Lambert-St. Louis International Airport

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (IATA: STL, ICAO: KSTL, FAA LID: STL) is a Class B international airport serving Greater St. Louis. It is about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown St. Louis in unincorporated St. Louis County between Berkeley and Bridgeton. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state with 250 daily departures to about 90 domestic and international locations. In 2010, 12.3 million passengers traveled through the airport.^[3]

Named for Albert Bond Lambert, an Olympic medalist and manufacturer of Listerine, the airport rose to international prominence in the 20th century, thanks to its association with Charles Lindbergh, its groundbreaking air traffic control, its status as the hub of Trans World Airlines, and its iconic terminal. Designed by Minoru Yamasaki, the building inspired terminals at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.

History

The airport was originally a balloon launching base named Kinloch Field which was part of the 1890s Kinloch Park suburban development. The Wright brothers and their Exhibition Team visited the field while touring with their aircraft. During a visit to St. Louis, Theodore Roosevelt flew with pilot Arch Hoxsey on October 11, 1910, becoming the first U.S. president to fly. Later, Kinloch hosted the first experimental parachute jump.^[4]

In June 1920 the Aero Club of St. Louis leased 170 acres of cornfield, the defunct Kinloch Racing Track^[5] and the Kinloch Airfield in October 1923, during The International Air Races. The field was officially dedicated as Lambert-St. Louis Flying Field^[6] in honor of Albert Bond Lambert, an Olympic silver medalist golfer in the 1904 Summer Games, president of Lambert Pharmaceutical Corporation (which made Listerine),^[7] and the first person to receive a pilot's license in St. Louis. In February 1925, "Major" (his 'rank' was given by the Aero Club and not the military) Lambert, bought the field and added hangars and a passenger terminal. Charles Lindbergh's first piloting job was flying airmail for Robertson Airlines from Lambert Field; he left the airport for New York about a week before his record-breaking flight to Paris in 1927. Later that year, Lambert sold the airport to the City of St. Louis, making it the first municipally-owned airport in the United States.^[8]

In the late 1920s, Lambert Field became the first airport with an air traffic control system—albeit one that communicated with pilots via waving flags. The first controller was Archie League.^[9]

Naval Air Station St. Louis

From 1925 to 1958, the airport was also home to Naval Air Station St. Louis. Designated as a Naval Reserve Air Base prior to World War II and an active duty installation during World War II, it later became a postwar Naval Air Reserve installation operating carrier-based fighter and land-based patrol aircraft. Following its closure, most of the NAS St. Louis facilities were acquired by the Missouri Air National Guard and became Lambert Field Air National Guard Base. A portion of the naval air station's support facilities not taken by the Air National Guard were retained by non-flying activities of the Naval Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve, while the remaining former NAS St. Louis real estate was redeveloped for commercial airline expansion of St. Louis International Airport.^[10][11]

Before World War II, Robertson Airlines, Marquette Airlines, and Eastern Air Lines provided passenger service to St. Louis. During the war, the airport became a manufacturing base for McDonnell Aircraft and Curtiss-Wright. After the war, Minoru Yamasaki was commissioned to design a new passenger terminal at Lambert. Completed in 1956, the four-domed design inspired terminals at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.^[8]

After World War II

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows TWA with 44 weekday departures; American, 24; Delta, 16; Ozark, 14; Eastern, 13; Braniff, six, and Central, two.

In the 1970s, St. Louis city officials proposed to replace the airport with a new one in suburban Illinois. But after Missouri residents objected, Lambert received a $290-million expansion that lengthened the runways, increased the number of gates to 81, and boosted its operational capacity by 50 percent. (A proposed Illinois airport was later built anyway, though not anywhere near the originally proposed site; MidAmerica St. Louis Airport opened in 1997 in Mascoutah, Illinois. As of 2010, no major carriers provide service there.)

TWA era

In 1982, Trans World Airlines (TWA) moved its hub from Kansas City International Airport. The move made TWA the dominant carrier at Lambert, and turned the St. Louis airport into one of the busiest in the country. The airport grew in importance for TWA after the airline declared bankruptcy in 1993; by the late 1990s, it was the airline's dominant hub. But the airport's influence waned after American Airlines (AA) bought TWA and merged the airlines' flight operations in 2001. Lambert became a reliever for AA's existing hubs at Chicago O'Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and transatlantic service was discontinued. AA transferred many mainline TWA routes to American Connection, a group of affiliated regional carriers. After the 2003 cutbacks, AA introduced American Eagle service at its St. Louis hub in May 2005. Unlike American Connection, American Eagle is wholly owned by AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines and American Eagle.

