"New Wichita airport terminal serves city's growth"

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Editorial
New airport terminal serves city's growth
The Wichita (KS) Eagle


Wichita Mid-Continent Airport's terminal has been described as an
"ultramodern structure, streamlined for comfort, efficiency and functional
operation."

OK, that was in 1954.

It's 2004, and we've entered a new era of travel and security. It's time to
bring our airport along.

The 50-year-old terminal is showing its age and limitations. Consider:

The heating and air-conditioning systems are outdated. The roof is
high-maintenance and costly. The ramp leading to departure gates isn't
compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The building has
asbestos and code issues. The ticketing and baggage pickup areas are tight
and congested. It wasn't designed to handle post-9/11 security and baggage
screening concerns.

And the list goes on.

HNTB Architecture, the Missouri firm that studied several airport options,
says Mid-Continent could be renovated for $130 million. But a brand-new
two-level terminal could be built for a little more -- $147 million -- and
would have several advantages, including:

Better concessions and shops and parking;

Shorter distances to gates;

A more spacious lobby and baggage and ticketing areas;

Flexibility to meet future security and expansion needs.

Building a new facility next to the old one also would avoid what an HNTB
consultant called the "nightmare" of renovating amid passenger traffic --
which would add two years to the construction time.

Oh, yes -- the new design is dazzling. It would make a statement about who
we are and where we're going.

All things considered, it makes sense to get a new terminal -- one that is
beautiful, efficient and expandable -- for roughly the cost of renovating
the old one.

And it's good that airport director Bailis Bell believes the new airport can
pay its own way, as the existing one does, through various user fees and
grants.

Of course, a new airport without reliable, affordable air service won't fly;
the city of Wichita must continue to secure the hard-won gains of Fair Fares
and pursue other initiatives to attract more flights and low prices.

Wichitans have learned how important air service is to their economy and
future. The city's air traffic has been booming lately -- Mid-Continent
recently was ranked the 19th-fastest growing airport in the nation -- and
analysts forecast steady growth in coming decades.

It makes sense to invest in a terminal that will accommodate this growth,
serve Wichita's economic goals, and boost its image -- a terminal for this
new century, not the last one.


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