St. Louis Lambert Airport Guide (2025)

I almost missed a connecting flight at St. Louis Lambert once because I assumed Terminal 2 was right next to Terminal 1. It’s not. Well, it kind of is, but you still have to know where you’re going. That little adventure taught me more about STL than any travel guide ever could, so here’s everything I wish I’d known before walking in circles for twenty minutes.

The Basics of Lambert International

St. Louis Lambert International Airport sits northwest of downtown St. Louis. It’s been around since 1920, which makes it one of the older commercial airports in the country. Over the decades they’ve renovated and expanded the place pretty heavily, but you can still feel some of that old-school airport charm in spots — especially in Terminal 1.

The airport code is STL, and it’s the biggest airport in Missouri by a good margin. If you’re flying anywhere in or out of the St. Louis area, this is almost certainly where you’re headed.

Terminal 1 — The Main Hub

Terminal 1 is where most of the action happens. It has three active concourses — A, B, and C. There used to be a Concourse D, but that’s been closed for a while now. Here’s the rough breakdown:

Concourse A runs gates A2 through A21 and serves several major airlines. It’s a solid concourse with decent food options and enough seating that you won’t be sitting on the floor. Usually.

Concourse B has gates B1 to B19 and handles a mix of domestic routes. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. I grabbed a surprisingly good coffee here once, though I can’t remember the name of the place. That’s the kind of helpful reviewer I am.

Concourse C is Southwest Airlines territory. Gates C1 through C28. Southwest runs a huge chunk of the flights out of STL, so if you’re flying Southwest from Terminal 1, this is your spot.

Terminal 2 — Southwest’s Other Home

Probably should have led with this for the Southwest flyers reading: Terminal 2 is exclusively Southwest Airlines. Concourse E, gates E4 through E40. If you booked Southwest, you need to figure out whether you’re flying from Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, because they use both. Check your boarding pass carefully.

Terminal 2 is more streamlined than Terminal 1 — fewer restaurants, fewer shops, but also fewer people wandering around looking confused. There’s a certain efficiency to it that I appreciate.

How to Get There

Driving is straightforward. Interstate 70 runs right past the airport, and signage is clear. Parking lots range from economy (cheaper, farther out, shuttle required) to garage parking right at the terminals. If you’re picking someone up, there’s a cell phone lot where you can wait for free until they text you that they’ve landed.

MetroLink is honestly the best-kept secret for getting to STL. The light rail system has stations at both terminals. You can ride it straight to downtown, to the Delmar Loop, to all sorts of places. Takes about 25 minutes to get downtown and costs next to nothing. I’ve used it a bunch and it’s reliable.

Uber, Lyft, and taxis all operate at both terminals. Pickup zones are marked, and it’s pretty straightforward. Hotel shuttles are also an option if you’re staying nearby — quite a few hotels around the airport run free shuttle loops.

Food, Shopping, and Things to Do While You Wait

Both terminals have your standard airport food: coffee shops, fast food, a few sit-down places. Terminal 1 has more variety just because it’s bigger. I’ve had decent barbecue there, which felt appropriately St. Louis.

Shopping is nothing to write home about — bookstores, convenience items, some souvenir shops. But there’s free Wi-Fi throughout the airport, which is honestly the amenity I care most about during a layover. They also have some local art displays scattered around, which is a nice touch.

If you’re eligible for an airline lounge, there are a couple options. They’re quieter, they’ve got better seating, and they usually have free snacks. Worth it for long waits.

Security and Timing

TSA checkpoints are in both terminals. General advice is to show up two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before international. I’ve gotten through security at STL in under fifteen minutes on a quiet weekday, and I’ve also waited forty-five minutes on a Sunday evening. So it varies. Have your documents ready and don’t be the person holding up the line digging through their bag for a laptop.

Airlines and Destinations

The major carriers are here — American, Delta, United, and especially Southwest. There are some seasonal routes and charter flights that pop up too. Real-time flight info is on the airport’s website and their mobile app, both of which actually work pretty well.

International flights are limited compared to the mega-hubs, but you can still connect to international destinations through STL with one stop. It’s mostly a domestic airport, and it does that job well.

Stuff to Do Near the Airport

If you’ve got time to kill or you’re staying overnight, St. Louis has some genuinely great attractions. The Gateway Arch is the obvious one — it’s about twenty minutes east of the airport. Forest Park is massive and free, with a zoo, an art museum, and a science center all inside it. That’s what makes St. Louis endearing as a city, really. So much of the good stuff doesn’t cost anything.

Hotels near the airport range from budget to upscale, and many offer free airport shuttles. If you’re just passing through for a night, you’ll have no trouble finding a clean, affordable room within a few minutes’ drive.