Southwest Now Wants New MCI Terminal
Jul 21, 2015, 3:11 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,509
Southwest Now Wants New MCI Terminal
VP Ron Ricks had warned the city the MCI renovation plan would triple Southwest's operating costs. “That’s a problem,” he said, suggesting increased landing fees and ticket surcharges could force them to adjust operations. He argued expensive, new terminals — like those recently built in Sacramento and San Jose — raise Southwest's cost per passenger and put profitability at risk.
Now, 18 months later, the single terminal scheme is all good.
Guess it was a bluff.
KC Star
Now, 18 months later, the single terminal scheme is all good.
Guess it was a bluff.
KC Star
Kansas City should focus on planning for a single new terminal at Kansas City International Airport, airlines and the city’s aviation department said Tuesday.
After meeting for a year, the airlines and city officials said planning for renovating the existing terminals should be set aside.
A representative of Southwest Airlines also said that the group has determined it actually would be cheaper to build a single, large terminal than to renovate existing terminals.
That reverses the previous cost forecast.
After meeting for a year, the airlines and city officials said planning for renovating the existing terminals should be set aside.
A representative of Southwest Airlines also said that the group has determined it actually would be cheaper to build a single, large terminal than to renovate existing terminals.
That reverses the previous cost forecast.
Jul 21, 2015, 4:41 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,509
Jul 22, 2015, 5:57 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: MSP
Programs: AA Plat Pto, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,536
Southwest should embrace this. MDW is more or less at capacity and MCI is the best midwest alternative. Legacies should be able to be fully accommodated on the terminal gates leaving the outer concourse for SWA growth.
Jul 22, 2015, 6:03 pm
#6
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Houston (HOU/IAH)
Programs: WN, UA, DL, AA, Chase UR, Amex MR
Posts: 2,267
STL already seems to be growing into the role of MDW Jr. In the past two years I've connected there about 6 or 7 times vs. 0 for MDW.
Jul 24, 2015, 11:16 am
#8
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Kansas City
Programs: UA 1MM, WN A-List Pref, MR LT Plat, SPG LT Gold
Posts: 224
Can't happen soon enough, IMO. The WN gate area in Terminal B is jam-packed all the time, and most weeks the B short-term parking area is at 100% capacity by mid-day Monday.
Jul 24, 2015, 3:55 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: Starwood Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, Southwest Companion Pass
Posts: 92
The 1960's design needs to go. This is an opportunity to build a facility that's designed to facilitate modern air travel, instead of clinging to an antiquated idea which hasn't been practical in decades.
Jul 24, 2015, 4:05 pm
#10
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,459
The design is obviously wrong in today's world, and I have no skin in the game ( other than potential higher fares when I fly into MCI, which is several times a year ) , but I sure wouldn't want to pay for a new terminal. The current design is not ideal, but it has been shoehorned into a usable terminal.
Jul 25, 2015, 4:37 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAS
Posts: 1,323
No surprise here if Mayor Sly finally gets his wish, after all the whining he did last year. Maybe he will want the new airport named after him, too.
Can you guess I am against this whole idea?
Yeah, terminal B is crowded at the gate area, but so are lots of other larger, "modern" airports. I seldom find two seats together at the gate area in LAS, for example. They are always packed there.
Parking did not become a issue until (1l terminal A was closed and airlines moved, and (2l MCI money grab by instituting valet parking at terminal B.
MCI is not a shopping and dining destination, and never will be, no matter how much the vendors want a new terminal built. I go to an airport to get on and off planes, period. Right now, it is a few minutes from deplaning to being at the outside curb.
Well, it's going to happen, no matter, but hopefully will not be living in Kansas City still when it all begins.
Can you guess I am against this whole idea?
Yeah, terminal B is crowded at the gate area, but so are lots of other larger, "modern" airports. I seldom find two seats together at the gate area in LAS, for example. They are always packed there.
Parking did not become a issue until (1l terminal A was closed and airlines moved, and (2l MCI money grab by instituting valet parking at terminal B.
MCI is not a shopping and dining destination, and never will be, no matter how much the vendors want a new terminal built. I go to an airport to get on and off planes, period. Right now, it is a few minutes from deplaning to being at the outside curb.
Well, it's going to happen, no matter, but hopefully will not be living in Kansas City still when it all begins.
Jul 26, 2015, 7:16 am
#13
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 69
I concur, the city needs to shift funding from something else without pulling from the taxpayers. Not sure what that would be. I am not from KC, so I don't know if that's even a possibility, but I know there are other cities that are building sporting arena's, etc which seem unnecessary.
Aug 8, 2015, 9:03 pm
#14
Original Member and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Kansas City, MO, USA
Programs: DL PM/MM, AA ExPlat, Hyatt Glob, HH Dia, National ECE, Hertz PC
Posts: 16,579
That airport just has a terrible layout. It's packed like sardines and there are not enough bathrooms, so the passengers tend to queue up once boarded on the plane, sometimes 5-6 deep throughout boarding, which can cause a bit of delay. I mean you can't force people out when nature calls.
I concur, the city needs to shift funding from something else without pulling from the taxpayers. Not sure what that would be. I am not from KC, so I don't know if that's even a possibility, but I know there are other cities that are building sporting arena's, etc which seem unnecessary.