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I would rather see them run a couple of Embraer E-jet or CRJ flights out of Wheeler Airport to the major hubs. Maybe a couple departures/arrivals to and from KORD, KDEN, and/or KDFW. They could build a new small terminal or rehab the old one to modernize it. Might be very convenient, and if you added three to six flights per day with regional jets to the major hubs it would be awesome.
KCI sucks for location. I actually have grown to hate the terminals too...it used to be easy but now I fly to Nashville or Atlanta almost every month and I see the difference between amenities offered at those airports and KCI. The terminals at KCI are practically empty in the morning (vendor-wise) and you cannot get any decent breakfast before the 6:00 AM push. Two weeks ago I flew to KBNA and the security line for the WN gates at KCI (37-39 I think) were all the way down the terminal hall and congesting the other gates. It was awful.
KCI = worst airport terminal ever. I HATE KCI. Seems like the only people that really like it are the ones that have never used a nice (or just decent) airport terminal on a regular basis. There is a learning curve to any major airport, but once you figure out an airport and are no longer intimidated by it (most people in KC seem to be intimidated by "big city airports" for some odd reason (talking indy, nashville etc, not DIA or ATL) even though most are far more convenient and have just as short of lines as KCI and all of them offer basic modern amenities, space, natural, clean "accessible restrooms", taxi cabs (or rail) in a place that makes sense (don't have find a taxi phone and call a freaking cab).
ATL is one of the airports that KC people hate the most. It's not one of my favorite airports, but it's WAY better than KCI. If you do get delayed, you have plenty of options for dining etc. And if you have an airport like ATL, you have nonstops EVERYWHERE. I know a lot of people that live in KC but still have to fly clear out to ATL to get to many east coast destinations or even Honolulu. So even if it does take an extra 20 minutes to navigate, you don't spend 4-5 extra hours trying to get someplace via a connection.
I now have BWI, Reagan and Dulles to choose from. I can fly almost anywhere nonstop using airports with basic services. I don't miss KC's little bus shelter of an airport with so few flights to the coasts to choose from. The only thing about KCI I liked was that both coasts were a 2-3 hour flight. But again, not a lot of flights to places other than middle of the country hubs and the terminal just sucks.
KCI = worst airport terminal ever. I HATE KCI. Seems like the only people that really like it are the ones that have never used a nice (or just decent) airport terminal on a regular basis. There is a learning curve to any major airport, but once you figure out an airport and are no longer intimidated by it (most people in KC seem to be intimidated by "big city airports" for some odd reason (talking indy, nashville etc, not DIA or ATL) even though most are far more convenient and have just as short of lines as KCI and all of them offer basic modern amenities, space, natural, clean "accessible restrooms", taxi cabs (or rail) in a place that makes sense (don't have find a taxi phone and call a freaking cab).
ATL is one of the airports that KC people hate the most. It's not one of my favorite airports, but it's WAY better than KCI. If you do get delayed, you have plenty of options for dining etc. And if you have an airport like ATL, you have nonstops EVERYWHERE. I know a lot of people that live in KC but still have to fly clear out to ATL to get to many east coast destinations or even Honolulu. So even if it does take an extra 20 minutes to navigate, you don't spend 4-5 extra hours trying to get someplace via a connection.
I now have BWI, Reagan and Dulles to choose from. I can fly almost anywhere nonstop using airports with basic services. I don't miss KC's little bus shelter of an airport with so few flights to the coasts to choose from. The only thing about KCI I liked was that both coasts were a 2-3 hour flight. But again, not a lot of flights to places other than middle of the country hubs and the terminal just sucks.
The rental car setup is also a major PITA...when we have people from our Nashville office come here it is one of the most common complaints "you mean I have to take a dingy bus to get my rental car???!!!". At most airports you simply walk from the terminal, out the door, to the rental car lot where if you are a business traveler you can simply pick the car you want and drive away.
This airport just is not designed for people who have to travel very frequently; and especially for those in the rush of a workday. I understand that for most people, they are in and out of the airport in 15 minutes but if you travel for business you might have to get up very early to drive 40 miles to the airport, park and wait for a bus that may or may not come, get through the poorly designed security setup, have very limited options for breakfast, and have extremely limited amenities once are past security and starting work on your computer so you can get a full day in and get to your destination at a reasonable time).
