KCI missed its world-welcoming opportunity to add some Spanish signage | Williams
The world is coming to Kansas City and the Kansas City International Airport is our front porch, welcoming people into our city. It seems to me this would have been the perfect opportunity to spring for adding some Spanish language signage throughout this gateway.
But that isn’t what happened. What a missed opportunity.
When fans fly into Kansas City over the next several weeks, I’m fairly confident they will be met with a lot of smiling faces and people eager to help them navigate this friendly Midwestern town.
Heck, as a city, we are tickled to have thousands of visitors from around the world joining our participation in the 2026 World Cup games — one of the biggest sports stages on the globe. We have been planning for their arrival for four years.
That said, we’ve had three years to make right a missed opportunity that I pointed out in a story when the new KCI terminal opened in 2023 without including Spanish language in the signage. It was omitted despite the fact that International is in the airport name, Kansas City has a sizable Spanish-speaking population and the majority of international flights going in and out of the airport are from and to Spanish-speaking nations.
To be fair, it’s not like KCI has done nothing to accommodate our foreign visitors. They have done a lot.
Visitors will see FIFA paraphernalia at every turn, including FIFA jerseys on bathroom figures, wrapped baggage carousels, a countdown clock, flags from all 48 participating nations and ceiling banners welcoming folks in six languages — English, Dutch, French, Arabic, German and Spanish.
If a person who doesn’t speak any English arrives with a particular problem that might require more than a quick answer from one of the many multi-language-speaking volunteers wearing tags identifying their languages and stationed all around the terminal, there is always the customer service desk.
That is if, for example you speak only Arabic, and can figure out what c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e means. But I’m sure a volunteer can point that traveler in the right direction.
Once there, visitors get access to translations using iPads or can get face time via telephone with a translator through Propio, a company based in Overland Park, that has contracted with the airport for years. There’s also the Kansas City Language Line that provides a live person to help with language translations over the phone or use any of the airport’s white courtesy phones to request a language interpreter.
On the KC 2026 World Cup website in the lower right-hand corner, visitors will find transportation information and more in multiple languages.
The last time I was at the airport I recall hearing public address broadcasts translated to Spanish. Even Mayor Quinton Lucas’ welcoming remarks were translated, so that’s pretty cool.
But, for the most part there are no permanent airport signs in any language other than English. Instead, the airport uses universal symbols and icons to communicate. For example, maybe there’s a picture of a suitcase and an arrow to point the way to baggage claim or a picture of a bus or taxi telling arrivals where to find ground transportation.
The combination of icons and customer service help has worked for the airport to meet any language barrier needs so far. I certainly hope that it will be enough to manage the thousands expected throughout the span of the FIFA games.
“We know the airport is this city’s front porch,” said Jackson Overstreet, a spokesman for KCI. “We want to be known as an international city, and to show the world that KC is ready for the world.”
But what about when the world goes home? We still have a significant Spanish-speaking population in this city, and we will still have lots of Spanish-speaking visitors coming through our airport.
Overstreet said he expects the airport staff will see how things go for the World Cup and then maybe have a talk about springing for permanent signs in Spanish.
How cool would it have been for KCI to have seized the moment and set aside some of the dollars spent on World Cup prep to do something that would not only satisfy the monthlong sporting phenomenon but also last well into the future? Signs in English and Spanish would also have given a nod of inclusion to our Hispanic residents.
Like I said, an opportunity that we missed — twice.
