Ingram's April 2023

venience of modern air travel in a facil ity with updated technology and ameni ties, close parking, spacious gate areas, and ample food and beverage options.” All told the airport project gener ated roughly 5,000 construction-related jobs; more than 240 Kansas City-area firms had a piece of that work. More than 130 of those were minority- and women-owned businesses as the project exceeded its ambitious diversity goals. The new facility offers more than two dozen dining options and close to a score of specialty retailers. Other ame nities include a quiet room, a business center, a play zone for children, and plenty of bathrooms—a deficiency in the old terminals that was frequently cited by travelers. There’s even an out door animal relief area. Designers pushed the edge of practi cally every conceivable envelope, incor porating themes that reflect Kansas City’s reputation as the City of Fountains and its roots in jazz music and as a barbecue capital of America. In addition, public art received a high priority, with $5.6 million invested in sculptures, paintings, and

other works by 28 artists—19 of whom live in the area or have local ties. Interestingly enough, the $1.5 billion price tag comes in well below the infla tion-adjusted $1.83 billion it cost to build the predecessor airport, which opened in 1972. The timing of that proved a thorn in the side of aviation officials for decades, coming just ahead of a wave of plane hijackings that transformed the need for security, leading up to the ter rorist attacks of Sept. 2001, which led to a complete rewrite of that playbook. Despite a $240 million upgrade in 2004, adding a few restrooms and sand wich/drink options behind the security barriers, the three-terminal construc tion was an increasing irritation to Kansas City’s community of frequent business travelers. While individuals re mained loyal to the old model, thanks to its convenience—gates were designed to be within 75 feet of parking garages— business leaders and economic develop ment professionals said the region was losing the ability to attract new compa nies because using the airport was such an unpleasant experience.

Civic leaders had long suggested that an upgraded KCI would prompt airlines to rethink their service lines to Kan sas City. They were quickly validated this spring as Southwest Airlines—the 800-pound gorilla of carriers here, with roughly half the arrivals and de partures—announced a resumption of flights to Indianapolis and Albuquer que, which had been canceled during the plummeting demand during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also is increasing the frequency of flights to Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Di ego, and St. Louis, and this summer says it will add more flights to Las Vegas, Pensacola, Fla., and Orlando, as well as seasonal service to Milwaukee, Minne apolis, and San Antonio starting in July. Even international travel is seeing an immediate boost: Southwest is add ing service to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and to Los Cabos International Airport in San José del Cabo, Mexico while expanding non-stop service to Cancun Internation al Airport.

AIRLINES SERVING KCI

Ranked by Passengers in 2022

Parent Company/ Headquarters/ Year Established Locally

# of Destinations/ # of Cities Served Non-Stop

No. of Weekly Departing Flights ‘22-’21

Average Passengers per Flight

Airline Name Airport Location Phone, Website

Rank 2023 2022

Number of Countries Served

Market Share 2022/2021

KCI Passengers 2022/2021

Top Destinations

2,186,745 1,663,729

123

44.70% 43.30%

Las Vegas, Chicago, Phoenix

333

97 25

11

Southwest Airlines Co. Dallas, Texas 1982

1. 1.

Southwest Airlines Gates B54-B69 214.932.0333, www.southwest.com American Airlines Gates A1-A6 800.433.7300, www.aa.com Delta Air Lines Gates B40-B52 404.715.2600, www.delta.com United Air Lines Gates B43-B51 312.997.8000, www.unitedairlines.com Spirit Airlines Gate B59 801.401.2222, www.spirit.com Alaska Airlines Gate A10 800.252.7522, www.alaskaair.com Frontier Airlines Gate B57 800.432.1359, www.flyfrontier.com Allegiant Air Gates A8, A12-20, B61-B65 702.505.8888, www.allegiant.com jetBlue Gates A8, A12-A20, B61-B65 800.538.2583, www.jetblue.com Air Canada (resuming service June 17) A8, A12-A20, B61-B65, or B41 888.247.2262, www.aircanada.com

899,353 700,252

87

18.40% 18.20%

Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Washington, D.C. Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York

162

238 10

49

AMR Corp. Fort Worth, Texas 1982

2. 3.

853,491 667,108

88

17.60% 17.40%

168

318 8

59

Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Ga. 1948

3. 2.

499,095 417,433

79

12.20% 10.90%

Chicago, Houston, Denver

101

395 5

61

United Continental Holdings Chicago, Ill. 1927

4. 4.

193,756 211,372

130

4.20% 5.50%

Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles

25

56 6

3

Spirit Airlines, Inc. Miramar, Fla. 1980 Alaska Air Group Seattle, Wash. 2011

5. 5.

98,038 91,426

Seattle

14

92 1

3

117

2.00% 2.40%

6. 6.

63,330 52,935

Denver, Cancun

160

1.30% 1.40%

3

77 2

5

Republic Airways Holdings Denver, Colo. 2000

7. 7.

26,770 31,854

138

0.80%

6

14 3

39

Allegiant Travel Co. Las Vegas, Nev. 2015 JetBlue Airways Long Island City, N.Y. 1988 Montreal, Quebec 1964

Destin-Ft. Walton Beach, Punta Gorda, St. Petersburg, Fla.

8. 8.

53,101 N/A

145

1.10%

6

93 2

26

Boston, New York

9.

5,369 N/A

36

0.1% 7

215 4

65

Toronto, Montreal, Denver, Chicago

10.

List was compiled from information provided by the Kansas City Aviation Department and airline web sites. N/A=Not Available/Applicable. Apple Vacations and SunCountry Airlines did not begin service until 2023.

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I ngr am ’ s

Kansas City’s Business Media

April 2023