ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - October is shaping up to be the start of a big window for Lambert International Airport.
Lambert International Airport is set to see more flights come and go from the airport soon and passengers will get to see a potentially different looking Lambert in the future, with a big goal in mind.
More flights are set to come and go from Lambert. Southwest Airlines alone is set to offer more flights than ever before, including a direct flight to a major hub in California in the next few months.
Air Canada also added another direct flight from St. Louis, offering flight goers a chance to catch a direct to Montreal, Quebec now. That flight will begin in May 2024.
Over $331 million in upgrades are also coming to the airport. Most of the upgrades are behind the scenes, like the relocation of airfield maintenance and a new central utility plant -both facilities having been in use dating back to the 1950s and 1960s - along with a deicing pad.
"These are facilities that are coming into their life's end," said Lambert Airport Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge.
Airlines like Southwest are helping pitch in on the upgrades. Southwest, alone is pitching in $60 million to upgrade the baggage claim in Terminal 2 at the airport, giving their passengers a chance to get their bags faster.
"(The baggage claim) project is about 90% complete on the design," said Hamm-Niebreugge, "We should see construction start there in the spring of next year."
Hamm-Niebreugge says that these upgrades will help pave a path for a even bigger goal set in mind - a new single concourse terminal for all airlines.
"That project is still being negotiated and worked on," said Hamm-Niebreugge, "If you go back and look into our master plan, all these things were getting ready and put into our master plan to be able to think about a potential new terminal."