St. Louis Lambert International Airport (KSTL/STL)
St Louis, United States
St. Louis Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The STL crew card
| Fastest into town | MetroLink Red Line from your own terminal’s station, out Door 1 on the Ticketing Level at Terminal 1 or out Door 12 and through the parking garage at Terminal 2: 30 minutes from Terminal 1 to Union Station in downtown St. Louis, 28 minutes from Terminal 2, with trains every 20 minutes for most of the day and a USD 2.50 flat rail fare |
|---|---|
| First and last train | Toward town the first train leaves Terminal 1 at 4:56 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 4:58 a.m., the last at 12:56 a.m. and 12:58 a.m. Coming back, the last train of the night reaches Terminal 2 at 12:43 a.m. and Terminal 1 at 12:45 a.m., and the one before it reaches Terminal 1 at 12:06 a.m. Same times seven days a week |
| Payments | Buy before you board: every MetroLink station has a Ticket Vending Machine, and the automated gates only open on a paid fare. A single rail ride is USD 2.50 and a One-Day Pass for bus and rail is USD 5.00, so a return trip costs the same either way |
| Tap water | Safe to drink in the City of St. Louis |
| Emergency | 911 (City of St. Louis, STL Airport, and Metro Transit numbers) · non-emergency 314-231-1212 |
| Solo & at night | Metro Public Safety is available 24/7 and every MetroLink platform is watched on closed circuit cameras around the clock. Text 314-300-0188 or call 314-289-6873 to report anything on the system |
| Crew knows | Two single rides cost the same as the USD 5.00 One-Day Pass, so take the pass: bus travel comes with it at no extra cost. In the airport direction the last trains are not evenly spaced. The second to last reaches Terminal 1 at 12:06 a.m. and the last at 12:45 a.m., so a miss there costs you 39 minutes instead of the usual 20. |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · STL crew card · Checked Sep 2026 · Next check Sep 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
Getting from St. Louis Lambert Airport into downtown St. Louis: the MetroLink Red Line, a taxi, or a rideshare?
One rail line does the whole job. The MetroLink Red Line starts at the airport and runs straight through downtown St. Louis, and each terminal has its own station, reached by walking out of the building. Everything else at STL is a road option: taxis run on a metered rate the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission caps, and rideshare is app-priced with no published rate. Until 5 September the Red Line runs up to 5 minutes late in the evenings while Metro single tracks near Union Station and Civic Center.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train (MetroLink Red Line) | 30 minutes from Terminal 1 to Union Station, 31 to Civic Center, 34 to 8th & Pine; two minutes less from Terminal 2 on every trip. The last two trains of the night, 12:16 a.m. and 12:56 a.m. from Terminal 1, stop at Civic Center and go no further, so they reach neither 8th & Pine nor the riverfront stops every 20 minutes for most of the day, seven days a week, with wider gaps at each end of service |
USD 2.50 single rail ride, USD 1.25 reduced, USD 5.00 One-Day Pass valid on bus and rail | The Terminal 1 station is out Door 1 on the Ticketing Level, east of all ticket counters. The Terminal 2 station is out Door 12, through the parking garage. Terminal 1 is the end of the line, so trains leave there two minutes before Terminal 2 and arrive there two minutes later. Late in the evening several trains run only part of the route: from Terminal 1 the 11:36 p.m. goes no further than Fairview Heights, the 11:56 p.m. stops at Emerson Park, and the last two, 12:16 a.m. and 12:56 a.m., end at Civic Center. All of those still reach downtown St. Louis, but the last two stop at Civic Center and do not serve 8th & Pine or Laclede’s Landing. Coming back the headway is not flat either: trains reach Terminal 1 every 20 minutes for most of the day, but the second to last arrives at 12:06 a.m. and the last at 12:45 a.m., a gap of 39 minutes. |
| Taxi | metered, with the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission capping the meter at USD 4.50 to start, USD 3.00 per mile, USD 1.00 for each additional passenger, and USD 40.00 per hour of waiting time; every airport pickup adds an Airport Use Fee of USD 4.00, and an approved fuel surcharge of up to USD 1.00 per trip may apply. No total fare to downtown is published | The Terminal 1 taxi zone is out Door 14 on the Garage Yellow Level. The Terminal 2 taxi zone is across from Door 12 in the T2 Garage. Airport taxis are regulated by the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission, and its vehicle for hire code caps what the meter may charge: USD 4.50 to start, USD 3.00 per mile, USD 1.00 for each additional passenger, and USD 40.00 per hour of waiting time. Those are ceilings, not a quote. A rate card has to be posted where you can see it inside the cab, so read it before you sit down. At high demand special events the commission can allow a higher rate, which also has to be posted inside the vehicle. No official body publishes a total fare from the airport to downtown, so we do not quote one; ask the driver for an estimate against the meter rates before the bags go in. Complaints go to the commission on 314-535-7700. | |
| Rideshare (Uber, Lyft) | app-priced; the airport publishes no rate | Pickup is not on the same level at the two terminals. The Terminal 1 rideshare zone is at Door 6 of the Departure Level, upstairs from arrivals. The Terminal 2 rideshare zone is at Door 12 of the Arrivals Level. Book in the app before you walk out. | |
| Free Terminal Shuttle (Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 only) | about 10 minutes every 8 to 15 minutes, 24 hours a day |
free | This one moves you between the two terminals, not into town. It runs between Exit 12 at Terminal 1 and Door 10 at Terminal 2, which sit just over a mile apart, and there is no walking route between them. If it does not show, the dispatch number is 314-890-2880. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in St. Louis, from the downtown riverfront out along the Red Line to the Delmar Loop
Downtown and the riverfront: The Arch, the ballpark, and the old brick core, all within a few blocks of the Union Station, Civic Center, and 8th & Pine rail stops.
