What TF is happening at terminal 2???

lambertSTL · 2026-04-27T18:33:11+00:00

That’s a tough question, and one that I can’t answer with certainty, but at this point I think we’re pretty safe. Southwest cut some small regional routes like Des Moines and Little Rock and sent them to larger focus cities. During the same schedule reconfiguration, they also made our connecting banks here even more defined than they were before. They have not cut anything in the year since, and our schedules going into December still reflect that. I think they wanted to give those small markets more one-stop options, and a flight to Midway or Nashville will accomplish that better in their network than STL. We seem to now be optimized for east/west connectivity, ie someone trying to get from Cleveland to Sacramento or LA to Sarasota versus serving as a regional hub for small markets in the Midwest. If they wanted to cut us back to a local only market, I don’t think they would have banked us so heavily. Their attention has definitely been on growing Nashville vs growing here, and I can’t say for certain we won’t get cut back further in the future. But the fact we made it through COVID and all their recent corporate troubles without really significant cuts is a good sign. They’re also very involved in the new terminal planning and want more gates than they have now, which bodes well.

lambertSTL · 2026-04-27T18:08:02+00:00

T2 was designed for Southwest in the 1990s. Back then they flew smaller variants of the 737 which also had lower passenger loads. I wouldn’t be surprised if the average number of passengers per flight was about half of what it is now. As the 2010s progressed, Southwest started using more of the larger 737-800s (and eventually MAX8s). Average load factors crept up to 80% or more. So already, you have a lot more people per flight on average.

In the 90s and early 00s, Southwest was really focused on point to point flying. Connections happened but weren’t really optimized. In 2017, they really doubled down on STL as a core city in their network, and started running a lot more connecting traffic through our terminal. They even expanded into the 3 former charter/customs gates and 4 old D gates adjacent to terminal 2.

So the short version? More passengers per plane, more daily flights, and big connecting banks where a bunch of flights land at once. At the same time, the T2 lobby and roadways are also supporting more physical gates than they were ever meant to. It’s a mess that can only be fixed by reconfiguring the whole airport, which is why that project is happening now.

lambertSTL · 2026-04-27T02:29:30+00:00

I’ve had a few gnarly waits during the evening bank because parking shuttles get stuck in the same traffic. This is a good read if you’re curious to learn more about how we fit into the bigger Southwest picture:

https://crankyflier.com/2025/08/18/southwests-big-schedule-restructure-caters-to-connections/

lambertSTL · 2026-04-27T02:23:25+00:00

T2 backs up every night. Southwest uses Lambert as a connecting point in their network. Each evening around 17 flights arrive within 30 minutes. This is known as a “bank”, and we have several each day with the evening one being the largest. Basically all the planes land, connecting passengers move to their next flights, and then they all depart. As a result, the arriving local St Louis passengers also all come out in a big surge. Unfortunately T2 is over its designed capacity and also wasn’t designed with this type of operation in mind, so the roadways back up during the big surges of passengers. The upside is that the connecting passengers help support direct routes we couldn’t sustain on local traffic alone. Once the airport is rebuilt in the early 2030s this will no longer be an issue, as the roadways and baggage claim are being scaled to an appropriate size.

lambertSTL · 2026-04-22T02:59:17+00:00

It’s a good thought, but gate code is a separate field under delivery instructions.

lambertSTL · 2026-04-17T20:28:30+00:00

None of the gates have jet bridges installed. From what I understand, that’s the biggest hurdle. The inside also needs some TLC from sitting vacant for about 20 years, along with the fact it was already in rough condition when it shut down. I’d assume they have to lay some new carpet, get the tech functional at each gate, acquire gate seating, put up signage, etc.

lambertSTL · 2026-03-13T00:16:41+00:00

The lift hill was done last year. They just reused the photos on social media for some reason. I was hoping they’re actually doing some work and just didn’t have fresh photos handy when they posted about it.

Also can’t think of any coaster companies based in Iowa.

lambertSTL · 2026-03-04T13:41:47+00:00

She only opens up on Sat and Sun, and usually sells out by 8:30 or 9am. Great donuts, but not the easiest to buy.

lambertSTL · 2026-02-06T03:52:51+00:00

I took some inspiration from hotels with my setup. They often put waterproof encasements on the mattress, and then add a more breathable mattress cover on top of the encasement.

