Seems like your flight is always at the far end of KCI? You’re not wrong — here’s why

When you fly from the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport, does it feel like you are always walking to the far concourse to find your gate, and rarely the nearer one?

If so, you’re not alone.

Since the terminal opened in February, travelers have noted that after passing through security they most often, or even always, are required to go past the nearer Concourse A and take the moving walkways or walk through the 630-foot connector to find their gate on Concourse B.

Their gate never seems to be on Concourse A.

Why is that?

According to Justin Meyer, the interim director of the Kansas City Aviation Department, it’s partly about how many gates each concourse has, and partly about which airlines you use.

Which airlines fly from Concourse B?

Concourse B has 26 gates, while Concourse A has 13 gates.

Based on the numbers, more flights can be assigned to Concourse B and travelers may be more likely to use it.

But the airlines also choose which gates they will use, Meyer said. So, it is not up to the airport to decide which gate you will be assigned.

The airline hosts six signatory airlines, which have a lease with the terminal to rent specific gates and ticket counters. Those are Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, Spirit and United airlines.

In Concourse B, you can find Southwest, Delta, United and Spirit airlines.

Southwest’s gates are B54, B56, B58, B60, B62, B63, B64, B65, B66 and B68.

Gates B67 and B69 will eventually become Southwest gates and replace B63 and B65, but they aren’t open now since paving is underway near those gates. Meyer said Southwest could pay to keep either of the gates or they will become common-use city gates, meaning any airline can use them and they don’t belong to anyone in a long-term lease.

Delta has preferential use of gates B40, B42, B44, B46, B48 and B52.

United has B43, B45, B47, B49 and B51. Spirit only uses one gate: B59.

Meyer said that some factors airlines may take into account when choosing gates include space for training rooms, break rooms, supply rooms and runway location.

A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines said the gates they operate from are close to runways and taxiways, allowing shorter taxi times for takeoff and arrival at the gate after landing.

Delta, American, Spirit, Alaska and United airlines didn’t respond to The Star’s request for comments about why they chose their gates.

What about Concourse A?

Concourse A is used by American and Alaska airlines. It’s also used for Southwest’s international flights.

American uses gates A1 to A5, and Alaska uses A10.

Gates A12 to A20 are reserved for international flights, like Southwest’s international flights to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and San José del Cabo, Mexico, or Air Canada’s nonstop service to Toronto during the summer.

Passengers may have noticed their walk to the gate was much shorter than usual.

The rest of the gates at the terminal are common-use city gates.

Airlines such as Frontier and JetBlue pay a fee to use these gates.