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Greater Kansas City Profile

Transportation

Distances from Kansas City

	Highway Distance		Flight
	Miles	Km	Time	Direction
Atlanta	793	1,276	1:55	SE
Chicago	501	806	1:20	NE
Dallas	489	787	1:35	S
Denver	602	969	1:40	W
Houston	712	1,146	1:57	S
Los Angeles	1,580	2,543	3:40	W
Minneapolis	435	700	1:27	N
New York	1,221	1,965	2:45	NE
Orlando	1,223	1,968	2:45	SE
Seattle	1,820	2,929	3:50	NW
Toronto	975	1,569	2:10	NE
Washington, D.C.	1,059	1,704	2:13	E

 

Air

The metropolitan area is served by 11 major commercial airlines and their connection partners. These carriers offer approximately 200 daily departures, with nonstop service to over 50 destinations.

The presence of low-cost, low-fare airlines, as well as most of the full-service majors, keeps competition up and airfares down. Kansas City enjoys one of the lowest-cost air travel markets in the country. Travelers experience fewer delays at Kansas City International Airport than most major airports.

According to J.D. Power & Associates, Kansas CIty International (MCI) ranks highest among medium-sized airports, and performs particularly well in airport accessibility, check-in/baggage check and security check.

In 2004, Kansas City International Airport completed one of the biggest capital projects in the airport's history. A $258 million "Terminal Improvement Project" renovated all three terminals and added new shops, updated flight information displays, and updated HVAC system, new baggage claim devices, user-friendly ground transportation kiosks, a wireless network and captivating terrazzo floors throughout.

Kansas City International Airport
Distance from downtown area:			21 miles / 34 kilometers
Length of longest runway:			10,800 feet / 3,240 meters

Selected General Aviation Airports
Airport	County	Distance from downtown	Length of longest runway
Clay County Regional Airport	Clay	20 mi. / 32 km	4,000 ft. / 1,200 m
East Kansas City / Grain Valley Airport	Jackson	23 mi. / 37km	4,501 ft. / 1,350 m
Forbes Field*	Shawnee	71 mi. / 114 km	12,819 ft. / 3,907 m
Johnson County Executive Airport	Johnson	22 mi. / 35 km	4,099 ft. / 1,230 m
Lawrence Municipal Airport	Douglas	42 mi. / 68 km	5,000 ft. / 1,524 m
Kansas City Downtown Airport*	Clay	1 mi. / 2 km	7,001 ft. / 2,100 m
Lee's Summit Municipal Airport	Jackson	19 mi. / 30 km	4,015 ft. / 1,205 m
New Century Aircenter*	Johnson	29 mi. / 46 km	7,339 ft. / 2,202 m
Rosecrans Memorial Airport*	Buchanan	49 mi. / 78 km	8,059 ft. / 2,418 m

*These airports, together with KCI, are capable of supporting large cargo aircraft.

Major Passenger Carriers Serving Kansas City

Air Canada AirTran Airways American Continental Delta Frontier

Midwest Airlines Northwest Southwest United US Airways

Highway

Highways serving the metro:

• 3 interstates (I-70, I-35, I-29)
• 4 interstate linkages (I-435, I-635, I-470, I-670)
• 10 federal highways

Motor freight carriers: over 300

Public transit: Kansas City Area Transportation Authority—The Metro, Johnson County Transit—The Jo, and Unified Government Transit—The Bus. The three transit organizations maintain integrated routes and services across the bi-state metro and participate with the Mid-America Regional Council in the region's SmartMoves transit planning effort.

Rail

Kansas City is generally regarded to be the second largest rail center in the U.S. and ranked first by freight volume. Four of eight Class I rail carriers, three regional lines, and a local switching carrier (Kansas City Terminal) serve the area. Amtrak passenger trains serve the city four times per day.

Freight Railroads Serving Kansas City
Class 1 Railroads	Regional Railroads
Burlington Northern Santa Fe	Iowa, Chicago & Eastern
Kansas City Southern	Missouri & Northern Arkansas
Norfolk Southern
Union Pacific

Barge

Kansas City adjoins the Missouri River's Corps of Engineers-managed shipping channel which runs from St. Louis, MO to Sioux City, IA.

Barge lines: 7 operate along the Kansas City area of the Missouri River
Facilities: 41 docks and terminal facilities exist in the metropolitan area
Channel depth: 9 feet (2.7 meters)
Channel width: 300 feet (91.4 meters)
Commercial tonnage, 2008: 2,050,773 short tons (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Usual shipping season: late March through November

 

DEFINING THE GREATER KC METRO AREA

Kansas City is a Missouri/Kansas bi-state metropolitan area. All statistical references made to Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) include the counties of Cass, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Lafayette, Platte and Ray in Missouri, and Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. The greater Kansas City area also includes the adjoining Lawrence, KS, St. Joseph, MO, and Topeka, KS MSAs, as well as the Atchison, KS, Chillicothe, MO, Ottawa, KS, and Warrensburg, MO areas.