2006–present

In 2006, the United States Air Force announced plans to turn the 131st Fighter Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard into the 131st Bomb Wing. The wing's 20 F-15C and F-15D aircraft were moved to the Montana Air National Guard's 120th Fighter Wing at Great Falls International Airport/Air National Guard Base, Montana and the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. The pilots and maintainers moved to Whiteman AFB, Missouri to fly and maintain the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber as the first Air National Guard wing to fly the aircraft. Lambert Field Air National Guard Base formally shut down in June 2009, when the final two F-15C Eagles did a low approach over the field, then flew away. The event was attended by more than 2,200 people who said goodbye to a part of airport history for over 85 years.

As of 2009, Concourse D, previously used by Ozark and later TWA, was largely empty and closed off; Concourse B had limited traffic; and the distal portion of Concourse C was not used for commercial traffic. In September 2009, American Airlines announced that, as a part of the airline's restructuring, it will reduce its operations to 36 daily flights to nine destinations in the summer of 2010.^[12] These cuts will end the remaining hub operation.^[13]

On October 21, 2009, Southwest Airlines announced that the airline will increase service with a "major expansion" in St. Louis by May 2010. The airline will increase service to 83 daily departures from St. Louis, replacing American as the carrier with the most daily flights after American's service cuts scheduled for Summer 2010.^[14]

Delta Air Lines is the airport's second-busiest operating airline.^[15]

2011 St. Louis tornado

About 8:10 p.m. on April 22, 2011, a EF4^[16] tornado struck the airport's Terminal 1, destroying jetways and breaking more than half of the windows.^{[17][17][18][19]} One plane from Southwest Airlines was damaged when the wind pushed a baggage conveyor belt into it. Four American Airlines planes were damaged, including one that was buffeted by 80 mph crosswinds while taxiing after landing.^[20] One aircraft, with passengers still aboard, was moved away from its jetway by the storm.^[21] The FAA closed the airport on April 22 at 08:54 pm CDT, then reopened it the following day at temporarily lower capacity.^[22]

The damage to Concourse C forced several airlines to use vacant gates in the B and D concourses, including AirTran, American, Cape Air, and Frontier.

Airport officials predict that it may take $30 million and until mid-2012 to completely recover.^[23][24]

Later in the year, the TSA declared Lambert Airport its "Airport of the Year" for "exceptional courtesy, high-quality security" and the excellent response by airport officials during and after the tornado. ^[25]

Facilities

Runways

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport covers 2,800 acres (1,133 ha) and has four runways:

• Runway 12R/30L: 11,019 x 200 ft (3,359 x 61 m), Surface: Concrete
• Runway 12L/30R: 9,003 x 150 ft (2,744 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete
• Runway 11/29: 9,000 x 150 ft (2,743 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete
• Runway 6/24: 7,602 x 150 ft (2,317 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete

Terminals

The airport has two terminals with a total of 5 concourses. International flights and passengers use Terminal 2, whose lower level holds the Immigration and Customs gates. Passengers can move between the terminals on complimentary buses that run continuously, or via MetroLink. It is possible to walk between the terminals via Concourse D, however connection was blocked in 2008 with the closure of Concourse D.^[26]

Terminal 1 (formerly Main Terminal)

• Concourse A: Gates A2–A6, A8–A10, A12, A14–A19, A21
• Concourse B: Gates B2–B4, B6–B8, B10, B12, B14, B16
• Concourse C: Gates C1–C3, C5–C10, C12, C15–C19, C21, C23–C25, C27–C32, C36, C38
  • Note: This concourse is closed for repair which is estimated to take until 2012 ^[26][27]
• Concourse D: Gates D2, D4, D6, D8, D10, D14, D16, D18, D20, D22
  • Note: 12 gates of this concourse were closed as a cost-saving measure in 2008. It was reopened in 2011 for flights displaced from Concourse C.^[28]

Terminal 2 (formerly East Terminal)

• Concourse E: Gates E4, E6, E8, E10, E12, E14, E16, E18, E20, E22, E24, E25, E29, E31, E33.

Public transportation

Metro Rail / Subway

Each of the airport's terminals has a rail station with direct trains to downtown St. Louis on MetroLink's Red Line. One-ride and all-day tickets can be purchased from vending machines on the platforms. MetroLink lines provide direct or indirect service to downtown St. Louis, the Clayton area, and Illinois suburbs in St. Clair County.

