Former airport employee reflects on 1972 move from downtown airport to current KCI
New terminal is bittersweet for some longtime Kansas City residents. Hey, NBC 9's Peyton Headley is in the studio tonight and Peyton, you talked to a former airport worker about the last time the airport moved right Emily Jim Watt was there 50 years ago when those horseshoe shaped terminals first opened up. He worked as a mechanic for Trans World Airlines or TWA. He said moves aren't easy. We welcome you to Kansas City International Airport. It was November 11th, 1972. The last time Kansas City got a new airport this will open up Kansas City to air transportation not now available to it.
Before that travelers flew out of the airport downtown. Those are the good old days. That's where Jim Watt worked for six years. I think about it quite often. Watt helped to move operations from the downtown airport to the current KCI terminal 50 years ago when they said they were going to move or everybody had to help get to the airport to get things packed. He said the switch went smoothly, but it wasn't easy. They had to move everything almost 20 miles north, so it took quite an effort.
They had to take the airplanes fly them up there so they'd be ready for the next morning's flight. And of course I had to have all of the equipment on the line to take care of Watt went on to work at KCI for the next 25 years. It was a big change for us. He said it's bittersweet to see the old terminal go. By the time it was built, it was excellent, but today nobody would ever build anything like that again. He's excited for what Kansas City has coming. I'm anxious to see the new terminal because I hear it's going to be.
Kind of fabulous. Peyton Hedley, KMBC 9 News. Pretty fabulous and his daughter says that she's planning to take him to see the new terminal once it's open. So just a little more than a day. Yeah, I know it's so cool to see just how much history and knowledge he has. It's going to be really neat for the new terminal. Thanks Peyton.
Kansas City