The first of four major art projects for the new single terminal airport at KCI have been revealed.
More than 1,000 artists from around the world submitted inquiries after Kansas City announced an international search for artists.
The city said the four works of art were chosen because they either reflected the wonder of travel or Kansas City history.
The budget for artwork at KCI’s new terminal is $5.65 million. Kansas City’s single-terminal airport is expected to open on budget and on time in early 2023.
“The fact that we’ve been through a pandemic over the last year and yet this project remains on time, on schedule, and on budget is a testament to the good work of the team,” said Justin Meyer with the KC Aviation Department.
You can see the renderings of the art projects in the gallery below.
Entitled "Molten Swing"
Entitled "The Air up There"
Entitled "Ornithology"
Entitled "Fountain of Resonance"
"Molten Swing" looks kind of like a mosaic dog or cat to me, it might look cool though but not sure what to make of it at this point.
"The Air up There" simply looks like some lights on the ceiling, again it might look better when you're actually there I hope.
"Ornithology" reminds me of those attacking creatures in the Pitch Black movie. You just knew one of the artwork they chose would have a WTF moment and this is it.
"Fountain of Resonance" I approve of this one. :-)
Originally Posted by Mephistopheles Janx:
Flying out today...
How the hell is a single security point faster than what it used to be? I would literally walk up to the gate and be in within 5 minutes. Now I fear its gonna be like it is in almost every major airport where it takes 20+ to get through security because there is a single choke point for the whole fucking airport.
Guess I'll find out here shortly.
This... It's NOT as bad as Denver, but it's not as good as it used to be. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mephistopheles Janx:
Flying out today...
How the hell is a single security point faster than what it used to be? I would literally walk up to the gate and be in within 5 minutes. Now I fear its gonna be like it is in almost every major airport where it takes 20+ to get through security because there is a single choke point for the whole fucking airport.
Guess I'll find out here shortly.
It’s faster because they have multiple security points for the line. For example, you fly out early through Southwest at the old airport you have maybe 15 flights leaving within a few hours of each other. The issue I always had was all of those flights have every one on the passengers going through the same single line for security. It was crowded due to lack of space but also just so many people.
Of course this could change based on time of day and airline choice as not all have as many flights so perhaps during slower times you may not get in as quick as before due to being combined with other airlines. But I’ve been a few times now and never had any issues getting through quickly regardless of time. It’s also easier to go around people who take longer when going through security. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mephistopheles Janx:
Flying out today...
How the hell is a single security point faster than what it used to be? I would literally walk up to the gate and be in within 5 minutes. Now I fear its gonna be like it is in almost every major airport where it takes 20+ to get through security because there is a single choke point for the whole ****ing airport.
Guess I'll find out here shortly.
I really have no idea how you would think distributing and spreading out all of those resources to different far reaching places of multiple circular concourses could be more efficient than all your resources at one point in many lanes moving people through quicker. [Reply]
Originally Posted by |Zach|:
I really have no idea how you would think distributing and spreading out all of those resources to different far reaching places of multiple circular concourses could be more efficient than all your resources at one point in many lanes moving people through quicker.
I despised the old system. Sure, there were times you got straight through, but then your were stuck in the tiny little area with like 2 shitty restaurants and nowhere to even sit. Or you could wait until later, but then you'd have people in line. Yes, a short line, but as you alluded to, not a fast moving line.
I did some research work for DEN a few years back, and their marketing folks despise the fact that everyone thinks the security lines there suck. The lines there are huge, sure, but wait times are extensively tracked in the industry, and they're right around the national average.
People just get stressed out by long lines even if centralized security is almost always more efficient. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaFace:
I despised the old system. Sure, there were times you got straight through, but then your were stuck in the tiny little area with like 2 shitty restaurants and nowhere to even sit. Or you could wait until later, but then you'd have people in line. Yes, a short line, but as you alluded to, not a fast moving line.
I did some research work for DEN a few years back, and their marketing folks despise the fact that everyone thinks the security lines there suck. The lines there are huge, sure, but wait times are extensively tracked in the industry, and they're right around the national average.
People just get stressed out by long lines even if centralized security is almost always more efficient.
People love to bitch.
Aside from that. Conspiracy theories associated with Denver's airport are basically my favorite thing. [Reply]
Took 23 minutes to get through security. Longest it has ever taken me to get through airport security in KC.
Bonus… they took even more time after that because they saw my knee brace and thought it might be a weapon of mass destruction so they had to swab my brace, my clothing, and my hands. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mephistopheles Janx:
Took 23 minutes to get through security. Longest it has ever taken me to get through airport security in KC.
Bonus… they took even more time after that because they saw my knee brace and thought it might be a weapon of mass destruction so they had to swab my brace, my clothing, and my hands.
Yeah, that's not great... I went through a massive line in Boston last weekend and I think it was ~20-25 minutes. It still moved pretty quickly, but JFC half the city was there at 4:30 in the morning.
Not the end of the world, of course, but I'd expect smaller airports like that to be half that... and considering how fast the lines typically move, that's still a pretty decent line. [Reply]
KCI takes new approach to reduce backups around arrivals curb during Thanksgiving
Staff passing out flyers with directions to cellphone lot
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In order to keep traffic flowing smoothly inside and outside the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport (KCI) during Thanksgiving, staff members are taking a new approach. Police and contracted security guards will hand out flyers to drivers who park along the arrivals curb for too long while waiting for plane passengers to exit the airport.
Drivers parked and waiting outside the terminal in the “arrivals” area have created backups since the terminal opened in February. Ahead of the terminal’s first holiday season, the airport created a task force to address issues like parking, cleanliness, and other operational concerns.