KCI = worst airport terminal ever. I HATE KCI. Seems like the only people that really like it are the ones that have never used a nice (or just decent) airport terminal on a regular basis. There is a learning curve to any major airport, but once you figure out an airport and are no longer intimidated by it (most people in KC seem to be intimidated by "big city airports" for some odd reason (talking indy, nashville etc, not DIA or ATL) even though most are far more convenient and have just as short of lines as KCI and all of them offer basic modern amenities, space, natural, clean "accessible restrooms", taxi cabs (or rail) in a place that makes sense (don't have find a taxi phone and call a freaking cab).
ATL is one of the airports that KC people hate the most. It's not one of my favorite airports, but it's WAY better than KCI. If you do get delayed, you have plenty of options for dining etc. And if you have an airport like ATL, you have nonstops EVERYWHERE. I know a lot of people that live in KC but still have to fly clear out to ATL to get to many east coast destinations or even Honolulu. So even if it does take an extra 20 minutes to navigate, you don't spend 4-5 extra hours trying to get someplace via a connection.
I now have BWI, Reagan and Dulles to choose from. I can fly almost anywhere nonstop using airports with basic services. I don't miss KC's little bus shelter of an airport with so few flights to the coasts to choose from. The only thing about KCI I liked was that both coasts were a 2-3 hour flight. But again, not a lot of flights to places other than middle of the country hubs and the terminal just sucks.
Here goes kcmo's stupid ramblings when just a few years ago he was repping KCI and how convenient it was.
"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." - GRID aka kcmo
The rental car setup is also a major PITA...when we have people from our Nashville office come here it is one of the most common complaints "you mean I have to take a dingy bus to get my rental car???!!!". At most airports you simply walk from the terminal, out the door, to the rental car lot where if you are a business traveler you can simply pick the car you want and drive away.
This airport just is not designed for people who have to travel very frequently.
I really don't understand why KCI built that consolidated rental car facility before figuring out what they were going to do with the terminal. It's better than it was. It used to be that every rental car company had its own buses and they would take you ever further out to individual rental car lots. That rental car facility was expensive and there is a fee added to cars rented at KCI now to pay for it (on top of the sprint center fee) making renting cars at KCI one of the most expensive in the country. From what I have seen, the proposed new terminal includes the rental car companies in the lower level of the short term garage which is how many newer terminals are designed. So visitors to KC will be paying for that rental car facility long after it closes. It's like Kemper arena!
In many airports and it should be the case in KC since they need a new terminal anyway, you walk across the street and have all your rental car companies in a "COVERED" parking garage. KC also sucks for having surface parking lots for rental cars. Nothing like dragging your baggage through a parking lot exposed to all the elements during KC's winters. Plus at KCI, you have to take that bus to the rental car facility just to check availability of cars if you don't have a reservation. Many airports have rental car reservation desks in the baggage claim areas. You walk off the plane, walk down to baggage claim (typically just a few minutes) while waiting for your bags, you can go get your rental car agreement, walk back over, grab your bags, walk across the street choose car from a covered garage and you are out. It's a much bigger hassle in KC even though KC is such a low volume place compared to most airports that have off site consolidated rental car facilities.
Regardless, if you land at KCI without somebody waiting to pick you up, it's a PITA. Rental Cars are expensive and off site AND THE RENTAL CAR BUSES DON'T EVEN PICK YOU UP AT CURBSIDE (you have to stand in that little median in the middle of the road). Taxi cabs have to be called from a phone you have to find and then you have to explain where you are in an airport you many not be familiar with and then you have to meet that taxi when it shows up hoping another passenger doesn't jump in first for your $80 cab ride. If you want to take transit, you have to hike it to terminal C and wait an hour for the bus to take you to the transit center on Barry Road where you catch another bus or wait at a layover for a bus to get downtown. Or you prearrange an airport shuttle. None of the options are very convenient.
It's pretty far out there...and it feels like it's halfway to Omaha at 4:00 in the morning. I like this town but KCI leaves a lot to be desired, and I know our sales department hates flying corporate partners in because the airport leaves bad impression. It's one of the largest complaints of corporate sales...which is why they tend to fly them to the Nashville office and meet them there (really...they pay more to entertain clients than they would if they just flew them here).