Central West End: Tree lined streets, sidewalk tables, and the edge of Forest Park, sitting on the same rail line as the airport.
Forest Park: A very large city park with free museums and the zoo inside it, reached from the Central West End or Forest Park-DeBaliviere stops.
The Delmar Loop: Record shops, cheap kitchens, and live music along one long street, with its own stop on the Red Line.
Soulard and Lafayette Square: Nineteenth century blocks, a covered market, and neighborhood bars south of downtown; off the rail line, so a short road hop from it.
What to Do on a Layover in St. Louis, from a short sit airside to an evening downtown and one neighborhood
Under 5 hours: Stay airside. There is nowhere at STL to leave a bag, and a downtown round trip plus screening on the way back eats the whole window.
5 to 9 hours: One clean move: Red Line to a single downtown stop, the riverfront and the Arch grounds on foot, and back on the same line. Pick your return train before you leave the platform. They run every 20 minutes for most of the day, but the service thins at the end: the second to last train back reaches Terminal 1 at 12:06 a.m. and the last one at 12:45 a.m., so a miss late in the evening costs you nearly 40 minutes.
9 hours plus: Downtown plus one neighborhood off the same rail line, the Central West End or the Delmar Loop, with a proper sit down meal, and the last train back still behind you.
Crew Tips for St. Louis and STL Airport: the fare, the two terminals, and the last train of the night
Paying for the train: You need a fare before you reach the platform. Ticket Vending Machines stand at every MetroLink station including both airport stations, mobile fares run through the Transit app, and Metro has activated automated security gates at all MetroLink stations that open on a scanned QR code or a tapped Ride On card. A single rail ride is USD 2.50, a One-Day Pass covering bus and rail is USD 5.00, and reduced rail is USD 1.25. Two single rail rides cost exactly the same as the day pass, so buy the pass and keep the option of a bus. Some tickets come pre stamped and some do not: if yours carries no time stamp, put it in one of the red validation machines on the platform.
Know which terminal you are in: STL has two terminals more than a mile apart with no walkway between them, and each has its own MetroLink station with its own times. Neither station is inside the building. From Terminal 1 you walk out Door 1 on the Ticketing Level, east of the ticket counters, and trains leave there from 4:56 a.m. to 12:56 a.m. From Terminal 2 you walk out Door 12 and through the parking garage, and trains leave from 4:58 a.m. to 12:58 a.m. Coming back it reverses: the last train reaches Terminal 2 at 12:43 a.m. and Terminal 1 at 12:45 a.m. If you are in the wrong building, the free Terminal Shuttle runs 24 hours a day between Exit 12 at Terminal 1 and Door 10 at Terminal 2, every 8 to 15 minutes, about a 10 minute ride.
There is nowhere to store a bag: STL states plainly that personal items may not be left unattended anywhere in the airport and that it is unable to provide any lockers or other storage spaces for belongings. Plan a layover in town around what you can carry. If you have already lost something, the Airport Police lost and found is in Terminal 1 near Door 18 on 314-890-1370; the airport FAQ gives its hours as Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central, while the service listing gives them as daily, so a weekend call is worth trying but not worth counting on.
What a taxi may charge you: A St. Louis airport taxi runs on a meter with a legal ceiling, and knowing it is your protection. The Metropolitan Taxicab Commission caps the meter at USD 4.50 to start, USD 3.00 per mile, USD 1.00 for each additional passenger, and USD 40.00 per hour of waiting time, and the cab has to carry a rate card posted where you can read it before you sit down. On top of the meter come the airport’s Airport Use Fee of USD 4.00 per pickup and, where the company has been approved to levy one, a fuel surcharge of up to USD 1.00 per trip. At high demand special events the commission can allow a higher rate, which also has to be posted inside the vehicle. No official body publishes a total fare from the airport to downtown, so ask the driver for an estimate against those rates before the bags go in. Complaints go to the commission on 314-535-7700.
