Wichita airport: The facts
Wichita airport, or Wichita Mid-Continent Airport as it is formally known, is located in south west Wichita, in Sedgwick County, Kansas, USA.
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History
Overview
It is known as the busiest airport in the state of Kansas.
The larger Kansas City International Airport is actually located in neighbouring Missouri.
Major national carriers such as American Airlines and United Airlines offer flights to destinations throughout the USA including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis and Minneapolis.
History and background
Wichita Mid-Continent Airport came into being when the United States Air Force acquired the old Wichita Municipal Airport and transformed it into the McConnell Air Force Base in 1951.
The new airport opened October 31 1954 and was renamed Wichita Mid-Continent Airport in 1973, after nearby Kansas City renamed its Mid-Continent Airport to Kansas City International Airport.
Interestingly, the airport's designation code is ICT and is a type of abbreviation for Wichita.
At the time of naming, the Federal Communications Commission did not allow airports to have radio call signs starting with the letter W, so the second letter of the city was used.
Facilities
Terminal
Currently, the airport has one terminal with a total of eleven boarding gates located on two connected concourses.
The usual range of food and beverage outlets and news-stands are provided. Free Wi-Fi connection is provided, but your computer or mobile device will need to be fitted with a standard Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless internet LAN card.
If your device is a relatively new one, it may well already have this installed.
Lodging
There are a number of close-by hotels in Wichita that provide convenient lodging for passengers.
These include:
-Best Western Airport Inn (Tel 316 942 5600)
-Clarion Inn & Suites (Tel 316 942 7911)
-Comfort Suites (Tel 316 773 1700)
-Hampton Inn (Tel 316 945 4100)
-Hilton Wichita Airport (Tel 316 945 5272)
-Holiday Inn Select Wichita (Tel 316 686 7131)
-Howard Johnson (Tel 316 943 8165)
-Hyatt Regency Wichita (Tel 316 293 1234)
-La Quinta Inns and Suites (Tel 316 943 2181)
-Wichita Marriott (Tel 316 651 0333)
Future
Construction is under way for a new two story terminal building that is scheduled to be completed in 2014.