Discussion: Twitter and KCI airport

For those on Twitter, we'll be using the #ISIC hashtag to post news. For those flying into KC, be sure to tweet with @kciairport, the friendliest "airport" you'll ever talk to. Also, look around the airport for special (electronic) welcome signs for our event participants.

I am so pleased that technology has brought us the ability to talk to airports. Even five years ago I had to hide my tendency to talk to inanimate objects lest I be committed. Now, apparently, everyone's doing it.

...the friendliest "airport" you'll ever talk to.

...and one of the most unusual designs you will ever see.

What's so unusual about it?

As someone who uses that airport fairly frequently, it's one of the most convenient airports I've ever used.

I guess the post-9/11 modifications make it seem really wonky. But I love that I can go curbside to my gate in 3 minutes or so.

What's so unusual about it?

That everyone...

...can go curbside to [their] gate in 3 minutes or so.

Have a look

CDG has a circular terminal, too, though I doubt you could really get anywhere in 3 minutes in there.

TUS, on the hand, does not have circular terminals, yet I've made it from long-term parking to gate in <15 minutes... the day before Thanksgiving.

Back on topic, are circular terminals really unusual? And is that what you were even referring to?

I don't think he's denigrating it, I think he (a highway engineer) is praising the unusual, innovative, and very efficient design. (Looks like the key thing here is that the terminals are long and skinny. Making them shaped like petals allows you to pack it into a compact space, provide easy access to the parking lots, and let cars go to a terminal without driving past every gate in the airport.)

@Cristina: jj nailed it.

The central part of CDG's Terminal 1 is round, but the gates are in satellite buildings which are accessed by underground passage, which puts them at some distance from check-in / baggage claim / curbside.

Looks like they did a nice job on the runways and taxiways, too.

Of course, administering security in that kind of airport is more expensive (screeners at each gate area), so that the airport authority is talking about knocking it down and moving to the more traditional kind of 'piered' terminal. People may like their 3-minute plane-to-street times, but if the Department of Homeland Security / TSA obliges them to pay the resultant higher security costs, then they get less enthusiastic.

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2013/02...

Basically, security concerns necessitate having a bottleneck.

Until about 10 years ago KCI had a unique feature - once you went through security there were no restrooms or services. I'd put that up there among the worst aspects of any airport I've used. These days, they've corrected the problem by having restrooms once you've gone through security and having some places where you can buy a drink or a snack.

Actually, it hasn't even been 10 years...

http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10433766/kansas-c...

There's not that many places to get food before security either (at least not at terminal C).