What airport do you fly into to go to Jefferson City? (Kansas City: rental car, motel)

[ngrome]

I noticed there's a small airport at Jefferson City just in front of the capitol building but that looks to be private? So what other airport should I look to fly into if ultimately I have to make it to Jeffrson Ciy? I know Columbia has a regional airport but schedule looks limited and flights are expensive?

[TRex2]

Not sure about "just in front of" the capitol building, but across the river from it, is a municipal airport.
Good if you are chartering a small aircraft from a nearby state, I guess.

Otherwise:

For commercial jet traffic, most people would arrive in Columbia, from Chicago or Dallas.
There are also a couple smaller airlines, from AZ and WI.

For international or other places around the country, probably Lambert Field.

[ShowMeBryan]

Closest commercial airport is Columbia Regional Airport. Then St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield (SGF). There are private shuttle services based in Columbia for transport to the STL/MCI airports but I'm not aware of any shuttles to Jeff City.

One can fly into STL and get a ride to the Amtrak station and take the train to JC, though. It also runs through KC but the airport is a long way north of town where the train station is.

[Mzurie]

Re: the schedule is limited - another poster already gave good intel on this.

"Expensive" depends on how you define the term. For me, indirect costs - especially time - are hidden costs to flying in to KC or STL if my destination is JC or Columbia:

1. How early am I going to have to get up in the morning for a same-day flight out of KC or STL? And then how late am I going to have to drive home?
2. Rental car costs, including gas, if commuting longer distances.
3. Realistically, depending on my departure times from STL or KC, am I going to have to pop for a motel the night before departure or the night of arrival?
4. If I'm using a shuttle (or train) or Greyhound, will our schedule mesh without too much dead time at the airport?

Another consideration - getting through TSA security is much less crowded at Columbia Regional than either of the big airports, meaning that I can arrive a little later at the airport for departure at COU.

Downside, which I experienced in November, coming in from Toronto to Chicago: If my connecting flight to COU is delayed for some reason, I'm SOL because the one and only flight to COU for the day has taken off.