Opening a $1.5 billion airport terminal with a completely revamped design and traffic flow was bound to have at least one or two complications.
But now that Kansas City International’s new terminal has been up and running a couple of weeks, the biggest one – traffic flow in the pick-up lanes – appears to be easing, said Joe McBride, communications manager for Kansas City’s Aviation Department.
“I’d say it’s better now,” said McBride, noting that lately the backups are smaller and cleared more quickly. “We’re working through the learning curve, the initial signage. We’re deploying law enforcement at the curb to keep things moving.”
Pick-up traffic has been a sore point
Long lines of cars waiting to pick up passengers has often been mentioned in social media posts in the days since the new terminal opened Feb. 28.
Many blamed people sitting in their cars, at the curb designated for loading and unloading.
Checking out pick up at the new KCI terminal today, a few things become apparent:
1. Late evening challenge relates to drivers queuing in the right pick-up lane back to highway. There’s an additional lane to come through pick up, as seen here, to avoid any line.
[ . . . ] pic.twitter.com/iTbJ747d4g
— Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) March 9, 2023
One supposition was that the new terminal, which is a single building, has less curb space than the three terminals of the previous design and that perhaps that made authorities more lenient with parking infractions.
McBride, however, said traffic enforcement officers would move people along when there was congestion, even back then.
Signage has gotten clearer
Since the initial traffic tie-ups, he said, airport officials have made some improvements in the signage that directs people to the cell phone lot.
They’ve also worked on getting out the word that standing and parking at the pick-up and drop-off curbs hasn’t been OK at least since 9/11, and will be dealt with by traffic control.
“If you get out of your car and come back in 10 or 15 minutes and you have a ticket, you shouldn’t be surprised,” he said.
“There aren’t that many problems we’re encountering (at the new terminal). This is one that’s high-profile and impacting people so we’re aware of it and trying to do our best to improve it,” he said.
He noted that if traffic lines get long enough, it could also slow down people trying to reach the drop-off lines.
With more visitors coming to town for the NCAA tournament and NFL draft in coming weeks, “It’s important for us all to cooperate,” he said.
There are several ways to do that:
Before you leave to come to the new KCI…
- Take some time in advance to acquaint yourself with how the new terminal looks and works. There are videos and instructions on the KCI website on most aspects.
- Check your flight status before leaving in case there are delays. Flights can be checked on the airport website or through other flight tracking apps.
- There is no need to add extra time for long traffic jams, for now.
- McBride recommends people go with the airlines’ recommendation of arriving 90 minutes to two-hours before a flight, and then adding any extra time for anything else.
When picking a passenger up …
- To avoid curbside conflicts, follow the signs to the cell phone lot at 680 Brasilia Ave., McBride said. This lot is about a quarter-mile from the terminal.
- Don’t head for the pickup lane until your passengers have collected their baggage and can tell you what column they are waiting at. The curbside waiting area is protected from the elements by an overhang, he said.
- You can stop and load passengers either directly at the curb or in the next lane over. Using both lanes will keep things moving.
When dropping off or being dropped off …
- So far there have been no major problems with congestion at the drop-off lanes for departures, McBride said.
- Security check-in lines also have not been a problem. So far most lines to get through security have been fifteen or twenty people, maximum, he said.
- The 17-lane setup allows the TSA flexibility to change security lines during busy times.
- There is also the availability of the quicker TSA pre-check and kiosks for the CLEAR touchless biometric scanners.
Parking
- The airport is working on a system that will give real-time updates online on where parking is available, but it is not yet ready, McBride said.
- He recommends driving up to about the fifth level of the parking garage to find a space closer to the exits.
What if I want to just go and look around?
- There is some space outside the secure area for people who are curious about the new terminal, but many of the new shops and art seen on social media are only going to be accessible to ticketed passengers.
- McBride said eventually there may be a way to vet non-ticketed visitors to come through and see people off or just look around, but that’s in the future.
Roxie Hammill is a freelance journalist who reports frequently for the Post and other Kansas City area publications. You can reach her at roxieham@gmail.com.
