Full tour: The brand new Kansas Metropolis airport terminal brings main upgrades

For years, the naysayers put up a giant combat in opposition to a brand new airport terminal in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri. They appreciated the comfort of the unique facility, which supplied the power to park and virtually stroll onto the airplane. In addition they did not wish to run the chance of utilizing taxpayer {dollars} to fund the brand new $1.5 billion facility, amongst different points.

But right here we’re, almost a decade later, on the cusp of the opening of the glistening new Kansas Metropolis Worldwide Airport (MCI) terminal — a challenge crammed with blood, sweat and tears for a lot of locals and politicians.

The opposition was robust, however Justin Meyer, the town’s deputy director of aviation, saved his head held excessive. Meyer and plenty of supporters of a brand new Kansas Metropolis Worldwide Airport knew that the present ageing facility had run its course. In spite of everything, the prevailing Kanas Metropolis airport opened in 1972, again when Trans World Airways was headquartered in Kansas Metropolis.

A lot has modified since then, together with the introduction of the Transportation Safety Administration, which took lots of the comfort out of the prevailing facility. Every small cluster of gates featured its personal checkpoint, a uncommon setup amongst airports nationwide.

Quick ahead to immediately, and the brand new 39-gate terminal is prepared for its grand debut on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Prematurely of the opening, TPG acquired a first-look tour of the brand new terminal — and the upgrades are large enough to draw anybody excited by aviation and airport structure. Nobody was visibly prouder than Meyer himself, who choked up at factors throughout the walkthrough as his on-time and on-budget challenge dazzled the reporters who have been in attendance.

A shocking new check-in corridor

From the second you pull as much as the curb, the brand new Kansas Metropolis terminal is a night-and-day enchancment in comparison with the prevailing amenities.

The hovering excessive overhang protects the primary two drop-off lanes from the weather whereas additionally giving flyers a really dramatic welcome.

Stepping contained in the fantastically adorned check-in corridor brings you into a large centralized house — a giant improve by way of each type and performance.

Beforehand, every airline was unfold out alongside completely different elements of the 2 round terminals, making it troublesome to know the place precisely to get dropped off.

Even worse, every small subset of gates had its personal safety checkpoint, which frequently skilled bottlenecks. This made it far more difficult to attach between flights.

Luckily, that’s all historical past within the new facility since each airline is now underneath the identical roof.

Moreover, with 16 TSA safety checkpoints — together with precedence, TSA PreCheck and Clear — you seemingly gained’t want to fret about traces. All 39 gates are related post-security, so you will not have to fret about determining which lane to make use of to get to your flight.

Even the check-in areas have been improved with the addition of bigger areas, digital signage and an upgraded baggage dealing with system.

Except for the effectivity enhancements, you might really feel such as you’re in a museum. All over the place you look, you’ll be mesmerized by the 28 distinctive artwork installations that comprise the largest-ever public artwork program in Kansas Metropolis’s historical past.

Search for within the check-in corridor and you will find Nick Cave’s “The Air Up There,” which encompasses a plethora of colourful metallic spinners that welcome you into the brand new house.

Enter on the south facet of the ability to see “Let the Music Take You” by George Rodriguez. This can be a larger-than-life, nine-piece touring jazz band that pays homage to the area’s jazz historical past.

Should you enter on the north facet, you’ll uncover “Wings” by John Balistreri. This piece resembles airfoils with delicate designs that replicate the area. For instance, there is a small pink Lockheed Vega 5B painted on one of many wings. Seems, this was the fashion of airplane Amelia Earhart, who grew up in close by Atchison, Kansas, flew throughout the Atlantic in 1932.

The north facet may also be residence to an out of doors water fountain set within the middle of three semicircular gardens. The design is a nod to the form of the previous terminal concourses which are set to be demolished within the coming months.

2 essential amenity areas

The brand new Kansas Metropolis terminal has a central backbone with two amenity areas that every bisects two piers of gates.

After clearing safety, you will end up within the first of two amenity and concessions areas, which was impressed by the downtown jazz music motion of the Twenties and Nineteen Thirties.

This house is residence to a wide range of domestically impressed and nationally acknowledged outlets and eating shops, together with Parisi Espresso and Meat Mitch, and some different facilities, reminiscent of a enterprise middle (obtainable to lease for a yet-to-be-determined price), a quiet room (open to all) and an air journey expertise middle (it encompasses a cross-section of a airplane to assist acclimate rare vacationers to what to anticipate throughout journey).

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One of many focal items of this house is the “Fountain (KCI)” piece by Leo Villareal. It was designed in tribute to the “Metropolis of Fountains” (aka Kansas Metropolis). Airport authorities thought of putting in an actual water characteristic right here however determined in opposition to it, given the potential for water harm within the central core of the terminal.

Should you’re departing on Delta, Southwest or United, you’ll have to proceed down the 630-foot concourse connector that bridges the primary amenity node and the second.

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ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Due to the shifting walkways alongside the concourse connector, it takes only a few minutes to get to the start of the B gates. Some flyers will seemingly wish to cease and benefit from the small interactive Kansas Metropolis historic shows, the hanging “Cloud Gazing” art work by SoftLab’s Michael Szivos and the views by means of the floor-to-ceiling home windows.

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ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

When you make it to the B amenity node, you’ll shortly end up in a duplicate of Kansas Metropolis’s well-liked Metropolis Market. Right here, you’ll discover a wide range of eating institutions, together with a Metropolis Market Meals Corridor with native outposts of Bo Lings and Buffalo State Pizza Co. & Bar, a fine-dining restaurant by well-reputed Brown & Loe and even a brand-new Delta Sky Membership.

Welcome to Kansas Metropolis, a Twenty first-century hub

Whenever you arrive on the new Kansas Metropolis terminal, you will take a set of escalators in the principle concourse to get to the bags declare and floor transportation stage.

As you descend, you might be mesmerized by what’s arguably essentially the most visually enticing piece of artwork in the whole terminal: the colourful glass “Molten Swing” by Soo Sunny Park.

Regardless of the way you have a look at the piece, it is certain to glitter and provides off an inviting first impression of Kansas Metropolis.

As soon as downstairs, you will go by means of an automatic set of exit doorways to the arrivals stage, which options seven home baggage declare areas.

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ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Worldwide arrivals will park at concourse A south, which is residence to a brand new federal inspection station. There may be one baggage declare and a U.S. Customs and Border Safety facility ready on the arrivals stage simply steps from the airplane.

When you acquire your baggage, you will stroll exterior to the curb to search out your transportation.

The closest curb to the arrivals corridor will likely be reserved for personal automobiles and industrial visitors, together with rental automobile shuttles. Experience-hailing companies will use the outer curb, which is lined from above with the orange-colored “Sky Prairie” art work by Jill Anholt.

Should you resolve to park on the airport, you should not have any downside discovering a spot within the brand-new 6,100-spot parking storage.

Moreover, the 4 exit vestibules within the arrivals stage are marked with the corresponding row letters for the storage, which ought to assist reduce how a lot strolling you will have to do to search out your automobile throughout the chilly winter.

The brand new facility brings Twenty first-century conveniences to remodel the airport into a contemporary hub for vacationers. It is the most recent in a string of infrastructure enhancements for airports nationwide, nevertheless it’s maybe essentially the most thoughtfully designed and delightful one but.