KC Council committee green lights planning for new KCI terminal
by Lynn Horsley - The Kansas City Star
A Kansas City Council committee today gave a thumbs up to continued planning for a new airport, which would be built on top of what is currently Terminal A at KCI.
True. A new terminal is only about updating efficiency and modernization, which are good elements to have in an airport, but a new terminal doesn't automatically yield more flights - ask Indianapolis.matguy70 wrote:KC expects to get more flights or a "hub" - guess what - the airline industry is not into hubbing anymore, been downsized and serves markets according to population size. Only new flights and destinations seem to be added on demand --- NOT a new shinny terminal that will, ultimately, cost airlines more money to fly into.
Good. F Kansas City!!,,matguy70 wrote: ↑Nov 05, 2025KCTV across state report 11/04/2025
Thorough and good reporting IMO.
Some excerpts from full report...
Where Kansas City stands in its quest for transatlantic flights
St. Louis just snagged its second European direct flight. Where does that leave Kansas City?
By Gabe Swartz and Lauren Magarino
Published: Nov. 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM CST|Updated: Nov. 3, 2025 at 10:31 AM CST
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - For a place with a purpose of being on the move, Kansas City International Airport faces a grounding challenge.
Its newly-minted terminal, opened in 2023 and equipped with an international arrivals facility, does not have direct flights anywhere across the Atlantic.
That’s as the city prepares for an influx of international visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and as the list of mid-sized cities landing deals for nonstop flights to Europe grows.
The list of such cities adding nonstop flights across the pond includes Kansas City’s eastern neighbor, St. Louis, which recently announced a nonstop flight to London starting in 2026 and already offers service to Frankfurt, Germany.
St. Louis’ leg up
Officials at St. Louis Lambert International Airport say their most recent deal creates a runway for a potential $50-100 million per year of economic growth in the St. Louis metro.
“It’s huge,” St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said of the non-stop service to London. “Having a direct flight to the most popular destination in Europe is a big win for St. Louis -- and frankly, a big win for Europe.”
“This has been a goal for a long time,” Ambassador Kevin O’Malley, the chair of the St. Louis County Port Authority, told KMOV-TV. “This new route is a recognition by British Airways -- a world-class international carrier -- of the importance St. Louis plays on the global stage. This is a big deal. I want people to know we are going places, and now we have a big European company recognizing that.”
As officials on the east side of Missouri boast of the significance of their new deal, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is displeased by the nonexistence of transatlantic flights out of MCI and has even gone as far as to say he’s a little jealous on social media.
“I think it’s a shortcoming for Kansas City,” Lucas admitted to KCTV. “It’s a disappointment for me as the mayor of Kansas City.”
Justin Meyer is the deputy director of the Kansas City Aviation Department, the team courting airline carriers to offer flights out of KCI’s gates. He says the first step toward expansion in Kansas City starts with demand, which a senior vice president for British Airways said is present in St. Louis.
“We think we should be in the conversation,” Meyer said. “We just haven’t been able to close the deal yet.”
Currently, an average of 350 people per day start their trip to Europe in Kansas City. In St. Louis, that average is 375 passengers per day, a number that seems similar.
But Meyer says it’s the makeup of customers that creates the difference.
“One of the things that’s significant in the comparison that we’re making is front-of-cabin demand,” Meyer explained. “There’s a much more significant business market, a higher GDP on the east side of the state. So the propensity to buy business class tickets is significantly higher.”
Part of that demand in St. Louis is the result of seven Fortune 500 companies having headquarters in the Gateway City.
“It’s going to take that kind of travel support, that kind of corporate support, to make an airline that chooses to make the long-haul investment in Kansas City profitable,” Meyer said.
Kansas City is home to one Fortune 500 company: Seaboard Corporation. While the Kansas City metro has recently attracted Google, Panasonic and Fiserv, it’s unclear if the business of data centers and battery plants will help fill transatlantic flights.
‐------
The article/report is very in depth and continues on about KC's new airport and new shiny airports don't warrant service.
Good read overall:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kctv5. ... utType=amp
"Currently, an average of 350 people per day start their trip to Europe in Kansas City. In St. Louis, that average is 375 passengers per day, a number that seems similar."matguy70 wrote: ↑Nov 05, 2025KCTV across state report 11/04/2025
Thorough and good reporting IMO.
Some excerpts from full report...
Where Kansas City stands in its quest for transatlantic flights
St. Louis just snagged its second European direct flight. Where does that leave Kansas City?
