January 10, 2024 | Posted in News
FULL YEAR FOR ONE OF THE BIGGEST INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN KANSAS CITY HISTORY. THE NEW KCI TERMINAL HAS BEEN VERY BUSY SINCE IT OPENED IN LATE FEBRUARY. YEAR END NUMBERS ARE STILL COMING IN FROM THE AIRLINES, BUT THE CITY EXPECTS THE FIGURES TO SHOW SOME 11.4 MILLION PASSENGERS SERVED AT KCI LAST YEAR. THAT INCLUDES A COUPLE OF MONTHS OF THE OLD TERMINALS. THE AVIATION DEPARTMENT TRACKED MORE THAN 100,000 FLIGHTS IN 2023. KCI SAW LOTS OF FIRSTS AND CHANGES, INCLUDING THE APPOINTMENT OF MELISSA COOPER AS KANSAS CITY’S NEW DIRECTOR OF AVIATION. WE TOOK A TRIP TO THE AIRPORT TO CHAT WITH HER ABOUT THE NEW TERMINAL AND HER PLANS FOR ITS FUTURE. THANKS FOR TALKING TO US TODAY. YOU’VE BEEN IN AVIATION FOR YEARS NOW. HOW? LAUNCHING. CREATING, MAINTAINING A PROJECT LIKE THIS IS NO EASY TASK. WHAT DOES THIS FEEL LIKE TO BE AT THE START OF A NEW YEAR? LOOKING BACK ON EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENED? WELL, 2023 WAS FINNEY TERMINAL. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE CITY AND TO BE A PART OF IT. A KANSAS CITY BORN AND RAISED RESIDENT TO BE HERE AND JUST TO GIVE OUR COMMUNITY SUCH A GREAT TERMINAL, A CAREER CHANGING, LIFE CHANGING SOMETHING, THEY’LL BE HERE FOREVER. SO SUPER EXCITED. WE LIKE TO SAY KCI IS LIKE THE FIRST IMPRESSION RIGHT OF KANSAS CITY. IT’S THE FRONT DOOR. WHAT SORT OF FEEDBACK HAVE YOU GOTTEN? SO FAR? THE FEEDBACK HAS BEEN PHENOMENAL. ALL OUR TRAVELERS, OUR RESIDENTS, OUR COMMUNITY LOVE IT. UM, WE’RE ACTUALLY GETTING FEEDBACK. IT’S SPOILED THEM FOR OTHER AIRPORTS. IT’S SUCH A GREAT FACILITY. AND WE REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT KANSAS CITY AND WHAT IT NEEDS. AND WE AND WE DELIVERED. DO YOU HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING AT SIMILAR PROJECTS IN OTHER CITIES AND WHAT’S THAT CONVERSATION? WE HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL CALLS, SEVERAL MEETINGS. WE PROBABLY TALKED TO 20 DIFFERENT AIRPORTS WHO ARE IN SOME PROJECT IN THEIR TERMINAL CREATION AND REALLY WANT TO HEAR OUR LESSONS LEARNED. UM, OUR AIRLINES ARE SAYING THIS IS THE AIRPORT THAT DOES IT RIGHT. COME TALK TO US. SO WE’RE SHARING OUR STORIES, SUCCESSES, FAILURES, SO THE WHOLE COMMUNITY CAN BE A BETTER AIRPORT EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYBODY. LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A LEARNING CURVE, RIGHT? ESPECIALLY WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE USED TO GOING TO A COUPLE OF ROUND TERMINALS AND GETTING RIGHT THROUGH SECURITY AND THAT SORT OF THING. WE SAW ISSUES. I GUESS THE BIGGEST GROWING PAIN. YOU KNOW WHAT I’M GOING TO TALK ABOUT IS RIGHT BELOW US AT THE ARRIVALS CURB WHERE PEOPLE WOULD PARK AND THERE WOULD BE BACKUPS. I KNOW THAT THERE ARE PLANS IN THE WORKS TO MAYBE LENGTHEN A LANE, MAYBE IMPROVE THE CELL PHONE LOT. HOW DO YOU LEARN FROM FROM THOSE ISSUES AND HOW DO YOU GROW HERE? SO YEAH, WE HAVE A DIFFERENT FACILITY. AND SO THERE’S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF GROWING PAINS. WE HAD AN OLDER FACILITY THAT HAD MORE COMMERCIAL CURB LENGTH AND SO LESS UM, MAYBE LESS ENFORCEMENT THINGS THAT HAD CHANGED AFTER 2001, THE DISASTER OF NINE OVER 11. OUR COMMUNITY DIDN’T HAVE TO KIND OF GROW WITH THAT. WE DID SOME THINGS THAT WERE UNORTHODOX. WE WE LEFT VEHICLES PARKED AND UNATTENDED, AND PEOPLE WOULD RUN IN AND GO GET THEIR PASSENGERS AND