SWA Help needed-St. Louis Terminal

[SnowWhite33]

It has been many years since we have flown SWA, but we are looking to book them for our June trip.

For the flight home we will have a connecting flight in St. Louis. It looks like only 40 minutes difference in the landing/take off. Are the SWA gates all together at the St Louis airport? With only 40 minutes between flights I'm worried we'll miss our plane if we have to travel too far between gates.

Is there still such a thing as Ding airfares? Also if my flights were to go down in cost (wishful thinking I know ) do they offer credits/refunds and how do I go about getting those?

Also am I correct in my understanding that there are now Early check in tickets that you can purchase? How does that work? There are 3 of us and as long as 2 of us can sit together we will be ok so it is probably not a concern, just a curiosity.

TIA for helping me-airfare is the my most hated part of planning a WDW trip

 

[SnowWhite33]

Ok, not as worried about the connecting flight-I just realized that St Louis is on CST and we are on EST-so I'm thinking that makes the layover 1 hour and 40 minutes. Would that be right?

If only I could tolerate my DH and DS in the same car for the 14 hour drive to FL then I wouldn't have to worry over flights

 

[dmank]

all the SW flights are in one terminal in St Louis. Connections are probably at most a 7 minute walk.

 

[SnowWhite33]

all the SW flights are in one terminal in St Louis. Connections are probably at most a 7 minute walk.

Thank you and that is good to know-just in case!

 

[malibuconlee]

You won't have any problem witha 40 minute connection. The times listed for landing then departure will be local time and St. Louis is in the Central time zone.

 

[NotUrsula]

SWA's gates are all in Terminal 2 (better known as the East Terminal) together; it's a straight-line terminal with 9 contiguous gates, numbered E4 to E20 (they only use even numbers as the gates are all on one side of the building.) The walk from E4 to E20 is no more than about 80 yards.

Airside services: There are two gift shops, a small deli, a Burger King, a Cinnabon, a California Pizza Kitchen, a TCBY, and a small Chilis restaurant/bar, and two full sets of restrooms. If you need electrical outlets other than the ones supplied in SWA lounge chairs, they are located on the window-facing side of every third upright beam column near the windows. You'll be fine with that layover.

 

[Jestocost]

SWA's gates are all in Terminal 2 (better known as the East Terminal) together; it's a straight-line terminal with 9 contiguous gates, numbered E4 to E20 (they only use even numbers as the gates are all on one side of the building.) The walk from E4 to E20 is no more than about 80 yards.

Airside services: There are two gift shops, a small deli, a Burger King, a Cinnabon, a California Pizza Kitchen, a TCBY, and a small Chilis restaurant/bar, and two full sets of restrooms. If you need electrical outlets other than the ones supplied in SWA lounge chairs, they are located on the window-facing side of every third upright beam column near the windows. You'll be fine with that layover.

There also is a Dunkin Donuts and a small sports bar with a limited menu, FWIW.

 

[chamonix]

Ok, not as worried about the connecting flight-I just realized that St Louis is on CST and we are on EST-so I'm thinking that makes the layover 1 hour and 40 minutes. Would that be right?

Whatever time your itinerary and tickets have as the "Arrival" time will be in the local time....in this case, CST. They take into account the time you depart from EST, your flying time, and finally, the local time when they create your itinerary. It sounds to me like you do, indeed, have a 40 minute connection. Good news is, that should be easy to make as long as you are arriving on SWA as well. Some (most) airlines are in the Main terminal which requires a shuttle to transfer and you will have to go through security again. I would not schedule a 40 minute layover if you have to transfer terminals in STL.

 

[gibsontrio]

trust me when I say 40 min is doable! I made it across Chicago Ohare in 35 min with 3 kids (under 7) 3 carry ons with time to spare. If it says your layover is 40 min on the ticket it is 40 min there, they adjust the time for you. So no stopping for food get right to your gate.

 

[SnowWhite33]

Whatever time your itinerary and tickets have as the "Arrival" time will be in the local time....in this case, CST. They take into account the time you depart from EST, your flying time, and finally, the local time when they create your itinerary. It sounds to me like you do, indeed, have a 40 minute connection. Good news is, that should be easy to make as long as you are arriving on SWA as well. Some (most) airlines are in the Main terminal which requires a shuttle to transfer and you will have to go through security again. I would not schedule a 40 minute layover if you have to transfer terminals in STL.

Arriving 7:20PM Departing 8:00PM so that's 40 minutes. We are flying SW only, no other airline. So will we need to go through security again?

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Arriving 7:20PM Departing 8:00PM so that's 40 minutes. We are flying SW only, no other airline. So will we need to go through security again?

As long as you don't leave the secure area of the terminal, there will be no need to go through security, and there is no real reason to leave the secure area.

It is a very easy terminal to deal with.

 

[SnowWhite33]

As long as you don't leave the secure area of the terminal, there will be no need to go through security, and there is no real reason to leave the secure area.

It is a very easy terminal to deal with.

Thank you!

Normally we only do non stop-haven't been on a connecting flight since 2002, and have never been through St Louis on a plane. Prices and flight time were a plus.

 

[snickerboo]

STL has tiny little terminals, you could have done 40 minutes with no trouble. With an hour & 40 you'll have a nice break. There's Starbucks in there, other food & some shops.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

It has been many years since we have flown SWA, but we are looking to book them for our June trip.

For the flight home we will have a connecting flight in St. Louis. It looks like only 40 minutes difference in the landing/take off. Are the SWA gates all together at the St Louis airport? With only 40 minutes between flights I'm worried we'll miss our plane if we have to travel too far between gates.

Is there still such a thing as Ding airfares? Also if my flights were to go down in cost (wishful thinking I know ) do they offer credits/refunds and how do I go about getting those?

Also am I correct in my understanding that there are now Early check in tickets that you can purchase? How does that work? There are 3 of us and as long as 2 of us can sit together we will be ok so it is probably not a concern, just a curiosity.

TIA for helping me-airfare is the my most hated part of planning a WDW trip

Yes, there are DING fares, but they seem to be farther and few between. I wouldn't rely solely on those.

If you purchaes airfare and it goes down before your flight, you can get credit towards future flights taken within 1 year of your original purchase date. SWA does not charge any change fees for this.

Early Bird Check In is a service provided by SWA. For $10 per ticket, SWA will automatically check you in 36 hours before your flight. This gets you an earlier boarding number than those checking themselves in at 24 hours. It is most convenient when flying home and you won't have access to a computer without a hassle. As long as you check in exactly 24 hours before your flight, you should have no problem getting on board and finding seats together.

 

[PlutosFriend]

It has been many years since we have flown SWA, but we are looking to book them for our June trip.

For the flight home we will have a connecting flight in St. Louis. It looks like only 40 minutes difference in the landing/take off. Are the SWA gates all together at the St Louis airport? With only 40 minutes between flights I'm worried we'll miss our plane if we have to travel too far between gates.


TIA for helping me-airfare is the my most hated part of planning a WDW trip

STL is my home airport. The area you will be in, East Terminal is wonderfully easy I can't imagine any walk to your next flight being more than 5 minutes.