New airport lounge allows passengers to wait in style

You’ve got a two-hour wait before your plane leaves St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Is it worth $38 to spend that time in a nice lounge with free food and drinks, a coffee bar, restrooms, high-speed wi-fi and portable charging stations?

If the answer is “yes,” you might want to check out Wingtips St. Louis, which opened Friday in Terminal 2, the terminal used by Southwest Airlines. It’s not accessible to passengers in Terminal 1.

The lounge is a place for people to “escape the bustle of the airport and unwind prior to their flights,” Airport Terminal Services President Sally Leible stated in a press release. That company owns and operates Wingtips.

Many airlines offer private lounges for customers who are members of their VIP programs. American Airlines has an Admirals Club in Terminal 1 at Lambert.

But Wingtips is the first “common-use” lounge at the airport. People need not be customers of a particular airline to come in and hang out.

The price of a single-use pass is $38. People can buy memberships that cost $75 for two visits a year with discounted single-use passes thereafter and guest passes; $250 for 10 visits or $500 for unlimited visits. Corporate packages also are available.

“(A common-use lounge) has been one of our highest requested amenities from passengers,” said Jeff Lea, Lambert’s public information manager.

One of the first businesses to sign up for a Wingtips membership was Dovetail Inc., a branding and communications company based in the Central West End.

CEO Tom Etling went with the $500 membership to start. He considers it a perk for his 16 employees, who can use the lounge when they’re traveling out of town for business or going on vacation with their families.

“It’s a great way to show our employees that we care about them when they’re away,” he said.

Food-wise, the lounge has a free buffet, including hot options for breakfast and dinner, and snacks throughout the day. There’s a coffee bar, and complimentary house beers and wines for those over 21. People can purchase premium cocktails.

Etling, 46, of St. Louis, went to a sneak-peek event Thursday at Wingtips and liked the comfy, quiet, modern atmosphere. Seating is available at the bar or tables or along a wall of windows.

“It’s just a nice, serene place where you can relax, get some work done and get something to eat,” Etling said.

For now, Southwest Airlines is the only airline that uses Terminal 2 at Lambert. Beginning in May, it will be joined by WOW air, which will offer flights to Iceland four days a week.

Airport Terminal Services is a St. Louis-based company that also provides aircraft fueling, de-icing and cabin cleaning and passenger ticketing and baggage services at 50 airport terminals in the United States and Canada.

The company has one other Wingtips location, Wingtips New York at John F. Kennedy International Airport, which opened three years ago.

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 12:48 PM with the headline "New airport lounge allows passengers to wait in style."