New regulations passed recently make face coverings mandatory inside Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's (MSP) terminals. The regulations also require face coverings in outdoor public areas of MSP where it could be difficult to maintain adequate social distancing.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz issued an order on Wednesday, July 22, that makes face coverings mandatory in indoor public areas. That order took effect on Saturday, July 25, and includes the terminals and other buildings at MSP.

The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) had already approved a similar face covering requirement that also extended to outdoor public areas at MSP. 

Free face coverings are available at information booths within MSP’s terminals. Face masks and other health safety items, such as hand sanitizer, gloves, and disinfectant wipes, are also available for sale at several MSP retail stores and vending machines throughout the airport.

This month the U.S. departments of Transportation, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services published industry guidance in a report called Runway to Recovery, which strongly encourages that airlines and airports require everyone to wear a mask or cloth face covering in shared spaces.

The MAC and its partners – airlines, airport concessionaires and the Transportation Security Administration – have worked together closely over the past few months to reduce risks of virus spread during all parts of the travel process at MSP.

Launched last month, the MSP Travel Confidently program outlines actions the MAC has taken to help protect travelers and airport employees and provide messaging to encourage travelers to take appropriate steps to protect themselves and those around them.

Key elements include:

• A robust airport cleaning program that includes electrostatic disinfectant fogging
• Floor decals and other signage to encourage social distancing
• Messaging promoting wearing of face coverings at MSP
• Hand sanitizing stations located throughout MSP terminals
• Shield guards at ticket counters, gate desks, gate podiums, TSA document-checking stations, information booths and other locations
• Pre-booked parking which, through use of QR codes, provides for touchless entry and exit from MSP parking ramps

Holman’s Table, the popular restaurant featuring summer-time patio space at the St. Paul Downtown Airport, opened earlier this month after a lengthy closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The restaurant overlooking the airfield has made several changes to ensure safe social distancing, sanitation and compliance with the state’s face mask mandate.

Guests are required to wear a face mask as they arrive and can take it off once seated.

“We’re at 50 percent capacity in the dining room,” said Troy Reding, co-owner of Ally Hospitality, which operates Holman’s Table. “The majority of our guests are eating outside on our patio now.”

The conference center -- that’s also in the historic terminal building and serviced by Holman’s Table’s kitchen -- has re-opened as well and can accommodate groups of up to 50 people with appropriate social distancing.

Holman’s Table is open Wednesdays through Sundays for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. See the restaurant's "Now Boarding" web page for a detailed list of adjustments to its operations brought on by the pandemic.

The Metropolitan Airports Commission built out the former restaurant space in 2017, making it ready for a restaurant proprietor to take up shop, and now leases the space to the owners of Holman's Table.

The relatively young restaurant has already won a number of awards and last year was named by the St. Paul Pioneer Press as one of the 12 best spots to have brunch.  

Travelers are beginning to take to the air again, and MSP is implementing new strategies to keep everyone -- including travelers and employees -- safe and healthy.

To ensure we’re keeping your concerns top-of-mind, we’re asking travelers for their feedback via a three-minute survey. 

We want to know your expectations regarding air travel and your comfort level with your next flight. Your input will help guide our next steps. And we're tracking traveler sentiment over time, so if you took the survey earlier, feel free to take it again.

Thank you for your help in making air travel safe and comfortable.

The Minnesota Dept. of Transportation is continuing its reconstruction work on Highway 5 in front of MSP Airport's Terminal 1, and a number of new ramp closures are scheduled for early August.

• The ramp from Highway 5 west to I-494 east is closing at 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3 through October.
• The ramp from I-494 west to 34^th Avenue will close at 5 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5 through October.
• The ramp from Highway 5 west to 34^th Avenue will close 5 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 6 through October.

Currently, Highway 5 eastbound continues to be closed between I-494 and Davern St. in St Paul through mid-August.

 A number of other existing ramp closures will also continue through mid-August. Visit AroundtheAirport.com for all of the details.

Passengers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) will notice a new Wi-Fi service on their laptops and mobile devices the next time they pass through.

The new system provides additional bandwidth and offers better coverage to support the growing number of devices connected to the Internet.

To access the system, airport guests simply open a browser on their laptop, tablet or smartphone and select MSP Airport WiFi from the network choices. After accepting the terms of use, guests will be connected in seconds.