Getting online: Metro Transit runs free Wi-Fi on all MetroBus, MetroLink, and Metro Call-A-Ride vehicles: connect to Metro Public Wi-Fi and a login screen appears. Metro says outright that the network is public and not encrypted and that it does not guarantee the privacy of your data, so keep crew mail and rosters off it and use your own data for anything that matters. The airport publishes nothing about Wi-Fi in its terminals, so do not plan on finding it there.
Timing the last train and the checkpoints: The last train back to the airport leaves 8th & Pine at 12:11 a.m., Civic Center at 12:14 a.m., and Union Station at 12:15 a.m., every day, reaching Terminal 1 at 12:45 a.m. The one before it leaves Union Station at 11:36 p.m. and reaches Terminal 1 at 12:06 a.m., so the last gap of the night is 39 minutes rather than the usual 20. Miss the last one and you are on a road fare. Going the other way, note that the security checkpoints do not run as long as the terminals do: the airport building is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but the T1 A Gates checkpoint runs 3:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and both the T1 C Gates and T2 E Gates checkpoints run 3:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Emergency Numbers for St. Louis, Missouri, and the United States
👉 Swipe sideways if the numbers do not fit
| Emergency (police, fire, medical) | 911 |
| St. Louis Metropolitan Police, non-emergency (past crimes, no suspect at the scene) | 314-231-1212 |
| St. Louis Airport Police at STL, 24 hours (emergencies and dispatch) | 314-426-8100 |
| Metro Public Safety, 24/7, on MetroLink and MetroBus | 314-289-6873 |
| United States country code (calling from abroad) | +1 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from St. Louis Lambert airport to downtown St. Louis?
Take the MetroLink Red Line from your own terminal’s station. Neither station is inside the building: at Terminal 1 you walk out Door 1 on the Ticketing Level, east of the ticket counters, and at Terminal 2 you walk out Door 12 and through the parking garage. From Terminal 1 the ride is 30 minutes to Union Station, 31 to Civic Center, and 34 to 8th & Pine; from Terminal 2 each of those is two minutes shorter. Trains run every 20 minutes for most of the day, seven days a week. The last two trains of the night, 12:16 a.m. and 12:56 a.m. from Terminal 1, stop at Civic Center and go no further, so they do not reach 8th & Pine or the riverfront stops.
How much is the train from STL airport to St. Louis?
A single MetroLink ride is USD 2.50, or USD 1.25 at the reduced fare. A One-Day Pass good on both bus and rail is USD 5.00, which is what two single rail rides cost anyway, so it is the better buy for a return trip. Buy at a Ticket Vending Machine at either airport station or in the Transit app before you reach the gates.
What time is the first and last MetroLink train at St. Louis airport?
Toward town, the first train leaves Terminal 1 at 4:56 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 4:58 a.m., and the last leaves at 12:56 a.m. and 12:58 a.m. Coming back, the last train of the night reaches Terminal 2 at 12:43 a.m. and Terminal 1 at 12:45 a.m., leaving 8th & Pine at 12:11 a.m., Civic Center at 12:14 a.m., and Union Station at 12:15 a.m. The train before it leaves Union Station at 11:36 p.m. and reaches Terminal 1 at 12:06 a.m., so the last gap of the night is 39 minutes. The times are the same every day of the week.
How much is a taxi from St. Louis Lambert airport?
There is no published total fare to downtown, but there is a legal ceiling on the meter. The Metropolitan Taxicab Commission caps an airport taxi at USD 4.50 to start, USD 3.00 per mile, USD 1.00 for each additional passenger, and USD 40.00 per hour of waiting time, and the cab must carry a rate card posted where you can read it. On top of the meter come the airport’s Airport Use Fee of USD 4.00 per pickup and, where the company is approved to levy one, a fuel surcharge of up to USD 1.00 per trip. Ask the driver for an estimate against those rates before you load the bags.
Can I store luggage at St. Louis Lambert airport during a layover?
No. The airport states that personal items may not be left unattended anywhere in the building and that it is unable to provide any lockers or other storage spaces for belongings. Plan a trip into town around what you can carry with you.
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Crew Discounts in St. Louis: verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff sit right below this guide. Bookmark this page before you walk out to the MetroLink platform. Next St. Louis rotation you start on the rates instead of from scratch.
