Traveling by plane is fun — jet-setting over rolling hills and beautiful blue waters, taking in cloud formations, and landing in a completely different location in a matter of hours is unlike anything else.
The whole navigating the airport part? Less exciting, and sometimes pretty stressful. Luckily, we’re doing the heavy lifting so flying in and out of KC can be a breeze. We toured the terminal to help make your time at KCI as smooth as possible, and we created this guide that covers everything from parking and gates to food, drink, and nonstop flights.
Before you read on — bookmark or save this guide, so the next time you fly, you’ll be a pro before even leaving your home.
What to know
- Website | This website is the key to the kingdom, its frontpage alone allows you to check flight status and parking availability.
- TSA | Security check times will vary — 16 lanes are centrally located next to the check-in desks. Streamline the process with TSA PreCheck.
- Map it out | If you’re like us and need to completely visualize a place before you step foot inside, this interactive map will get you started. Think of the shape of the terminal like a big “H” for “home.”
- Food and drink | Between four coffee roasters, four barbecue options, three craft breweries, two food halls, and other local favorites, this terminal features 50+ food and retail options.
- Flight status | While we recommend staying updated via your respective airline, you can also check the airport’s dashboard for your flight status in a pinch.
- Reminder | By May 7, 2025, you will need a REAL ID to board commercial flights in the US.
Fun fact: KCI’s identifier code is actually MCI, which stands for Mid-Continent International Airport. That’s what it used to be called before the name change in 1972.
Parking, shuttles, and rideshare
Not everyone has a best friend who will drop everything to pick them up from their 3 a.m. arrival. Parking in the garage or surface lot is $1 for 30 minutes and $3 for 30-60 minutes. Prices increase by $3/hour (up to five hours in the surface lot and eight in the garage). The price per day is as listed:
- Garage parking | $25/day
- Surface lot parking | $18/day
- Economy parking | $7.50/day
The new parking garage has 6,200 spaces, including 52 spaces for electric vehicles. Red light/green light technology hangs from the ceiling, indicating available spaces.
Hate the thought of driving yourself? Try out a shuttle, rideshare, or taxi service that will take you to and from the terminal. These services are suggested by KCI:
- RideKC | Bus | Route #229 connects with the East Village Transit Center downtown KCMO and the Boardwalk Square Park & Ride lot.
- Sunrise Shuttle | Shuttle | This private van service gives 10% off for veterans.
- Roundabout Transportation | Shuttle | This Johnson County-focused service also provides child car seats.
- Ben’s Transportation Service | Shuttle | This company also offers limo services.
- Kansas City Airport Taxi | Taxi | Call a cab at (816) 243-2345.
The new drop off and pick up zones — now on separate levels — have dedicated shuttle, rideshare, and taxi curb space. Here’s a map.
If you’re waiting to pick someone up, KCI’s cell phone lot is located at 680 Brasilia Avenue (also with electric vehicle charging stations).
Nonstop flights
KCI offers 55 nonstop flights — 51 domestic, plus four international flights — to Toronto, Canada, Montego Bay, Jamaica, San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico and Cancun, Mexico. Here are six nonstop flights to nearby locations.
Bonus: Get lower fares by signing up for Going. You’ll get emailed when flights are 40-90% cheaper than usual. Get a two-week free trial of the Premium plan, which lets you set custom destination flight alerts (score).
- St. Louis | Southwest | Daily | Two Monday-Friday, two Saturday, three Sunday
- Chicago-O’Hare | American, United | Daily | See individual airlines
- Chicago-Midway | Southwest | Daily | Six Monday-Friday, four Saturday, five Sunday
- Minneapolis | Delta, Southwest, Sun Country | Daily | See airlines
- Nashville | Southwest | Daily | Three Sunday-Friday, two Saturday
- Austin | American, Southwest | Daily | See individual airlines
Remember that flight times and schedules will often change — you should rely on your respective airline for exact timing and to stay updated on any changes.
Bonus: Get lower fares by making a free account on Going. Add MCI to your notification list (you can add up to five airports on the free plan), and you’ll get emailed when flights are 40-90% cheaper than usual.
Gates
These areas include the following stores and services nearby:
Concourse A | Made In KC, Lego store, Air Travel Experience, clothing, tech, and barber shops
- Gates A1-A10 | Various | The Market at 18th & Vine
- Gate A12-A20 | Various, international | The Market at 18th & Vine
Concourse B | City Market, Brookside Local, Turn The Page, Sensory Room, Children’s Play Area
- Gates B40-52 | United, Delta | Everything Travel kiosk
- Gates B54-69 | Southwest | &GO (powered by Amazon “Just Walk Out” tech), The Pitch Convenience
Food and drink
See the full map, or check out our highlights:
A Concourse | Martin City Brewing, Meat Mitch, Parisi Coffee, Urban Café, Made of KC Food Hall, Smoothie King, Soiree Steak and Seafood House (featuring the American Jazz Museum + performance stage).
B Concourse | City Market Food Hall, Stockyards Brewing Co., Barbecue Experience, The Leagues Sports Lounge & Eatery (featuring McCormick Distillery + Negro Leagues Baseball Museum).
Fly comfortably
While we may not be able to offer solutions for crying babies or mysterious in-flight meals, we do have some tricks up our sleeves for upping your comfort while flying. Browse some of our favorite travel essentials:
- The AirFly Pro | Make sure you can always access in-flight entertainment (while avoiding the wired headphones airlines pass out) by using an AirFly. It plugs into your seat’s headphone jack and connects to your earbuds or headphones via Bluetooth.
- Trtl travel pillow | The Trtl pillow is scientifically designed to provide a better head position when sleeping upright, thanks to an internal support system comfortably cushioned in cozy fleece.
- Bose Noise Canceling Headphones | These headphones are tried-and-true traveling companions, beloved for their crisp sound and ability to block exterior noise.
- Cozy Earth joggers | These Oprah-approved joggers are polished enough to navigate the airport in, but comfy and stretchy enough for long flights.
- Anti-nausea wristbands | Some simple anti-nausea wristbands might relieve a nervous stomach or sensitivity to turbulence while flying.