MetroBus

Two MetroBus lines serve the Lambert Bus Port, which is located next to the intermediate parking lot, and accessible via the tunnel from Terminal 1:

• 49 Lindbergh
• 66 Clayton-Airport

Airline lounges

The American Airlines Admirals Club at the B/C/D connector is large for its type, with seats for 244. It has a bar/snack area, basic ticketing functions, espresso bar, three private conference rooms, and complimentary use of six PCs, dataports, copier, printer and paper shredder. This club was damaged by the 2011 tornado; a temporary location is operating out of the former Cheers location in D Concourse.

Lambert's USO facility, located on the lower level of the Main Terminal next to baggage claim carousel #M6, is one of the largest in the country. Open 24 hours a day, it serves more than 120,000 military men and women each year.^[29]

Black Americans in Flight mural

Black Americans in Flight is a mural that depicts African American aviators and their contributions to aviation since 1917. It is located in Terminal 1 / Main Terminal on the lower level near the entrance to gates C and D and baggage claim. The mural consists of five panels and measures 8 feet tall and 51 feet long. The first panel includes the Tuskegee Institute and the Tuskegee Airmen, Eugene Bullard, Bessie Coleman, and Willa Brown (first African American woman commercial pilot in United States). The second panel shows Benjamin O. Davis Jr., Clarence "Lucky" Lester and Joseph Ellesberry. The third panel shows Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James, Capt. Ronald Radliff, and Capt. Marcella Hayes. The fourth and fifth panels show Ronald McNair, who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, Guion Bluford, who in 1983 became the first African American in space, and Mae Jemison, the first African America woman in space. Spencer Taylor and Solomon Thurman created the mural in 1990.^[30][31]

Aircraft on display

Two aircraft from the Missouri History Museum hang from Lambert's ceilings. The first is a 1934 Monocoupe D-145 near the Terminal 1 security checkpoint. Charles Lindbergh bought it in 1934 from the Lambert Aircraft Corporation and flew it as his personal plane. The second aircraft, a red Monocoupe 110 Special, manufactured in St. Louis in 1931, hangs in Terminal 2.^[32] Until 1998, a Ryan B-1 Brougham, a replica of the Spirit of St. Louis, hung next to the D-145.^[33]

Aircraft production

Lambert's runways have long been used for test flights and deliveries of military aircraft by McDonnell Douglas, which built its world headquarters and principal assembly plant next to the airport; and now by Boeing, which bought McDonnell and now uses its St. Louis facilities as headquarters for its Boeing Defense, Space & Security division. The plant currently builds the F-15 Strike Eagle, F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18 Growler; and is home to Boeing Phantom Works.

Other facilities

Ozark Air Lines had its corporate headquarters on the property of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport prior the purchase by TWA.^[34]

Operations

Cargo

China Cargo Hub and Aerotropolis

In 2008, China Cargo Airlines (a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines) was reported to be considering a cargo hub at Lambert as part of its international cargo and passenger service expansion.^[35][36] Lambert was considered an attractive option as runway 11/29 would accommodate the large cargo aircraft and the decline in passenger service during the first decade of the 2000s meant less congestion than busier airports such as Chicago O'Hare International Airport.^[37]

Negotiations led to the 2009 creation of the public-private Midwest-China Hub Commission to developing an implementation plan. Planners for the cargo hub envisioned St. Louis as an Aerotropolis, an urban form whose layout, infrastructure, and economy is centered on an airport, offering its businesses speedy connectivity to suppliers, customers, and enterprise partners worldwide. Negotiations between the Chinese ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, China's Minister of Foreign Affairs Li Zhaoxing, Missouri Senators Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill and business leaders from the St. Louis region continued over the next two years. The United States Department of Commerce allowed expansion of the foreign trade zone near Lambert airport on February 13, 2009.^[38]

In 2011, the "Aerotropolis Tax Credit" ^[39] was introduced into the Missouri Senate. The bill provides $360 million of tax incentives to freight forwarders and for the development of warehouses, cold storage facilities and transportation connections in so-called "Gateway Zones," foreign trade zones located within 50 miles of St. Louis.^[40] The bill was debated in a special session during September 2011 but ultimately failed to gain enough support. The future of the tax credit remains uncertain.^[41][42]

On September 23, 2011, the first China Cargo Airlines flight arrived from Shanghai-Pudong. The Boeing 777 aircraft is the first flight for St. Louis' new China Eastern/China Cargo Hub.^[43]

Passengers

Passenger traffic plummeted from a peak of 30.5 million passengers in 2000 to 12.3 million in 2010. Many factors are responsible for the drop including a general drop in air travel after the September 11 attacks,^[44] the purchase of TWA by American Airlines and the subsequent elimination of hub status^[45] and a regional population that grew more slowly than the national average.^[46]