It's pretty far out there...and it feels like it's halfway to Omaha at 4:00 in the morning. I like this town but KCI leaves a lot to be desired, and I know our sales department hates flying corporate partners in because the airport leaves bad impression. It's one of the largest complaints of corporate sales...which is why they tend to fly them to the Nashville office and meet them there (really...they pay more to entertain clients than they would if they just flew them here).
I feel for you if you fly out of KCI in the mornings. That's the busiest time for airports 5-7 am and KCI can not just open more TSA lines like most airports do for rush times. Things just totally break down at KCI for the morning rush. Single file lines going clear down the terminals for TSA and you are in the way of the other concourse traffic. Only at KCI do you have to stand in the middle of a main walkway waiting to get screened. I avoid those times at KCI because of the lines and because there are no services (breakfast etc) after you get through all the lines. You are just stuck in a crowded gate with tiny smelly restrooms. Meanwhile, half of KCI is a ghostown and not being used at all. Complete joke.
Lots of complaints, and still the sentiment is to simply rehab KCI in place? I think if there is ever an opportunity to move the airport to reflect the modern population distribution of the metro, this is that time. Yes, it would cost a couple of billion to make Richards-Gebaur (or New Century or even the old Bannister Mall) into a viable airport, but the city is talking about north of one billion anyhow, and we will still be stuck with the hour drive to central Platte County.
Lots of complaints, and still the sentiment is to simply rehab KCI in place? I think if there is ever an opportunity to move the airport to reflect the modern population distribution of the metro, this is that time. Yes, it would cost a couple of billion to make Richards-Gebaur (or New Century or even the old Bannister Mall) into a viable airport, but the city is talking about north of one billion anyhow, and we will still be stuck with the hour drive to central Platte County.
A metro that won't spend a 1 billion to build a new terminal and bring the terminal out of the 1960's thinks it's a good idea to:
Mothball an entire airport with three modernized long runways (all with approaches that have little noise pollution over residential areas).
That is less than 30 minutes from half of the metro including the downtown to plaza core.
Waste all road and taxi way infrastructure at KCI.
Close a relatively new control tower and close the new economy parking lots.
And proceed to build a brand new airport that will be at least twice as far from downtown and about the same distance or further from as many people as a new airport would be closer to. For every person an airport in Gardner would be closer to, you would have at least that many that would become further away.
A new KCI with thousands of acres of flat land and clearing out all the approaches of any homes for miles beyond the ends of the runways will cost at least six billion and will no doubt cause planes to fly over heavily populated areas unless the airport is built close to or in Miami County or southern Cass County. (bannister and RG are not options).
Meanwhile, the I-29 corridor will quickly become an eyesore with massive closed runways that will take decades to redevelop and thousands of rooms in dozens of hotels will become unnecessary blight do to lack of demand without the airport.
All to be a little closer to people in Johnson County but only to those in South JoCo because trust me, any new airport built in the southern metro will be very far south. Like 30-40 minutes south of 435 and ridiculously far from downtown, the stadiums etc. Say goodby to any potential that KC did have for reviving its convention business. Not only will the airport be an hour and a half from downtown, it will cost a fortune to fly into it because of 6-8 billion in debt service.
Yep. That's KC for ya. Wouldn't surprise me one single bit...
It is one proposal of many possible proposals. What we know now:
--the city (or at a minimum its aviation department) wants to spend probably two billion dollars to demolish existing terminal A (unoccupied now), do significant infrastructure work, and build a sprawling new terminal partly to centralize the security function (which function may radically change by the time the dust settles).
-- there is existing land, graded, at Richards Gebaur (around 135th and Holmes or so) which has supported an airport in the recent past; there is a functional airport at New Century which could take commercial flights with moderate modifications
-- the population trendlines indicate continued southward movement of the metro
-- the great majority of employment (which is what brings travellers to the metro) is now concentrated along the I-435 axis.
-- the time and mileage of getting to/ from KCI for a significant part of the metro is wasteful and also conducive to sprawl, sprawl that didn't exist when KCI was first built
Yes, a new airport location will cost money, in fact more money than a total rehab of the Platte City KCI campus. There would be new roads and rental car facilities, etc. But it is a proposal that should be analyzed rather than discarded.
-- the population trendlines indicate continued southward movement of the metro
-- the great majority of employment (which is what brings travellers to the metro) is now concentrated along the I-435 axis.
False and false.
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