Kansas City's push for a new single terminal airport continued Tuesday.
At a KCSTAT meeting, airport leaders told the mayor the number of KCMO residents satisfied with the airport fell over the summer.
Deputy Director of Aviation Justin Meyer said typically citizens enjoy KCI, but travelers do not. In the most recent survey, both groups now report growing dissatisfaction.
Meyer argued this is another reason for the billion-dollar terminal upgrade at KCI.
“There are a lot of things we can't deliver,” Meyer pointed out. “We can't deliver adequate seating, we can't deliver enough restrooms, we can't deliver a lot of the amenities people expect to be available to them in the gate areas.”
Meyer added national marketing firm JD Power ranked KCI 15th in a list of the best 21large U.S. airports.
The city has selected Maryland-based Edgemoor to build a new terminal using money from airport and airline fees, not money in the city’s general revenue fund. Kansas City residents will decide whether to approve the project in a November vote.
In the meantime, Meyer said the airport is looking to add a transatlantic flight. He said when compared to other similarly-sized airports, KCI is the only one without a transatlantic flight.
“We have over 300 passengers a day from Kansas City International Airport flying across the Atlantic. So it puts us in the right level of passengers to be talking with these airlines,” Meyer explained.
He admitted offering a transatlantic flight is not dependent on building a new terminal, but said the current KCI would need about $10 million in upgrades to accommodate those airlines.
