It’s getting easier imagining the flocks of passengers who will file through security, grab maybe coffee or something to eat on their way to their gates for their airplanes at either Concourse A or B of Kansas City International Airport’s new single terminal.
During a media tour of the new terminal Monday afternoon, Pat Klein, Kansas City’s aviation director, said that he checked his calendar and realized the opening of the new terminal is coming fast — less than six months away.
“Now that we are in the final six months, it’s a great feeling, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done with a lot of folks and it’s got to be well coordinated,” Klein said. “So everybody’s in that final sprint to make sure everybody does their piece so in the end, we open up on time and on budget.”
The $1.5 billion project broke ground in March 2019 and is scheduled to be complete and open in March.
“It’s been a long process, a big project, you know, nearly 100 acres of work,” Klein said. “It’s amazing how fast it went.”
The overall project is 90% complete, airport officials said. The terminal’s interior is about 80%, while the airside paving is 85% complete and the baggage handling system is 90% complete.
The new terminal’s massive ticketing hall is where passengers will head to after being dropped off or parking their cars in the 6,100-space garage adjacent to the terminal.
“This will be where passengers are utilizing a kiosk or approaching a check-in desk to check in with their airline and begin their travel journey,” said Justin Meyer, deputy director with the Kansas City Aviation Department, said.
The massive ticketing hall is about 70 to 75% complete, he said. The terrazzo flooring has been laid, but not yet ground. Crews were installing Missouri-sourced Hemlock wood ceiling. The Missouri-sourced limestone has been nearly completely installed on the wall behind the ticketing counters.
From the ticketing hall, passengers will funnel through a consolidated security checkpoint.
“This location will have 16 security checkpoints on opening day and the ability to grow up to 18 without the need for any additional expansion in this space,” Meyer said.
While there will be restrooms prior to passing through security, the majority of the new terminal’s restrooms will be inside the secure area.
“Passengers want to come to the airport, check in and get to their gate and then they want to figure out what to do with that extra time that they have in front of them,” he said.
Once through security, they will be able to use any of the amenities, including around 50 dining and retail stores.
“With these 50 concession spaces that we have, most of them are local and we have some national brands,” said Lovell Holloway, general manager for Vantage Airport Group which will run concessions at the new terminal.“
The target date to be done with the construction of the concession spaces is Dec. 30. All of them will be ready for the opening day of the terminal, he said. About 80% of the brands are local to the Kansas City region.
“We really wanted to bring to life the experience of Kansas City,” he said. “We wanted this to be the gateway to the city.”
In the southern half of Concourse B, which is the furthest along, seating is being assembled and installed. The gate signs and passenger boarding bridges, which are made partly of glass, have been installed too.
“We have three large restroom cores on each concourse,” said Meyer, including a service animal relief area that includes a little red fire hydrant.
Dan Brownlee, station manager at Southwest Airlines in Kansas City, said the bigger windows that let natural light through, the taller ceilings and larger gate areas are what their customers are looking for.
“We’re super grateful and proud to be in this new home,” Brownlee said.
Some of the artwork is already being installed at the airport, including Michael Szivos’ “Cloud Gazing” in the nearly 630-foot-long concourse connector, said James Martin, Kansas City’s public art administrator.
Members of the artist’s team was expected to fly into Kansas City Monday night to do some tests on Tuesday.
“We’ve been doing studio visits with the Kansas City-based artists and most them are nearly finished,” Martin said. He said he’s hearing good things form the other artists involved.
“It’s been gratifying to see how far along they are,” he said.
Prior to opening the terminal, there will be a community open house and workforce appreciation day. Plans are still being developed and would probably have people make reservations so not everyone is showing up at the same time. No date is scheduled yet, but it could happen the first part of February.
“We think we can probably put on a Saturday, if we started early an ended late, 10,000 people through here, which is pretty significant,” he said.
The opening date for the new terminal has not been determined, but it would likely occur between Presidents Day weekend and spring break. An announcement for opening date could occur as early as the first week in January, Meyer said.
In the coming weeks, the aviation department will ask people to register to be on a list of those willing to come out and test the facility.
“We will have some operational testing days where we need, you know, 300 people to come out and we’ll hand them a ticket and say, ‘You’re 12:30 p.m., Gate A-10 and I need you to use the restroom and buy a coffee and go through the whole experience,’” Meyer said.
When the new terminal opens, Klein said he wants to be sitting in the check-in hall when people start arriving for their early morning flights just to see the amazement in their eyes when they see the terrazzo flooring, the limestone wall and the wood on the ceiling.
“It’s going to be quite an experience,” said Klein, who hopes people love the new terminal as much as the current terminals. “I can’t wait to see it.”
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