“If you’re sitting at the curb, you’ll be asked to move along, and we’ll throw you a bone by giving you a card to get you back to the cellphone lot from there,” said Joe McBride, a spokesperson for KCI.
Staff members are handing drivers flyers that include a QR code that people can scan to open Google Maps or Apple Maps apps on their phone, which will then direct them to the cellphone waiting lot. The handout also has written driving instructions.
The airport published a series of videos on its website that show people the route they can take to the arrivals and departures areas, the cellphone waiting lot, and many other areas. Airport personnel encourage people to watch the videos before driving to the airport, especially because many people may be driving to the new terminal for the first time this holiday season.
The cellphone waiting lot is located at 680 Brasilia Avenue. The airport plans to add more signage to help guide drivers to the lot. There will be an overflow lot next to the cellphone lot this week.
The task force implemented other changes this week: Color-coded balloons fly over the entrances to the TSA and TSA pre-check lines, more people are on staff to keep the terminal clean, and our crews saw employees replacing cabinetry in bathrooms Monday.
Additionally, the moving walkway helping people get between the terminal’s two concourses are now working. Two of the four walkways were inoperable for weeks because of what the airport called a “manufacturer’s defect.”
Overall, McBride said feedback about the new terminal is overwhelmingly more positive than negative.
“It’s more organized now, it’s easier to navigate. I also think the staff is more helpful with directions and being more precise on where to go,” said Kenzie Bailey-House, a Thanksgiving traveler.
KCI said the average wait time for travelers in the TSA checkpoint lines during Wednesday morning’s rush was six minutes.
The other day I saw the airport in the distance while driving and I was positively moved to tears. "Our city has finally made it", I whispered under my breath. My 7 year old son saw a tear roll down my cheek and asked "Papa, why are you so sad?"
I replied - "Oh no my sweet child, these are tears of joy. And one day when you experience the seamless integration of breath-taking art in a truly first rate airport that even out-of-towners applaud, you'll understand as well".
Originally Posted by Pablo:
The other day I saw the airport in the distance while driving and I was positively moved to tears. "Our city has finally made it", I whispered under my breath. My 7 year old son saw a tear roll down my cheek and asked "Papa, why are you so sad?"
I replied - "Oh no my sweet child, these are tears of joy. And one day when you experience the seamless integration of breath-taking art in a truly first rate airport that even out-of-towners applaud, you'll understand as well".
Originally Posted by alpha_omega: KCI takes new approach to reduce backups around arrivals curb during Thanksgiving
Staff passing out flyers with directions to cellphone lot
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In order to keep traffic flowing smoothly inside and outside the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport (KCI) during Thanksgiving, staff members are taking a new approach. Police and contracted security guards will hand out flyers to drivers who park along the arrivals curb for too long while waiting for plane passengers to exit the airport.
Drivers parked and waiting outside the terminal in the “arrivals” area have created backups since the terminal opened in February. Ahead of the terminal’s first holiday season, the airport created a task force to address issues like parking, cleanliness, and other operational concerns.
“If you’re sitting at the curb, you’ll be asked to move along, and we’ll throw you a bone by giving you a card to get you back to the cellphone lot from there,” said Joe McBride, a spokesperson for KCI.
Staff members are handing drivers flyers that include a QR code that people can scan to open Google Maps or Apple Maps apps on their phone, which will then direct them to the cellphone waiting lot. The handout also has written driving instructions.
The airport published a series of videos on its website that show people the route they can take to the arrivals and departures areas, the cellphone waiting lot, and many other areas. Airport personnel encourage people to watch the videos before driving to the airport, especially because many people may be driving to the new terminal for the first time this holiday season.
The cellphone waiting lot is located at 680 Brasilia Avenue. The airport plans to add more signage to help guide drivers to the lot. There will be an overflow lot next to the cellphone lot this week.
The task force implemented other changes this week: Color-coded balloons fly over the entrances to the TSA and TSA pre-check lines, more people are on staff to keep the terminal clean, and our crews saw employees replacing cabinetry in bathrooms Monday.
Additionally, the moving walkway helping people get between the terminal’s two concourses are now working. Two of the four walkways were inoperable for weeks because of what the airport called a “manufacturer’s defect.”
Overall, McBride said feedback about the new terminal is overwhelmingly more positive than negative.
“It’s more organized now, it’s easier to navigate. I also think the staff is more helpful with directions and being more precise on where to go,” said Kenzie Bailey-House, a Thanksgiving traveler.
KCI said the average wait time for travelers in the TSA checkpoint lines during Wednesday morning’s rush was six minutes.
I came back from Roatan on the 11th and, as I suspected, it was a total fucking cluster-fuck because four planes landed within 20-30 minutes of each other (shocker, right!?!?!?!?!?). Until they ticket people who put their cars into "Park" this won't change. The security folks need to get mean and make assholes who park in the arriving area leave for 2-3 hours! [Reply]
Originally Posted by |Zach|: I really have no idea how you would think distributing and spreading out all of those resources to different far reaching places of multiple circular concourses could be more efficient than all your resources at one point in many lanes moving people through quicker.
You started out well...You really have no idea how systems work. I've flown out of KC many times and it was always a treat. When you fly out of Dulles international airport you're herded into security lines that feel like feed-lots (which is probably something urbanites like) that stretch out for hundreds of yards and are slow moving. When you fly out of KC those India styled scrum lines disappear because they concurrently distribute out and parallelize the ingress for security across n+ lines. It's not just one big stupid ****ing line. [Reply]