By Gabe Swartz and Lauren Magarino
Published: Nov. 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM CST|Updated: Nov. 3, 2025 at 10:31 AM CST
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - For a place with a purpose of being on the move, Kansas City International Airport faces a grounding challenge.
Its newly-minted terminal, opened in 2023 and equipped with an international arrivals facility, does not have direct flights anywhere across the Atlantic.
That’s as the city prepares for an influx of international visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and as the list of mid-sized cities landing deals for nonstop flights to Europe grows.
The list of such cities adding nonstop flights across the pond includes Kansas City’s eastern neighbor, St. Louis, which recently announced a nonstop flight to London starting in 2026 and already offers service to Frankfurt, Germany.
St. Louis’ leg up
Officials at St. Louis Lambert International Airport say their most recent deal creates a runway for a potential $50-100 million per year of economic growth in the St. Louis metro.
“It’s huge,” St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said of the non-stop service to London. “Having a direct flight to the most popular destination in Europe is a big win for St. Louis -- and frankly, a big win for Europe.”
“This has been a goal for a long time,” Ambassador Kevin O’Malley, the chair of the St. Louis County Port Authority, told KMOV-TV. “This new route is a recognition by British Airways -- a world-class international carrier -- of the importance St. Louis plays on the global stage. This is a big deal. I want people to know we are going places, and now we have a big European company recognizing that.”
As officials on the east side of Missouri boast of the significance of their new deal, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is displeased by the nonexistence of transatlantic flights out of MCI and has even gone as far as to say he’s a little jealous on social media.
“I think it’s a shortcoming for Kansas City,” Lucas admitted to KCTV. “It’s a disappointment for me as the mayor of Kansas City.”
Justin Meyer is the deputy director of the Kansas City Aviation Department, the team courting airline carriers to offer flights out of KCI’s gates. He says the first step toward expansion in Kansas City starts with demand, which a senior vice president for British Airways said is present in St. Louis.
“We think we should be in the conversation,” Meyer said. “We just haven’t been able to close the deal yet.”
Currently, an average of 350 people per day start their trip to Europe in Kansas City. In St. Louis, that average is 375 passengers per day, a number that seems similar.
But Meyer says it’s the makeup of customers that creates the difference.
“One of the things that’s significant in the comparison that we’re making is front-of-cabin demand,” Meyer explained. “There’s a much more significant business market, a higher GDP on the east side of the state. So the propensity to buy business class tickets is significantly higher.”
Part of that demand in St. Louis is the result of seven Fortune 500 companies having headquarters in the Gateway City.
“It’s going to take that kind of travel support, that kind of corporate support, to make an airline that chooses to make the long-haul investment in Kansas City profitable,” Meyer said.
Kansas City is home to one Fortune 500 company: Seaboard Corporation. While the Kansas City metro has recently attracted Google, Panasonic and Fiserv, it’s unclear if the business of data centers and battery plants will help fill transatlantic flights.
‐------
The article/report is very in depth and continues on about KC's new airport and new shiny airports don't warrant service.
Good read overall:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kctv5. ... utType=amp
yeah, that number looks off to me right away. good call out, DB.dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑Nov 06, 2025350 vs 500
Where did you get 350 PPDEW as KC’s high season figure? Their annual average was over 400 in 2019 and summer peak around 650. Did it really drop off that much?dbInSouthCity wrote:"Currently, an average of 350 people per day start their trip to Europe in Kansas City. In St. Louis, that average is 375 passengers per day, a number that seems similar."matguy70 wrote: ↑Nov 05, 2025KCTV across state report 11/04/2025
Thorough and good reporting IMO.
Some excerpts from full report...
Where Kansas City stands in its quest for transatlantic flights
St. Louis just snagged its second European direct flight. Where does that leave Kansas City?
By Gabe Swartz and Lauren Magarino
Published: Nov. 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM CST|Updated: Nov. 3, 2025 at 10:31 AM CST
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - For a place with a purpose of being on the move, Kansas City International Airport faces a grounding challenge.
Its newly-minted terminal, opened in 2023 and equipped with an international arrivals facility, does not have direct flights anywhere across the Atlantic.
That’s as the city prepares for an influx of international visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and as the list of mid-sized cities landing deals for nonstop flights to Europe grows.
The list of such cities adding nonstop flights across the pond includes Kansas City’s eastern neighbor, St. Louis, which recently announced a nonstop flight to London starting in 2026 and already offers service to Frankfurt, Germany.
