![]() If there's one thing I've noticed at small airports like Columbia, the longest part of the airport experience can be hanging around baggage claim waiting for your bag. From parking my car to checking my bag, going through security, and sitting down at the gate took 10 minutes. The bottom line, departing from Columbia Regional Airport was easy. On this last trip, I was the only one going through security when I got there, so it was easy. However, generally speaking, I've had better TSA experiences in Lubbock, The Quad Cities, and Columbia Regional vs. I'm not saying it's a breeze if you and all your fellow passengers are going through security at the same time. At smaller airports, going through TSA is a little more relaxed. Probably the biggest difference is going through security.Īt large airports going through security is time-consuming, and you're more likely to run into cranky travelers, as well as cranky TSA agents. Checking my bag was easy, and you're going to want to do that because there isn't the same overhead compartment space on a regional jet as a Boeing 737. Inside, the terminal is nice but rather utilitarian and functional. It certainly beats remote parking at KCI and taking one of their ten-minute shuttle rides. That said, the walk from my car to the terminal, was about three minutes. You wouldn't know it's a commercial airport just by looking at it. This is probably the most unkind thing I'll say about the airport, but it's a new terminal? Frankly, the whole operation, from the outside is unexciting. Grab that same spot at KCI, and you'd probably be charged a premium.Īs for Columbia Regional Airport itself, it may be the smallest airport I've flown in and out of. Heck, I wound up in Columbia Regional Airport's overflow parking lot. Not to mention, smaller airports are just easier to navigate. The TSA agents seem less stressed, and that makes that process a little easier. There's just significantly less hassle involved. I've worked, lived, and flown into and out of smaller airports, and I like them. That stress compounds as you find a place to park, hop a shuttle and find yourself dealing with the big city flying experience. In my mind, it just seemed like a more stressful drive. Not only that but to get from Highway 50 to KCI, there are what seems to be two or three roads/interstates you have to navigate. I remember flying out of KCI, and it just seemed like I drove and drove and drove some more. Not to mention, Interstate 70 from Columbia seemed like an overall easier ride back to Warrensburg, even if it is more miles and longer time-wise than driving from Kansas City. I also compared prices, and since I was buying my ticket close to the departure date, the cost of flying out of either Columbia or Kansas City was about the same. So, Columbia seemed the better option to maximize work time and minimize driving, even if it would be a longer ride home to Warrensburg on the back end of the trip. I decided I wanted to work on the day I flew to Chicago. No, I didn't plot any of this or weigh the pros and cons. Oddly enough, the travel time to Columbia Regional Airport from work is about an hour and eighteen minutes, which is the same amount of time it would take me to drive to KCI from my home. That said, from the radio station, Columbia Regional Airport has a shorter drive time. First, I live in Warrensburg, so flying out of Kansas City is a shorter drive time from my home.
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