Airport Experience News Fall 2022

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just walk to it. Certainly that’s normal for every other airport but it’s a significant change [for MCI]. It’s the same for other amenities - play areas, rooms for nursing parents, family restrooms - things that are core to the overall travel experience but that have been limited and/or difficult to access in the existing facility.” The Changeover The move to the new terminal won’t be gradual. Instead, sometime in late March 2023, all operations will shift. “We will do a big overnight move, moving everybody from the old terminals into the new terminal, and then we will shut down terminals B and C, which are 50 years old.” Meyer notes the daunting challenge of turning off the light switch in one two-terminal facility one night, and turning on another the next morning. “We’ll be towning airplanes and moving airline equipment from inside the terminals over,” he says. “That will be a really exciting day before the new terminal opens.”

Above: In a sharp design departure from the current MCI terminals, the new building will feature open flow spaces, where any part of the terminal can be accessed by travelers after they have passed through a single security checkpoint. Left: Concessions developer Vantage Airport Group has partnered with OHM Concession Group and Marshall Retail Group to bring a wide range of concessions, with heavy focus on local brands.

Buildout on those concessions is now underway in earnest. Meyer says the airport is expecting a significant increase is concessions revenue, due not only to the stellar lineup of local brands, but also to the new layout that makes them accessible. “With the new layout, once you’re through the security checkpoint, the entire campus is open,” he says. “If you’re flying an airline out of a low numbered gate, but your favorite whiskey bar is by a high numbered gate, it’s no big deal. You

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