More than 600 future flyers test new KCI terminal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - In exactly two weeks, the new KCI airport terminal will be up and running. Today, some future travelers got a chance to get a sneak peak of what it will be like going through the new terminal.

It’s a moment the KCI volunteer passengers have been waiting for.

“My fiancé and I have been tracking the Build KC Instagram handle for quite some time so, when I found out, I was elated,” said Keith Johnson, one of the volunteer passengers. “I really was excited.”

Johnson was part of the more than 600 volunteer passengers getting a chance to simulate the arrival and departure process at the new airport terminal.

They simulated everything from checking in for flights, checking bags, passing through secure areas, heading right to their gates, going to baggage claim, and collecting their bags.

Also read: New KCI terminal to open early on February 28

The whole simulation gave future travelers a chance to also see everything the airport has to offer, from new bathrooms to advanced technology at the gates.

“There’s a lot of restaurants and also there is the bathrooms,” volunteer passenger Kayden Vargas explained. “You don’t have to look out of stalls, so there is lights at the top that’s green and red.”

“There’s more to do,” James Minor said. “There’s more places to sit. There’s more amenities to do, and when you are between cities you’re in ‘connections.’ You need that.”

Travelers also got the chance to see the things that make this airport stand out and scream the City of Fountains.

There’s the airport’s City Market, for example, which resembles the one down in the River Market. There’s also the array of local businesses throughout the airport.

The travelers said that, despite the good traits the old KCI had to offer, this new terminal is what the city needed.

“I’m sentimental about the old airport,” Emma Fahrlander said. “I grew up in Kansas City and always thought it was pretty cool... I really loved that we can kind of walk on in and there was never really that many people in security. Now that I’ve come and seen the new terminal, I think the tradeoff is going to be well worth it.”

“The old terminal, it is what it is. You know? This one is bright, vibrant,” Johnson said. “It inspires creativity and inspires life, which is Kansas City.”

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