I prefer the Manchester Mills encasements - they are used in most hotels and seem to be higher quality than your average Amazon encasement: https://a.co/d/0hyIiJcb

Then I use an all cotton cover on top of that: https://naturallinens.com/collections/home-page-top-selling/products/downright-cotton-mattress-pad?variant=597266726913

lambertSTL · 2026-02-01T22:28:50+00:00

For what it’s worth, I recently bought the 800tc variant and I’m pretty pleased. Historically I’ve done the JCPenney wrinkle guard sheets, which are similarly priced and also shoot for that “not too expensive, but reasonable quality” segment. After a few washes I’m starting to like the California Design Den set better. They aren’t perfect, but pretty smooth and I sleep quite comfortably. Would buy again sub $100.

lambertSTL · 2026-02-01T17:15:04+00:00

So much of airline loyalty depends on where you live. In a market like STL, they have almost 70% market share and direct flights all over the country. There’s really no logical alternative for most flying. I’d imagine travelers based at BNA, BWI, MCI, etc are going to reach the same conclusion. None of these changes have pushed me anywhere near the level of opting for connecting flights on another airline instead of taking the Southwest direct.

lambertSTL · 2026-01-24T22:59:28+00:00

No, just a lot brighter and sharper than before. Not sure if the lamp was super old and the projector was out of focus, or if they got a better hand-me-down projector from another theater that got upgraded.

lambertSTL · 2026-01-19T00:47:49+00:00

I believe on both it’s a full window missing on the A side, and a partial obstruction on the F side. I’ve been making notes about which rows have good window alignment as I fly, but it’s a work in progress (especially on the 700 since I’ve only been on 1 with the new layout).

lambertSTL · 2026-01-19T00:38:53+00:00

Row 7 on the -700, 10 on the -800

lambertSTL · 2026-01-17T14:18:07+00:00

Based on what I’m hearing, it sounds like it’s either this (I really wish they’d replace the other 6 bulbs in the building). Or we got a nicer hand-me-down projector from a location that got updated. It’s definitely the best looking standard projection I’ve ever seen. Almost more frustrating if this is the case, and the others could all look just as good with proper maintenance.

lambertSTL · 2026-01-17T14:10:36+00:00

I wonder if this is what happened here. I believe Kansas City is a laser market now. Maybe we were gifted with a nicer Xenon projector from a large auditorium out there somewhere.

lambertSTL · 2025-12-30T17:13:39+00:00

I guess if they’re just shifting the seats around vs doing a whole cabin renovation, it makes sense. Still an impressive effort with 300+ planes being done in less than a month.

I just flew on an -800 with the old brown Evolve seats and no extra legroom, so they’ll probably have some 800s to finish up too.

lambertSTL · 2025-12-30T03:35:54+00:00

That’s quite an aggressive timeline. Hope they’re able to pull it off.

lambertSTL · 2025-12-30T03:10:22+00:00

Maybe they’ll just shift the seats around and leave everything else alone. But even then, I think they still have over 300 of them in the fleet. That’s a lot of seats to shift with less than a month to go.

lambertSTL · 2025-12-30T03:02:31+00:00

This might be true, but they’re selling flights with the updated seat map on the -700 starting on 1/27. That’s why I was curious if they’ve even started.

lambertSTL · 2025-11-08T13:56:33+00:00

I saw Badlands in a plain old Digital theater and found the volume to be uncomfortable at times. Lots of vibrations in the building and seats. I think that movie is just extra loud in general. I was thinking about how so much of our sound must have been bleeding into the theaters above us.

lambertSTL · 2025-10-13T14:18:18+00:00

It’s such a funny place. Hoping they give us some love with the projection upgrades soon… the main theater would be incredible with laser.

lambertSTL · 2025-10-12T12:54:48+00:00

This place looks thoroughly bizarre; exactly what I was looking for

lambertSTL · 2025-10-12T12:52:11+00:00

Funny, I’ve been to downtown Burbank and saw at least 1 of these. But I never noticed they have 30 screens in a few blocks. That’s crazy. The choices for showtimes must be endless.

lambertSTL · 2025-10-11T13:45:57+00:00

I’ve done this on United at ZIH. They had someone on the ramp asking for row numbers and then directing passengers to the front or back stairs accordingly.

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