THINGS. YOU JUST CAN’T DO IT ANY OTHER AIRPORT, ACTUALLY. SO WE’VE DONE A LOT OF EDUCATION, A LOT OF TRAINING, UM, A LOT OF ENFORCEMENT, BOTH OF TRAFFIC CONTROL OFFICERS WHO ARE WHO ARE SAYING, MOVE ON ALONG. WE’VE INCREASED OUR CELL PHONE LOT, UM, KNOWLEDGE, WHERE IS IT? HOW TO BE THERE? WAIT UNTIL YOUR PASSENGER ACTUALLY GETS THEIR BAGS AND GETS TO THE CURB BEFORE YOU COME DOWN. UH, WE HAVE TWO LANES. USE BOTH OF THEM. IT’S OKAY. WE’RE KANSAS CITY. NICE. WE DON’T. WE LIKE TO GET IN LINE AND NOT CUT THEIR TWO LANES. USE THEM. BUT WE’RE LOOKING AT SOME LONG TERME ISSUES. HOW DO YOU BUILD A DIFFERENT INFRASTRUCTURE? DO WE NEED THREE LANES? DO WE NEED TO CLOSE OFF LANES? IS THE CELL PHONE LOT IN THE RIGHT PLACE? UM, WHAT AMENITIES DO OUR PASSENGERS NEED AS THEY’RE WAITING FOR THEIR LOVED ONES TO ARRIVE? SO WE’RE LOOKING AT ALL THINGS, AND WE CONTINUE TO LEARN THE INTERMEDIATE, THE LONG TERME AND GROW FOR OUR PASSENGERS. I THINK WE SAY KANSAS CITY KNIGHTS. I THINK YOU’RE THE ONLY AIRPORT THAT PUT OUT HOW TO VIDEOS THAT I’VE EVER SEEN ON HOW TO PARK AT THE AIRPORT. WHERE ELSE COULD YOU GROW HERE? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SO FAR? SO WHAT WE’VE LEARNED IS WE NEEDED MORE STAFF. WE HAD A BRAND NEW FACILITY, WHITE FLOORS, LOTS OF WINDOWS, ALL OF THE THINGS OUR PASSENGERS WANTED OPEN AND AIRY. THOSE GET DIRTY. SO WE NEEDED STAFF WHO KNEW HOW TO TRAIN ON THOSE THOSE MATERIALS AND ACTUALLY BE HERE AND DO THE THING. SO TRAFFIC CONTROL AND CLEANLINESS HAVE BEEN OUR NUMBER ONE. UH, WE HAVE GREAT EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WANTING TO DO THE RIGHT THING. AND SO CONTINUE TO WORK AND GROW ON THAT. WE’VE GOT A HOLIDAY SEASON UNDER YOUR BELT NOW. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT? UH, THE PEOPLE IN KANSAS CITY LOVE OUR SPACE. WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO PARKED IN OUR GARAGE WHO CAME IN, SAW IT FOR THE FIRST TIME. UH, COME IN WITH BALLOONS AND FLOWERS AND LOVE TO TO SEE WHAT THEIR PASSENGERS. I THINK WE LEARNED THAT PEOPLE WANT TO TRAVEL. PEOPLE WANT TO BE CONNECTED. UH, PEOPLE ARE IMPORTANT. AND SO WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD TO HAVE OUR FIRST TIME. MANY FIRST TIME TRAVELERS HAVE A GREAT EXPERIENCE AT THE AIRPORT LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEW YEAR, OBVIOUSLY YOU DON’T BUILD A PLACE AS BIG AS THIS, RIGHT? AND NOT TRY TO EXPAND SERVICE AND TRY TO BRING IN BUSINESS. SO. SO WHAT’S IN THE WORKS? WHAT CAN YOU SHARE AND WHAT WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR 2024? WELL, GROWTH IS IMPORTANT. WE BUILT THIS $1.5 BILLION TERMINAL ON TIME, ON BUDGET DURING A PANDEMIC WHEN NUMBERS HAD PLUMMETED. WE HAVE GROWN PAST THAT, UM, PRE-COVID NUMBERS. WE’RE WE’RE WE’RE FLIRTING WITH PRE UH, 911 NUMBERS. AND WE’RE REALLY SEEING THE AIRLINES HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND AND GROW. WE SEE RETURN TO SERVICE FROM A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT MARKETS. WE SEE NEW MARKETS. WE’RE AGGRESSIVELY TALKING TO DIFFERENT AIR CARRIERS AND OUR CURRENT AIR CARRIERS ABOUT CONTINUING TO OFFER NEW SERVICES, INCREASE SERVICES, INCREASE AIRCRAFT SIZE, FLEET SIZE FOR OUR PASSENGERS. DOES THAT MEAN INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS TOO? THAT IS GOING TO BE OUR GOAL AND OUR CONTINUED GROWTH PLAN. WE DON’T HAVE ANY ANY TIDBITS, NO SUPER BIG SURPRISES, BUT WE HAVE A FOCUS TO BRING SERVICE