Recent Passenger Statistics

Airlines and destinations

Scheduled Commercial Airlines

Specialty and Charter Airlines

Top destinations

Expansion

Runway 11/29

During the late 1990s, Lambert Field was ranked as the eighth-busiest U.S. airport by flights (not by total passengers) largely due to TWA's hub operations, Southwest Airlines' growing traffic, and commuter traffic to smaller cities in the region. Congestion caused delays during peak hours and was exacerbated when bad weather reduced the number of usable runways from three to one. To cope, Lambert officials briefly redesignated the taxiway immediately north of runway 12L–30R as runway 13–31 and used it for commuter and general aviation traffic. However, traffic projections made in the 1980s and 1990s predicted yet more growth, enough to strain the airport and the national air traffic system.^[51]

These factors led to the planning and construction of a 9,000-foot runway, dubbed Runway 11/29, parallel to the two larger existing runways. At $1.1 billion, it was the costliest public works program in St. Louis history.^[52] It required moving seven major roads and destroying about 2,000 homes, six churches and four schools in Bridgeton, Missouri.^[52][53][54] Construction began in 1998, and continued even as traffic at the airport declined after the 9/11 attacks, the TWA purchase, and American's 2003 reduction in flights.^[55][56] On April 13, 2006, American Airlines Flight 2470 became the first commercial airliner to land on the new runway.^[57]

Since the construction, the runway has been shunned by fuel- and time-conscious airlines because it is farther from terminals than the older runways; an estimated 5% of flights use it.^[52]

21st-century renovation

In February 2007, airport officials announced the largest renovation in the airport's history: a $70 million effort to overhaul the Main Terminal. Dubbed "The Airport Experience Project," it is to be completed in fall 2012.^[58]

Completed Projects

• The domed ceiling has been completely restored with a new acoustic coating and a programmable LED lighting system.^[59]
• A faster, quieter baggage carousel system has been installed.^[59]
• The Main and East terminals were renamed Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and signs throughout the airport were redone to reflect the change and improve wayfinding.^[60]
• Eight restaurants and food vendors were added to the terminal.^[61]

Planned projects

• Security checkpoints are being reconstructed to be more integrated and include new screening technology.^[62]
• A terrazzo floor will be installed throughout the terminal.
• Art glass screens, designed by St. Louis-area artists will be installed throughout the terminal. ^[59]
• A dedicated performance area, dubbed "St. Louis Stage," will be added. ^[63]
• Restrooms throughout the terminal will be renovated; new restrooms will be added to the baggage area.^[64]

Accidents

• On August 5, 1936, Chicago and Southern Flight 4, a Lockheed 10 Electra headed for Chicago, crashed after takeoff killing all 8 passengers and crew. The aircraft became disoriented in fog.
• On 9 January 1984, Douglas C-47B C-GSCA of Skycraft Air Transport crashed on take-off, killing one of its two crew members. The aircraft was on an international cargo flight to Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada. Both engines lost power shortly after take-off. The aircraft had been fueled with JET-A instead of 100LL.^[65]

Lambert in fiction

Television

• In the "Airport" episode of the television show Newsradio, bad weather keeps Bill and Dave at Lambert for the entire show.
• In "The Airport" episode of the television show Seinfeld, Jerry and Elaine leave from Lambert.

Film

• In the 1986 movie Manhunter, FBI agents fly in to Lambert during their pursuit of the killer.
• In the 1987 movie Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Neal Page (Steve Martin) attempts to rent a car at Lambert, with disastrous (and profanity-laden) consequences.^[66][67]
• Part of the 1991 movie The Silence of the Lambs was shot at Lambert.
• In the 2003 movie Anger Management, Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) takes a flight to Lambert.
• Part of the 2006 movie The Lucky Ones, set in Austin, Texas, was shot at Lambert.^[66][67]
• One scene from the 2009 movie The Informant!, directed by Steven Soderbergh, was filmed at Lambert.^[67][68]
• The 2009 movie Up in the Air was filmed in the St. Louis area, including in Lambert's Concourse D, between March 3 and the end of April 2009. In the film, George Clooney alludes to Lambert Field's rich history with the Wright Brothers and Charles Lindbergh.^{[66][67][69][70][71]}

See also

• Thin-shell structure
• Missouri World War II Army Airfields

References

External links

• Lambert-St. Louis International Airport official site
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KSTL
  • ASN accident history for STL
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KSTL
  • FAA current STL delay information
  • OpenNav airspace and charts for KSTL