St. Louis’ leg up
Officials at St. Louis Lambert International Airport say their most recent deal creates a runway for a potential $50-100 million per year of economic growth in the St. Louis metro.
“It’s huge,” St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said of the non-stop service to London. “Having a direct flight to the most popular destination in Europe is a big win for St. Louis -- and frankly, a big win for Europe.”
“This has been a goal for a long time,” Ambassador Kevin O’Malley, the chair of the St. Louis County Port Authority, told KMOV-TV. “This new route is a recognition by British Airways -- a world-class international carrier -- of the importance St. Louis plays on the global stage. This is a big deal. I want people to know we are going places, and now we have a big European company recognizing that.”
As officials on the east side of Missouri boast of the significance of their new deal, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is displeased by the nonexistence of transatlantic flights out of MCI and has even gone as far as to say he’s a little jealous on social media.
“I think it’s a shortcoming for Kansas City,” Lucas admitted to KCTV. “It’s a disappointment for me as the mayor of Kansas City.”
Justin Meyer is the deputy director of the Kansas City Aviation Department, the team courting airline carriers to offer flights out of KCI’s gates. He says the first step toward expansion in Kansas City starts with demand, which a senior vice president for British Airways said is present in St. Louis.
“We think we should be in the conversation,” Meyer said. “We just haven’t been able to close the deal yet.”
Currently, an average of 350 people per day start their trip to Europe in Kansas City. In St. Louis, that average is 375 passengers per day, a number that seems similar.
But Meyer says it’s the makeup of customers that creates the difference.
“One of the things that’s significant in the comparison that we’re making is front-of-cabin demand,” Meyer explained. “There’s a much more significant business market, a higher GDP on the east side of the state. So the propensity to buy business class tickets is significantly higher.”
Part of that demand in St. Louis is the result of seven Fortune 500 companies having headquarters in the Gateway City.
“It’s going to take that kind of travel support, that kind of corporate support, to make an airline that chooses to make the long-haul investment in Kansas City profitable,” Meyer said.
Kansas City is home to one Fortune 500 company: Seaboard Corporation. While the Kansas City metro has recently attracted Google, Panasonic and Fiserv, it’s unclear if the business of data centers and battery plants will help fill transatlantic flights.
‐------
The article/report is very in depth and continues on about KC's new airport and new shiny airports don't warrant service.
Good read overall:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kctv5. ... utType=amp
This uses KC high season number and compares it to STL low season number
Populous, Oracle, VMLYR, T Mobile, Garmin, Lockton, Lindt, Burns & Mac, Black & VeatchDogtownBnR wrote:While STL can trace those international travelers back to companies like Bayer, Boeing, WWT, Emerson, etc. as well as leisure travelers, where would you venture to guess KC is drawing their daily 350 international travelers from? I'm not that familiar with their business/corporate community.
WWT and Enterprise are huge... both private companies. Both would be F500 if not (presumably)JaneJacobsGhost wrote: ↑Nov 07, 2025Always good point out that Bunge, Enterprise and WWT are all Fortune 500 sized but aren’t on the Forbes list because of jurisdiction of incorporation in Bunge’s case and just choosing not to report earnings for WWT and Enterprise
Purina, AB, and Wells Fargo Advisors would all also be F500 companies if they weren't subsidiaries.matguy70 wrote: ↑Nov 07, 2025WWT and Enterprise are huge... both private companies. Both would be F500 if not (presumably)JaneJacobsGhost wrote: ↑Nov 07, 2025Always good point out that Bunge, Enterprise and WWT are all Fortune 500 sized but aren’t on the Forbes list because of jurisdiction of incorporation in Bunge’s case and just choosing not to report earnings for WWT and Enterprise
Big corporate HQs has benefits like getting international flights that you otherwise wouldn't get, some political influence, but what really matters is how invested those companies are to the city they are in. St. Louis' busienss community is obviously not meaningfully invested in the city or region's future, so here especially, you don't see the benefits you'd think we'd be seeing.stlokc wrote: ↑Nov 10, 2025I've always looked with pride on the high number of big corporate operations we have in STL. Huge Fortune 500 companies, big private companies. If anything the number looks artificially low when considering WWT, Enterprise, Bunge etc. We have huge hospital chains based here etc.
So if KC only has a tiny fraction of this corporate presence and their international air traffic is smaller than ours but not THAT much smaller, all the while their metro area is growing quite a bit faster than STL, I am left with the impression that big corporations just are not as important to a city's economic well-being as I always assumed they were.
