Wichita Mid-Continent Airport can’t serve alcohol for now because of lapsed liquor license

beerWICHITA — Sometimes people who are traveling by plane want a quick drink before take-off or immediately upon landing.

But they can’t have one at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport right now.

HMSHost, which handles food and beverage service at the airport, inadvertently let its liquor license expire.

“In the transition from using an outside counsel . . . to now an in-house legal team, we simply missed the deadline to renew,” says Susan Goyette, spokeswoman for the Bethesda, Md., company.

There have been no alcohol sales at the airport since the license expired Feb. 28. This is the only HMSHost market where the lapse happened.

“It’s expired — it has not been lost,” Goyette says. “Semantics there are pretty important.”

HMSHost immediately reapplied to the city and state.

“The city has approved their portion of the license, and we’re waiting on the state approval,” Goyette says.

That typically is a 30-day process. It could happen earlier.

For people who want a drink and have some extra time before a flight, HMSHost is referring them to free shuttles to the Hilton Wichita Airport.

“They don’t have to go too far,” Goyette says.

“We’ve had a few people who have voiced their displeasure, but for the most part most people understand the importance of a liquor license,” Goyette says.

“We are going to get it back.”

  • alice75

    and that’s why they call it doo-dah. they want to make it look fancier, but the first thing a visitor notices when they come? no booze! welcome to wichita!seems like this is a good analogy to the whole city though. try to dress things up, but forget how to run the basic things.

  • Kent

    Anyone using Mid-Continent certainly needs a drink.

  • jack06

    Bush league!! No alcohol?!? What the heck? Cant imagine how much that is costing them per day. Your right Kent, you do need a drink flying out of there

  • Elanman

    Wichita and Saudi Arabia airports have something in common. The only airports in the world where you can’t buy a beer.

  • yourkidding

    I remember when flights flying OVER kansas couldn’t serve alcohol while in kansas’ airspace… all drinks had to be collected before they entered kansas’ airspace…

  • podunkboy

    First the Rowdy Beaver, now the airport. Does NO ONE know the rules on serving drinks in Kansas? Maybe they shouldn’t hire an out-of-state company that’s not acquainted with our prehistoric ways.

  • dodahkansas

    Think about the poor bartenders who are not only taking all the “heat” for this but also taking a very large cut in pay because tips makeup a good deal of their income.
    Yet they had no control over this and are being forced to stay open to serve food and sodas now, how embarrassing for them.
    Also I know for a fact that alcohol was served there on Monday and Tuesday of this week before the lapsed license was realized. The bartenders could have suffered personal fines and penalties had it been reported or discovered by the state of Kansas.

  • LonnythePlumber

    Happens to us plumbers too. Even though we get mailed reminder notices and know we need the cities permission and approval to practice our trade every year.

  • jeffinwichita

    Here are the rules to renew a license:

    Pay your taxes and stay out of trouble

    ABC sends you a post card 60 days before expiration reminding you to print renewal forms online and submit them 30 days before renewal is due (you get a month to do this)

    That’s it. If you manage to send in the form and you’ve paid your taxes you’re in.

    The retailers who are not able to renew are either too disorganized to fill out the form or they ticked off the ABC agent by having lots of violations or not paying taxes (ABC is part of Dept of revenue).

  • catholic1am2006

    Pilot to passengers, we are now approaching Kansas. Please set your clocks back 150 years.

  • ferdparman

    Do they understand the Stupidity of the situation?What about the lost Revenue?????????Great Management>>>>>>>>

  • briand123

    renewals are sent out at least 45 days in advance of expiration. Poor mgmt. Maybe we need a diff company in there.

  • BobChi

    Don’t blame the Kansas laws. Every jurisdiction requires a license to sell alcohol. The management was just too stupid to do some basic paperwork. And they’re paying for it with loss of sales.

  • egge3

    Glad the Tax Dollars are hiring a top legal firm. Anyone who would let the booze license lapse needs help also. Typical Wichita City Business. Pass the booze please. Just think what would happen if Joe the Bartender let his license lapse. Swatt at the front door with a padlock.

  • edwinblaw

    Ah, and folks yearn for the “good ole days.” It wasn’t but a few years ago that those of us in the “progressive” (NOT LIBERAL!) movement of the day were fighting to get the laws changed so that liquor COULD be served … any where .. except private clubs, which, of course were not very private if you had a couple of bucks for a membership.

    “Bethesda, MD” ??? No one local could handle it??

  • WAR

    Let’s go back to those days when the airlines couldn’t serve alcohol in a plane in Kansas Airspace. I want to be in charge of all the SAM sites to enforce that law.

  • WichitaWordsmith

    This is old news… one of the real business reporters had a story in today’s Eagle that the license has been restored.

  • dloving

    Wordsmith … You know this item was published Friday when the airport still couldn’t serve, right?

    Dan

  • WichitaWordsmith

    I do. Its neat how they post those little things at the bottom that give the date and time it was posted.

    I just think its funny that the “scoop” of them getting their license back was reported by someone else. Seems all the real news gets reported by Wilson or one of the others…

  • dloving

    It just so happened that Bill was the one working Saturday. We’re all a team here, Wordsmith.

  • WichitaWordsmith

    Noted.

  • montravl

    Wichita is BORING!!!!!