St Louis Airport

The Saint Louis airport is in the process of being updated with a modern and attractive look. Terminal 1 is an architectually significant structure and it is already looking amazing now that the ceilings are cleaned up and the colorful LED lighting in the skylights adds a beautiful and energizing light show from both inside and outside the terminal. And with new flooring ticket counters new open views to outside and a new atrium opening up to the lower level the terminal will truly be a beautiful building. Add to this a raised brightened ceiling in the lower level new wall coverings colorful LED lighting on the structural columns along with new contemporary signs and a relocated security checkpoint it will be both efficient and appealing.

Flew on Southwest so I was in the East terminal. The light rail system is convenient and inexpensive and right outside the terminal (there are 2 airport stops one for the East terminal and one for the main terminal). You do need cash for the train ticket and paying your fare with a $20 bill nets you a lot of $1 coins as change... Security is not bad but when flying WN one realizes that your fellow passengers are not the most experienced travellers and can make security a rather frustrating experience. The Chili's restaurant inside is not very good and line-ups are long at the fast food joints so I recommend arriving having eaten!

Small compact and user friendly. Flew from and back to Philly - terminal had flow and the staff was really nice.

As both a St. Louis resident and a former flight attendant I have a unique view of our aging airport. I've walked the entire length of the terminal to pass time on airport reserve. I've been on planes when I had to inform passengers "sorry the jetbridge is broken today." And I've also been a passenger myself standing in those long security lines. What St. Louis needs is a new series of gates - designed for the future - with an outlook of hope. St. Louis is not the worn out city depicted by our airport. We have one of the best environments to raise a family with inexpensive housing thriving second-city-suburbs and a revitalized downtown. Crime rates are falling and St. Louis is attracting high-tech business focused in the healthcare industry. No St. Louis doesn't need to be weighed down with an outdated airport. We need to move forward with new concourses built off the existing (and historical) domed entrance. The flaws in St. Louis' airport may appear daunting to passengers but I have seen airports around the world. St. Louis' general scheme is not poor - just the final execution. It's going to take a lot of work but with the right ideas - looking to build anew rather than simply modify - St. Louis can attract passenger and cargo carriers that other cities our size only dream about. Of course my interest in St. Louis is largely personal but I believe there is an opportunity to be made. The new terminal proposal would eliminate the one-side loading capability of the existing structure. In its place would stand three buildings stretched out in front of the ticketing hall. The center concourse will be connected to the ticketing hall by a gradual ramp that eases passengers through security and into the grand entrance to the new terminals - an open space that matches the size of other grand airports such as DTW. The other concourses will be connected by underground hallways and trams to the main concourse. One will serve primarily international flights. The other will allow Southwest to move into a new home. This leaves St. Louis with a separate East Terminal - room for those charter and private flights that are best kept separate from the rest of the traveling public. These improvements sound extreme but for a city that made an Arch for a city that still offers more free activities than anywhere but DC for a city that is our home - nothing is really impossible.

Flew into East Terminal (Southwest Airlines). Baggage arrived with in 20 minutes of landing. Took train to downtown St. Louis. Had to walk outside to get train which would have been a problem during the Winter. Train station will not let you purchase 1-way fare; must purchase 2-hour fare for $3.50. Beats paying 40.00 for taxi. No agents at airport train station and could not use credit card to pay for train. Return purchased 1-way fare for 2.00 to airport. Check-in very quick and efficient probably more to terminal being used completely for Southwest Airlines.

Not a bad airport though not great either. Security can be unpredictable; it only took about 2 minutes on my trip Wednesday but it took nearly 30 minutes on a previous visit - probably because they only have one checkpoint for each set of gates (A B C etc.). There's also a noticeable lack of food choices in the terminals and the terminals have a rather old depressing look to them. On the plus side taxi times to/from the runway and gates are short since the airport is relatively compact and the light rail (MetroLink) station next door to both the main and east terminals is nice.

Lambert International Airport compares favorably with many airports. The main building and concourses are pleasant and not as congested and hectic as many other airports. Public transportation excellent. There is a need for late night information and food services.

Flew in to St Louis for a few days on business not the best airport in the world had the feel like others had mentioned of being stuck in a bit of a time warp but had no problems. What is great is the metro station which is attached about 4 services an hour and dirt cheap at $4.50 a day travel. Plenty of airport hotels which are good value and very close to the airport. From US outsider point of view found it very strange to see a medium sized airport with what seems only small regional jets using it

I grew up transiting Lambert from the mid -70's to this day. Back in 1976 Lambert was a jewel and a great place to be moving through. American Airlines did not take advantage of an airport hub and facilities that could be improved greatly at bargain prices but dismantled the whole thing obviously thinking that DFW and ORD didn't have enough traffic and weren't quite crowded enough. C concourse is not user-friendly has an odor problem and could sure use a decent sit-down restaurant. The good news is that C concourse is now pretty much empty leaving the post-deregulation zoo-like atmosphere behind. A concourse is busier as all the "other" airlines gate there. Although they have good service it is crowded at peak times and still has the same odor problem as C concourse. D concourse well what can you say? I long for the days of Ozark's green tails and civil service to their customers. Now D is a ghost town. E councourse is one of the nicest I have ever seen. Southwest hit a home-run here. convenient good parking short walk to the gate short walk to the baggage claim. The only thing missing here is a decent place to eat. The security staff is a joke and an insult to customers. So with Lambert's expansion closing in on tangible results and Southwest's new terminal (which is VERY nice) the airport should be attracting some new business by lowering gate and landing fees. Hopefully this way they can begin to put some money into renovations of those terminals and possibly return to the glory days prior to deregulation.

Many of the complaints about Lambert airport (run down facilities dark baggage claim area falling apart parking garage etc.) are true. In terms of facilities it is probably not among the nicest airports in the United States. There have been some recent improvements however. The American terminals have new carpet there's a few new dining options (Chili's Wolfgang Puck etc.) and even some stores (like a Brooks Brothers) that are opening soon. All of this should help! American's service reductions have reduced their gate presence to only the C concourse so making a connection in St. Louis is relatively easy; you typically don't have to deal with the constant gate changes that plague other hubs. The service reductions do mean that more service to St. Louis is done on regional jets. The D concourse is now pretty much empty so if you remember St. Louis' "glory days" as a bustling TWA hub you will likely find that depressing. A suggestion: if you are an originating passenger in St. Louis and you see a big security line at the C concourse entrance try going over to the B concourse. There's rarely a line at B. The B gates serve the prop planes but as soon as you enter the B gates you can take a short walkway to the C gates and avoid the security mess.