Labeling Kansas City International Airport one of the country’s most convenient airports, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri on Tuesday voiced his support of maintaining the three-terminal layout.

Graves also said he would seek legislation that would require all airports to include customer convenience as a criterion in long-range planning.

“I want to make sure that when airports do their master plans, that customer convenience is part of the equation,” said Graves, a Tarkio Republican.

Graves’ comments come as KCI officials and a consultant are piecing together a master plan for the 35-year-old airport. The Federal Aviation Administration requires airports to draw up a master plan every 10 years.

The KCI master plan, which is not yet final, includes passenger convenience and comfort in its evaluation criteria. But a draft has attracted attention because of a proposal to replace the airport’s three C-shaped terminals with a single terminal south of the east-west runway.

Consultants and the Kansas City aviation director have said the existing terminal configuration is inefficient because of its need for multiple security checkpoints.

Some area residents and travelers have said they prefer the existing configuration, which allows travelers to walk only a few hundred feet between their gates, baggage carousels and ground transportation.

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