Originally Posted by flyguy81

The only thing STL has going is gate space. Terminal is old, food options suck, downtown is crime ridden, airport hotels have nothing nearby.


If we shrunk STL through flights and grew MCI provided there’s enough gate space I can see it make more sense.

Originally Posted by TransWorld

STL is making a move towards a new terminal. My guess is 8 to 10 years away for opening.

Originally Posted by Zard

STL is a dying city. We already have the market cornered there with our OAK and BWI bases.

Originally Posted by ZapBrannigan

Yep. Had to want it more than anything or we wouldn’t have kept on going, Funny thing was that was my 2nd pass through Chautauqua. I had left there earlier that year, gone to AirTran as a DC9 copilot, and been furloughed a few months after training (10/98). Chautauqua was kind enough to take me back (as a newhire on the bottom of the list), but since I didn’t have any money - I had burned through my savings during training at AirTran - and I coasted into town on fumes, I didn’t have anyplace to live. My parents helped with hotels for a week or so, but I was ashamed to keep asking for money, so I parked my car in the back of a parking garage on Flaugherty Run Road. I slept in my car, and took showers at the YMCA. Chautauqua was outstation based so I was back there every night. If it got cold, I would go to a laundromat because it was warm and they had a TV.

Anyway, met my now wife sitting next to her on a deadhead from PIT to CAK. There weren’t cellphones back then so I gave her my pager number. When we started dating I couldn’t afford much so I took her to the Western PA humane society and we would walk dogs. She thought it was romantic and sweet. I was just glad it was free. She thought I was a real gentleman that I never asked her to come back to my place. In early November 98’ somehow Chief Pilot Alex Osleger found out that I was living in my car and called me while I was at work. He told me he was afraid I was going to die if I slept in my car during the winter in Pittsburgh, so he put me on TDY in Syracuse, New York with a paid hotel room. (Come to think of it, I must have been on the Saab when I came back because Syracuse didn’t have the J-ball). He probably saved my life.

I slowly saved enough money to rent an apartment in PIT, and early in 1999 I was hired by USAir and got a recall from AirTran in the same month. I didn’t tell my wife that I was homeless when we had met until after we were engaged.

So yeah. We had to want it more than anything. We had to love every minute of it. We were young, and single, and building multi-engine turbine time for the majors… what did we have to complain about? 🤪

Originally Posted by ZapBrannigan

Yep. Had to want it more than anything or we wouldn’t have kept on going, Funny thing was that was my 2nd pass through Chautauqua. I had left there earlier that year, gone to AirTran as a DC9 copilot, and been furloughed a few months after training (10/98). Chautauqua was kind enough to take me back (as a newhire on the bottom of the list), but since I didn’t have any money - I had burned through my savings during training at AirTran - and I coasted into town on fumes, I didn’t have anyplace to live. My parents helped with hotels for a week or so, but I was ashamed to keep asking for money, so I parked my car in the back of a parking garage on Flaugherty Run Road. I slept in my car, and took showers at the YMCA. Chautauqua was outstation based so I was back there every night. If it got cold, I would go to a laundromat because it was warm and they had a TV.

Anyway, met my now wife sitting next to her on a deadhead from PIT to CAK. There weren’t cellphones back then so I gave her my pager number. When we started dating I couldn’t afford much so I took her to the Western PA humane society and we would walk dogs. She thought it was romantic and sweet. I was just glad it was free. She thought I was a real gentleman that I never asked her to come back to my place. In early November 98’ somehow Chief Pilot Alex Osleger found out that I was living in my car and called me while I was at work. He told me he was afraid I was going to die if I slept in my car during the winter in Pittsburgh, so he put me on TDY in Syracuse, New York with a paid hotel room. (Come to think of it, I must have been on the Saab when I came back because Syracuse didn’t have the J-ball). He probably saved my life.

I slowly saved enough money to rent an apartment in PIT, and early in 1999 I was hired by USAir and got a recall from AirTran in the same month. I didn’t tell my wife that I was homeless when we had met until after we were engaged.

So yeah. We had to want it more than anything. We had to love every minute of it. We were young, and single, and building multi-engine turbine time for the majors… what did we have to complain about? 🤪

Originally Posted by flyguy81

Is it just because the terminal is new? There’s like 8 other cities with more flights/day than MCI.

Originally Posted by freestateflyer

MCI isn’t done adding gates and space. It’s designed to expand. I bet they expand and give SWA wayyyyy more space.

The mayor and city will give tax credits to entirely foot the bill for SWA expansion. Having a hub of a major is the city’s long term goal, and SWA has been its best customer.

Very different mindset from old MCI to new. Kinda nice to see.