USA. Kansas City International Airport (KCI) unveils its new US$1.5 billion terminal today, replacing the airport’s three existing terminals.
Spanning 1.1 million square feet, the new 40-gate terminal, located at the former Terminal A, will house nearly 50 travel retail and food & beverage outlets through partner Vantage Airport Group. About 80% of the concessions represent local brands.
Popular Kansas restaurants including Meat Mitch BBQ, Bo Lings, Parisi Coffee, Charlie Hustle, Urban Café, Jay ‘Hootie’ McShann’s Blues Bar and Stockyards Brewing Co. will open at the new hub. The terminal will also launch a barbeque restaurant to highlight the city’s popular barbeque flavours.
The City Market will also be among the main retail attractions. Other shops to open are Turn the Page KC by WH Smith, The Pitch News & Gift, InMotion, Johnston & Murphy, Lego, Aeguna, and And Go. The terminal’s concession lineup also features 17 female and minority-owned businesses.
It also offers leisure and entertainment spaces, including the Variety KC Inclusive Family Play Zone, which has a simulated aircraft experience, accessible play spaces and other experiences for children.
Promoting inclusivity, the terminal also dedicated spaces for a service animal relief area, military USO and nursing mothers’ rooms, as well as gender-neutral bathrooms.
Other amenities at the terminal also include information desks, moving walkways, Delta Sky Club, military USO, meditation room and all-glass passenger boarding bridges at each of the 40 gates.
A parking garage with 6,100 spaces was also built next to the terminal, as well as staging areas for taxis, ride-sharing platforms and shuttles.
The terminal features a series of art installations, representing the largest public art programme in the city’s history. It displays sculptures from international artists spread out throughout the main entrance, as well as paintings from Kansas City artists.
A highlight is artist Nick Cave’s ‘The Air Up There,’ an installation that hangs at the ticketing hall featuring thousands of colourful metal spinners.
The last flight from one of the the old terminals, Chicago-bound Southwest Airlines flight 3369, departed at 10:25pm on 27 February. Around 30,000 passengers were scheduled to fly to and from these old terminals on that day. The new terminal will welcome about 25,000 travellers on the opening day.
The three old terminals, developed in a horsehoe style, opened in 1972. The Kansas City Aviation Department said that the new terminal represents what Kansas City is all about: “modern, hospitable and designed to get you to your destination quickly, conveniently and safely.” ✈
