Photo Credit: Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC)
How exciting is this!?!?!?!
While the media and citizenry were focused on the new single-terminal proposal at KCI, city officials were working behind the scenes on a dramatic expansion of service at the venerable Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport.
In a brilliant “under the radar” move guided by Mayor Sly James and the City Council, the Aviation Department has apparently established non-stop, international service between Kansas City and Toronto!
This move is all the more impressive given that one of the justifications brought forth for the new terminal is that we can never expect to have consistent international service without it. Now they have proven that not only can we, but we can have it at our 85 year-old downtown airport! What an outstanding display of fiscal prudence and utilization of existing facilities.
Moreover, this new economic catalyst is in the shadow of the towering engines of KC commerce and will surely become a magnet for international business leading to development of an international trade center in the long forgotten Harlem district and a boom of visitors to the Power & Light District who like to ride street cars and watch hockey. This in turn, will lead to KC getting its long-promised NHL franchise at the Sprint Center.
I am STOKED!
Ok, my wife just suggested that this photo is actually just the Toronto Blue Jay’s charter. Oh she of little faith.
Meanwhile, in addition to the Blue Jay’s charter from downtown, KCI currently offers non-stops to Toronto as well as three cities in Mexico. The complete list of 46 non-stop cities available from KCI is listed here. How we are able to get to do this without a new terminal is something that hopefully my wife can explain to me.
Downtown Airport has to be sucking lots of dollars out of City Hall. I guess the thought was that businesses would locate downtown to be close to an airport. Well that has not worked. Shut down the airport and save the taxpayers some $$$’s.
Not sure on this one… Fly into KC and you fly into a 85 year old airport? Sure it was upgraded not to long ago; however, is this really what you want to show our guests? So, I take it that TSA was in the downtown airport, or do they have to move one of the shifts down there? What will happen to the terminal that international flights are in? Almost sounds as if they were moving duties out of KCI.
Time to head to the mechanic, your sense of humor is broken.
For a split-second you had me. This whole city could use a little bit of humor now and then. Nice job.
PS – I didn’t know I could fly non-stop to Mexico from KC!
Hey. The Toronto Blue Jays were in town and they park their charter airplane downtown because it is closer to the ballpark!!!!!
Let’s deal with facts! Have an adult conversation!