I landed at KCI Thursday and decided to take a long, objective look at the outdated old airport…
I exited the aircraft from row five. In other words approximately 24 passengers got off ahead of me.
Oh, and I should mention that my Southwest flight arrived approximately 90 minutes late.
So after getting off the plane there was a mass confusion as to where to exit the secured holding area. Some people turned right, others left.
Due to our delayed arrival there was apparently no one available to point us in the right (or left) direction.
A guy behind me was overheard referring to it all as a cluster f**k.
So far. So bad……
After finally arriving at the baggage area our flight’s bags were announced on the electronic board as being at carousel three. And it took forever for the first bags to finally show up.
When the belt finally stopped, half of our fliers hadn’t received their luggage yet.
What gives?
The board said carousel three. So did the posting on the carousel itself.
Do you think for a minute that they were mixing our Vegas bags with those from the incoming Denver flight on that carousel?
Surely not.
After all, the electronic board postings would have noted the change.
Well guess what? That’s exactly what they DID and a harried airline employee tried to passify our passengers by reminding us, “That’s why we need a new terminal.”
Why not just add a third carousel?
“Not enough space,” she replied.
When I questioned her as to why the baggage pickup signs were not corrected to reflect the mid-change of carousels for our flight, she informed me that was not the airline’s job but that of airport operations. So there.
It was a mess and people were ticked!
Bottom line; it took 30 minutes to finally get my one checked bag at “the most convenient airport in America.”
I was embarrassed for my fellow travelers who were experiencing our KCI bunker for the first time.
Yes. I get bags faster at Dulles and LAX than I do at MCI. And it is a cluster. Our special airport is a local urban myth. If we want to attract large technology companies to our metro… They will not get a good first impression coming through our airport. I have a bad opinion of Albuquerque. I have never been to the city. I have heard it is great. But I connected through their airport once and it is a complete bung hole. I have no desire to go there now. It affects your psyche. When it comes to transportation, our city seems determined to screw it up.
Excellent point, Rainbow…
As a guy who drives on most of my vacations, I can tell you that Albuquerque is indeed a vibrant city – a bit too vibrant by measure (a la Phoenix). However first impressions do matter and our airport being as far out as it is doesn’t help matters either
Hell, Hearne, there was a dead body in the lot for 8 months and not even you sniffed it out :).
I got news for ya, Frank…
I’ve never sniffed anything out in my life…I can’t smell!
Did you maybe think they were overwhelmed due to your delayed arrival?
But I agree that it’s a dungeon out there.
You want to attract companies like Amazon to come to KC? You start by having a better “wheels down” experience for people coming into town. The airport can do that. As it stands, our airport puts out the message that KC is stuck in the 1970s. The company I work for has associates who fly in and out of KCI to the tune of 2900 flights PER WEEK. And since the airport is such outdated garbage, the airlines that do fly in and out of KC limit the number of flights that business travelers (and recreational travelers as well) have to choose from. It makes it harder for local companies to get their people out to see their clientele. This new airport needs to get done, and get done now.
I agree with you, Guy.
But if I were a betting person (i.e. casinos, lotto, etc.) which I am not, I would definitely bet against the good folks of KCMO voting in favor of a new terminal.
Frankly I wish KCI would’ve been a bi-state project the way Union Station got its new life. But it’s not and since the entire process has been so totally mishandled by KC I just don’t think that the city has enough time to muster a winning new campaign before the election—which is right around the corner.
And that’s a shame!
Can someone tell me why they put the airport so far away from the city?
EH – the land was owned by Judge Curry and he had a little inside information.
But think about it. Downtown Kansas City was boxed in and in Grandview the base was still active. Where else would you put Kansas City’s airport? They bought that land very cheap.