3 MD80 ACFT ARRIVE ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY IN THE MCI TFC PATTERN. VISUAL CLRNCS WERE REQUESTED AND ISSUED. CONFUSION DEVELOPED AS TO WHICH MD-80 WAS APPLYING VISUAL SEPARATION FROM THE OTHER MD-80'S.

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I WAS PF AND MY CAPT WAS WORKING THE RADIOS AS WE WERE APCHING MCI FROM THE S TO LAND ON RWY 19R. AS WE WERE ON A L DOWNWIND E OF THE ARPT THERE WAS A RADIO CALL FROM ATC TO AN ACR Y FLT; 'MAINTAIN SPD 170 KTS TILL 5 MI FINAL.' WE WERE DSNDING THROUGH 7000 FT; CLRED DOWN TO 5000 FT ON ABOUT MIDFIELD DOWNWIND. AFTER ABEAM TOUCHDOWN; WE WERE GIVEN A 330 DEG HDG. THEN ABOUT 7 MI N OF THE ARPT; WE WERE GIVEN A 280 DEG HDG. AT THIS TIME MY CAPT INFORMED APCH THAT WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND THAT WE HAD AN ACFT IN SIGHT AT 9 O'CLOCK POS. ATC INFORMED US THAT THAT ACFT WAS ON APCH TO RWY 19L AND THAT WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 19R; MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WITH THAT ACFT. I SAW THE 9 O'CLOCK POS TFC ALSO; AND I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS THE ACR Y FLT MENTIONED EARLIER. I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS ON APCH TO RWY 19R; OUR RWY (WHICH IT WAS). AT THIS TIME; I CONTINUED DSCNT FOR RWY 19R AND STARTED A TURN TOWARDS THE ARPT. SHORTLY AFTER THIS; ATC INFORMED ACR Z OF OUR ACFT; AN MD80 AT XX O'CLOCK POS AND XX MI. (I DO NOT REMEMBER WHAT LOCATION THE CTLRS GAVE AS OUR POS.) THE PLT OF ACR Z INFORMED ATC THAT HE HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE MD80. ATC THEN CLRED ACR Z FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 19L AND TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WITH THE MD80 ON FINAL TO RWY 19R. SHORTLY AFTER THIS; AS I WAS MONITORING OUR SEPARATION WITH ACR Y ABOUT 3-4 MI IN FRONT OF US ON OUR TCAS; I NOTICED ANOTHER ACFT AT OUR 7-8 O'CLOCK POS AND DISTANCE CLOSING; AND 400 FT BELOW US. I THEN ADDED PWR TO ARREST OUR DSCNT. WE GOT A TA AT 300 FT ABOVE THIS TARGET; AT WHICH TIME I HAD THE DSCNT ARRESTED AND MAINTAINED ALT. DURING THIS TIME; I ASKED THE CAPT IF HE HAD THIS TFC IN SIGHT. HE WAS ALSO LOOKING FOR THIS TFC AND SAID THAT HE HAD IT IN SIGHT AND THAT IT WAS PRETTY CLOSE; AND LOOKED LIKE IT HAD OVERSHOT FINAL FOR RWY 19L. I MAINTAINED ALT AND PROCEEDED R OF FINAL FOR RWY 19R UNTIL I ALSO HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH ACR Z AND WE DETERMINED THAT ACR Z WAS CORRECTING L TO LINE UP WITH RWY 19L. AT THIS TIME; I JOINED THE ILS COURSE AND GS AND CONTINUED WITH THE APCH AND LNDG ON RWY 19R. I WILL NOW INDICATE SOME OF THE REASONS I THINK THAT THIS OCCURRED. FIRST THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION OVER WHICH RWY THAT ACR Y WAS LNDG ON. MY CAPT THOUGHT THAT THE CTLR SAID THAT ACR Y WAS ON APCH TO RWY 19R. HE WAS OPERATING THE RADIO; SO HE MAY HAVE BEEN CORRECT. WE WERE NEVER INFORMED OF ACR Z. WHAT I THINK OCCURRED IS THAT THE CTLR THOUGHT THAT WE SAW THE ACR Z MD80 AT 3 O'CLOCK POS ON APCH TO RWY 19L; RATHER THAN THE ACR Y MD80 AT 9 O'CLOCK POS; WHEN MY CAPT RPTED AN ACFT IN SIGHT AT 9 O'CLOCK POS AND THAT WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. DUE TO THIS; THE CTLR THOUGHT THAT WE HAD THE ACR Z MD80 IN SIGHT AND WERE KEEPING VISUAL SEPARATION WITH IT AS WE PASSED IN FRONT OF IT. I ALSO THINK THAT THE ACR Z MD80 PLTS MAY NOT HAVE SEEN OUR ACFT BUT MAY HAVE SEEN THE ACR Y MD80 ON FINAL TO RWY 19R ABOUT 5 MI IN FRONT OF THEM AS THEY WERE PROBABLY LOOKING DOWN AND TOWARD THE ARPT. OUR ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIGH IN THEIR WINDSHIELD AND MAY NOT BEEN IN VIEW TO THEM DUE TO THE CLOSENESS THAT WE PASSED IN FRONT OF THEM. I ALSO THINK THAT THE ACR Z MD80 MAY HAVE OVERSHOT THEIR TURN TO FINAL TO RWY 19L. ANOTHER THING THAT I THINK CONTRIBUTED TO THIS OCCURRENCE IS THE FACT THAT THE CTLRS WERE TRYING TO FACILITATE GND OPS DUE TO THE FACT THAT OUR AIRLINE'S GATES ARE CLOSER TO RWY 19R; THEREFORE THE PREFERENTIAL RWY FOR US TO LAND ON IS RWY 19R; EVEN THOUGH THIS CAUSED US TO CROSS THE PATH OF THE ACR Z ACFT LNDG ON RWY 19L. IN THIS INSTANCE; I THINK IT WOULD BE SAFER FOR THE CTLRS TO HAVE GIVEN US LNDG CLRNC ON RWY 19L AND LANDED ACR Z ON RWY 19R BEHIND ACR Y; OR ALTERNATELY HAD US ENTER A R DOWNWIND ON THE W OF THE ARPT SO AS TO NOT HAVE US CROSS THE FINAL TO RWY 19L WHILE ACFT WERE ON APCH TO THIS RWY.