington-Reagan)
United Airlines Gates A10-A12 (Chicago-O'Hare, Denver)
US Airways Gates A1 - A9 (Charlotte, Phoenix)
Terminal B
Gates B31 - B60
Delta Air Lines Gates B56 - B60 (Atlanta, Salt Lake City)
Southwest Airlines Gates B31 - B39 (Albuquerque, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago-Midway, Dallas-Love, Denver, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Ontario, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland (OR), St. Louis, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle/Tacoma, Tampa, Tulsa)
Terminal C
Gates C61 - C90
American Airlines Gates C76 - C79 (Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth)
Continental Airlines Gates C67 - C69 (Houston-Intercontinental, Newark)
ExpressJet Airlines Gates C72, C73 (Jacksonville (FL) [endsAugust 23], New Orleans, Ontario, Raleigh/Durham [endsJune 4], Tucson)
Frontier Airlines Gates C84, C85 (Cancún, Denver, Puerto Vallarta [seasonal])
Northwest Airlines Gates C61 - C64 (Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul)
Future service
Virgin America said that Kansas City is being considered a possible airport to serve in the next 5 years.
Popular culture
The Kansas City International Airport was featured in episode 63 of the Discovery Channel television series Dirty Jobs. The episode featured the Southwest Airlines baggage handling system and the airport incinerator. It originally aired on February 20, 2007. An episode set to air later in 2007 will feature Rowe cleaning out a paint truck at MCI.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kansas City International Airport'.
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