Wisconsin’s Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) is celebrating the completion of its $95 million, 90,000-square-foot south terminal expansion, which includes a beautiful inlay mosaic showing the area’s five lakes.
Other amenities include a new children’s play area, free-to-use meeting rooms and a nice new pet relief area.
We already love MSN airport because it is home to two kiosks that dispense free short stories and because the overall design of the facilities is inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, who lived and worked in this area for many years.
It’s great to see the prairie-style architectural features carried on into these newly expanded terminal areas.
Stuck at the Airport and more than 600 Kansas City area residents participated in a simulation test at Kansas City International Airport (MCI) on Tuesday.
The modern $1.5 billion new single terminal officially begins operating on February 28, 2023, and will replace a trio of 50-year-old terminals scheduled to host their last flights on the evening of February 27.
Here are some snaps and observations from our visit.
The test passengers, all volunteers, had a variety of itineraries and were ta. sked with going through the steps of a trip. That included parking in the new 6,100-space parking garage, checking in at the counter, dropping off baggage, finding their gates, and heading to the baggage claim to retrieve luggage.
Area resident and test volunteer Barb Schulte received a “ticket” that had her flying from Kansas City to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She was instructed to bring an oversized bag that weighed at least 20 pounds and had filled her bag with magazines, an afghan, and a pair of winter boots.
The 16-lane central TSA checkpoint area is still being completed, so travelers didn’t have to go through the security checkpoint experience. Shops, bars, and restaurants are not yet open, either, but the volunteers could see that branches of many familiar local brands will be represented.
Travelers also got a first look at amenities that will be available to ticketed passengers, including $5.65 million worth of public art, all-gender restrooms, a sensory room, indoor and outdoor pet relief areas, all-glass jet bridges, an inclusive play zone, and more.
KCI’s commitment to inclusiveness includes gender-specific and all-gender restrooms (all with red light/green signals on the stalls to let users know what’s open) as well as 15 family restrooms and restrooms with both child and adult-sized changing tables.
Chairs and work tables throughout the airport include plenty of power ports. And we are pleased to see that the high work tables are equipped with wireless charging spots.
Most test travelers we spoke with were, like us, impressed with all the natural light, the wide-open corridors, the increased seating, and all the amenities the new terminal will deliver.
Airport officials will be reviewing the feedback testers share in online surveys in advance of the February 28 official opening. But right away it was clear that easy-to-fix issues such as larger and increased directional signage would be helpful in some areas.
We’re looking forward to returning in a few weeks when the shops and restaurants are open, when the first in-airport barbecue smokers are in use, when the live music stages are operating, and when thousands of passengers are taking off and returning from adventures.
And we’re looking forward to learning more details about the gate-pass program for non-travelers that will be rolled out by the end of the year.
For now, the City of Fountains is definitely ready to wow with a brand new airport terminal.
(Stay tuned for more stories from our pre-opening visit).
This is Kansas City’s moment. Not only did the Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LVII, but on February 28 the city will celebrate the long-awaited opening of a brand-new airport terminal.
Big news, Kansas City! The New Terminal at Kansas City International Airport (MCI) will open February 28, 2023! The 50-year-old terminals will see their last flights/passengers February 27. Aircraft and equipment move overnight for first flights on the 28th. pic.twitter.com/ZvrVqKV0PU
— Kansas City International Airport (@KCIAirport) January 30, 2023
The new 1-million-square-foot, $1.5 billion single Kansas City International Airport (MCI) terminal will be one of the most inclusive in the U.S. and will include $5.6 million in commissioned art.
Dining options will include many unique to the region and there will be stages for live music
In addition to more than 6,000 parking spaces, there will be 15 family restrooms, 10 infant feeding rooms, a family play zone, and 39 all-glass passenger jet bridges – the most glass jet bridges at any US airport.
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As you may imagine, there are a lot of details to attend to before the official switchover from the 50-year-old terminal to the brand-new one.
And one of those details involves testing the usability of the terminal for passengers.
So on February 14 – Valentine’s Day -hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people who volunteered back in January and ‘won’ a test-day ticket will show up at the new KCI terminal to participate in a simulated travel day.
The Stuck at The Airport terminal testing team will be there too. Because we love airports. And because we especially love new airport terminals.
We’ll share notes and images on social media during the test day but will include a full report about what we see here.
And, oh yeah, we’ll also be in town for the parade and other festivities for the new Super Bowl winners.
