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I don't mean to post what's probably a silly complaint, but I have to ask -- is there some reason why the AA area at the St. Louis airport is such a dismal pit of despair? I've honestly never seen anything like it. I transited through there last week and it felt like getting off the plane in a third world country. Well actually to be honest most third world countries I've been to have at least managed to get it together enough to have a decent airport.

There wasn't a single electronic screen to be seen, no way to tell what gate my connection was leaving from. They had the old press on letter style information at the gates. Unbelievably, I had to ask three different gate agents before they directed my to the proper gate for my flight to Laguardia (after being sent to the Newark gate, and then the Austin gate, inexplicably). There's no AC, unless you want to call the disgusting smoking lounge the athsmatics club (which reminds me, there's not even a DOOR on the smoking lounge, bizzare).

Is this something inherited from TWA? I would assume it was just a minor presence for AA but in my multiple attempts to find my flight I realized that they had to have at least a dozen gates and seemed to have a flight leaving every 10 minutes or so, it's a fairly major AA terminal. I would speak with more authority but, of course, there were no screens telling me how many flights AA had.

It's the kind of thing where I really would never transit in STL again if I had a choice, and it honestly makes me never want to go to St. Louis, not that I had plans to. Is there something unseen going on here, like a new terminal about to be opened, or an imminent departure of the market by AA?

olimaspecto

I agree that STL is probably the worst hub airport in the system (erspecially when compared to LAX and redone DFW with the new terminal, though at times BOS might be as bad as STL), but I don't think its quite as bad as you make it out to be. I don't transit STL that often but I did a few times last month and I never had a problem finding an electronic screen to tell me where I was departing from. Also, the AC is actually pretty good and when I have been there has plenty of room in it, so I'm not sure what you're referring to with your comments about the smoking lounge.

In general, St. Louis is facing a mass exodous and economic decline so money to fix up the airport from municipal authorities is not exactly plentiful. Combine that with AA's own financial problems and cost-cutting and that's why there haven't been as many improvements.

magic111

I connected through STL for the first time last week and if IRRC the first thing I did was to check the bank of TV monitors (just like the ones at SFO, ORD etc, etc) to see where my flight was going to. Was also able to observe all the other places that flights were leaving for on those same monitors.

Since I had some time until my flight I walked up and down the concouse and observed that they had the old announcement boards at the gate (the same as SFO) but had a greater variety of concessions than SFO but not as many as ORD. Even walked up to the unused end of the concourse where it appears that the international flights use to leave from (TWA days)

Wonder if you have been to the 3rd world recently?

Do agree with you that it is a silly complaint. YMMV

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There is an Admirals Club! Boy I feel stupid now, I hadn't bothered to check before the trip (was supposed to be a 35 minute connection until they had major delays) and I asked two separate gate agents if there was one and they didn't know. Didn't see a single sign for one and I walked all the way down the line. Go figure. And the TV/gate screens were out too, as mentioned. Maybe I fell into the twilight zone that day or something.

Spiff

It's located at the B/C/D nexus, just to the left past the security checkpoint.

As far as STL goes, it's an Oasis. Too bad my favorite bartender no longer works there.

NYCQuaker

You missed out too! STL AC AAngels are some of the best I've dealt with in the system!

olimaspecto

The AC is not in that visible of a location if you are not just switching terminals as it is located right close to the security checkpoint off to the side.

aviationkiwi

The Airport is not the best but not the worst either. Have you been to MIA Concourse C? I call that the pits.

The AC is pretty nice, plenty of room and very helpful and friendly attendants.
You can find the AC in between Concourse B and C.

gemac

I don't know what airport you were at. Other than the generalized moan, I got 3 facts out of your post:
1. AA has at least a dozen gates at STL,
2. There are no TV monitors displaying arrival/departure information, and
3. There is no Admiral's club.

The STL airport has:
1. About 60 AA gates, not easily confused with about a dozen.
2. As many TV monitors as other airports I go to, and
3. An Admiral's Club.

You sure you were in STL?

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Well it's just my opinion, don't kill me here. But to clarify perhaps.

1. AA has quite a few gates at STL, no disagreement here, there are many.
2. There were a couple black monitors on the wall, none of them were working. Based on responses that was obviously temporary, but they most definitely were not working when I was there.
3. An admirals club, that's my fault. Though asking more than once is a little off-putting, but no worries.

I will stand by it though, that airport really is one of the most backward and dirty and disorganized I've been to in the US. Except Miami, fair enough. Honestly though I am surprised, that's all. I wasn't posting so much to rant, but more out of curiousity -- it made me assume that either STL was in store for major renovations, or for abandonment.

Spiff

I agree. While the roof isn't leaking and there doesn't seem to be a pest problem, there's not much airside (or landside) in the way of shopping, good restaurants/bars, etc.

I'd call STL "functional" and leave it at that.

Abidjan

You know, I wasn't that impressed with the STL AC. But you're dead on about the Angels - very nice and helpful. ^ And yes STL is not a show palace, but I love taking the 4 mile walk between B/C and the Southwest gates. All those vacated gates, old screens, the Italian Restaurant with the sauce still on the shelves, etc.

FrmAEattendant

Do you think AA will ever ramp up STL again to hub status, or will it continue to be a base airport?

rbessler

Generalizing the topic a bit more, who exactly is responsible for the state of the gates at airports? Is it the airport authority or the airline? I would assume the airline, but there is such a large disparity across the system and even within airports. Also, it always seems like the "state" of the gates are constant across airlines within a terminal. At newer terminals like DFW D, you have plasma monitors at the gates, while over at the other side in DFW A-C, you have normal televisions. At Dallas Love field, you have plasma monitors at the check-in landside, but when you get to the gate you simply have the manual push up letters.

mlraa1

STL is in the middle of a conversion from old style CRT screens to Flat screen LCD monitors at the gates and information centers. This might have been why the screens were not working. While STL is not the nicest hub it is by far not a third world country. I transit it frequently and prefer it to some of the other overly congested hub choices. As far as eating and shopping in STL it has improved drastically over the last two years with the addition of some new restaurants vs the hot dog/pretzel stand and cocktail bar of two years ago. I agree that the AC staff is always very friendly. Third world country is T3 at LAX or the trailers at LGB.