Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, MO, is your portal to Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and the greater Midwest. The airport is served by 11 airlines and offers nonstop flights to 56 cities throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Iceland.
Uncongested air and ground space, short taxi time, and a low weather-related closure/cancellation rate allow KCI to consistently rank among U.S. airports with the fewest delays.
Don't be confused if your baggage sports the airport code "MCI” as you fly to or from Kansas City International. It's derived from "Mid-Continent International Airport,” the airport's original name. You may notice construction underway at Kansas City International, as well. The airport will consolidate commercial flight operations in one 750,000-square-foot, 35-gate terminal (expandable to 42 gates) to open in 2021. That project is also to include a 6,500-space parking garage.
Today, commercial flights at Kansas City International operate from two of three existing terminals, which are served by complimentary buses, free WiFi and several restaurants and shops. Ground transportation available includes rental cars, more than 10 shuttle services, RideKC buses, taxis, Uber and Lyft.
If you're staying here, there are 27 hotels within 5 miles of Kansas City International Airport, which provide convenient access to neighboring destinations. Rates for hotels near KCI are as low as $44.95 per night.
The greater Kansas City metropolitan area encompasses a five-county, two-state footprint that includes not just namesake cities in Missouri and Kansas, but several other smaller communities. Kansas City, Missouri, is one of the world's great cities, known for its unique brands of barbecue and jazz, and more recently its urban renaissance.
National Geographic included Kansas City, MO, among 28 cities worldwide named "Best Trips 2019.” The NatGeo salute to downtown KC's revitalization cites the $50 million reinvention of the 1888-built Savoy Hotel and Grill, the 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City, the National World War I Museum, the 18th and Vine Historic Jazz District, the side-by-side American Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the free RideKC streetcar, which connects many of these attractions.
Looking for the best Kansas City barbecue? We'll steer clear of that argument, thank you very much, and instead suggest you check out the free-to-download KC BBQ Experience app. It showcases Kansas City's world-famous barbecue scene with a variety of functions, including a comprehensive map of the region's 100-plus barbecue restaurants. As for Kansas City jazz, it can still be heard live on a regular basis at 40 clubs throughout the city.
Another Kansas City claim to fame is that it's the City of Fountains, home to more than 200 fountains — more than any other city in the world except Rome. From large and majestic to small and whimsical, waterworks are dedicated to fallen firefighters, the city's children, women's leadership and more. KC's most photographed fountain is the ornate J.C. Nichols Memorial, located near the Spanish-inspired Country Club Plaza.
Kansas City is also home to several internationally known art and history museums, dynamic gallery districts and outstanding performance halls. For KC culture in real time, the West 39th Street neighborhood in Midtown Westport is known as an incredibly walkable collage of funky culture and cuisine among shops, galleries, cafes, bars and restaurants.
Or maybe you're in Kansas City for pro sports, whether at Arrowhead Stadium, home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs; Kauffman Stadium, one of the most beautiful ballparks in baseball and home of MLB's Kansas City Royals; or the 1.5-mile tri-oval racetrack at Kansas Speedway, which hosts big-league NASCAR and ARCA racing events.
Sports fans should not overlook the College Basketball Experience, a 41,500-square-foot attraction with hands-on, interactive basketball exhibits and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, or the aforementioned Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and its 10,000-square-foot multimedia exhibit chronicling the history and heroes of the leagues.
If you're more the type who wants to be part of the action, look for Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. The 235-acre amusement park, whose name makes no bones about it, offers rides, attractions, shops, shows and restaurants based on a theme taken from Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days. Tickets to Worlds of Fun also get you into the Oceans of Fun waterpark right next door.
There's so much to see and do in and around Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas, you'll surely need more than a day. Make your temporary home base a hotel near Kansas City International Airport and make plans to see as much as you can.
