Minnesotans will soon have another way to connect with the fourth-largest city in the United States.
Southwest Airlines will launch new service between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) in early 2021. Southwest will begin the daily MSP-HOU flights on March 11, 2021 using Boeing 737-700 aircraft.
Southwest will be the first carrier to serve Houston Hobby.
Delta and United currently serve Houston via the city’s other airport, Bush Intercontinental (IAH). Houston was the 21st largest domestic market from MSP in 2019, averaging 460 passengers per day, or 168,000 passengers annually.
“The Southwest expansion at MSP brings a new airport and even more flight options to Houston and southeast Texas,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which operates MSP. “Houston Hobby will also provide additional connecting opportunities on Southwest to their network of international destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America.”
“As airlines work to align their route networks with post-pandemic realities, it’s great to see them choosing MSP for new service,” said MAC Chair Rick King. “The addition of Southwest to the Houston market adds new pricing and connection options both for leisure travelers and the business community.”
Houston Hobby will be Southwest’s 15th destination from MSP, although the airline has temporarily suspended service to many of those cities during the pandemic. The airline currently serves three destinations: Chicago Midway, Denver and Phoenix from MSP. In 2019, Southwest averaged 22 daily departures.
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Delta Air Lines will resume international service between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Amsterdam (AMS) beginning October 25, 2020. It will be the first transoceanic service to restart from MSP since the COVID-19 pandemic led airlines to suspend such service last spring.
Delta will operate four flights per week (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) to Amsterdam on A330-300 aircraft. From Amsterdam, travelers will have many options to connect to other cities in Europe and beyond. Amsterdam is Delta’s largest European hub.
“Resumption of transoceanic service is a significant milestone in our recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 and a tremendous boost for MSP and the Twin Cities region,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which operates MSP. “While obstacles such as national quarantines and limited demand will likely delay resumption of MSP’s full contingent of pre-COVID transoceanic service, the resumption of Amsterdam service is an important first step, ensuring that people in the region once again have direct access to Europe.”
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently removed one obstacle to resumption of international service when it stopped funneling passengers from particular countries to a handful of U.S. airports.
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Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is one of only seven airports worldwide to be named to the Airports Council International (ACI) Director General’s Roll of Excellence in Airport Service Quality.
Through ACI’s Air Service Quality (ASQ) program, travelers are surveyed at airports around the globe regarding more than 30 aspects of their airport experience. Based on survey results, MSP has been named the Best Airport in North America in its size category (25 to 40 million passengers per year) for the past four consecutive years.
ACI created the Roll of Excellence in 2011 to recognize airports that have consistently delivered excellent services.
In notifying MSP of the award, ACI Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira wrote, “Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has consistently delivered excellence in customer service by winning multiple ASQ awards over a five-year period during the past 10 years and is one of only seven airports worldwide that will receive the recognition this year. I am confident that you will continue to be a role model for airport service quality excellence."
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The reconstruction of MSP’s Terminal 1 inbound roadway is a bright spot for airport passengers, which was only possible due to the availability of additional federal funds and the reduction of passenger traffic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year at this time, the inbound roadway to Terminal 1 was handling about 32,500 vehicles per day and was scheduled for reconstruction in 2023 to replace the aging asphalt surface. But when passenger volume fell due to the pandemic, the Metropolitan Airports Commission decided to move it up on the construction schedule, minimizing the inconvenience to future drivers coming to Terminal 1.
Starting in August, crews began replacing the ½ mile, four-lane asphalt roadway with concrete -- which, with proper maintenance, has a lifespan of 40 years - almost double that of asphalt. Using concrete will reduce future maintenance costs, as well.
Later this month, the return-to-terminal loop at Terminal 1 will be temporarily closed due to work related to the inbound roadway. Signs will guide drivers on how to return to the terminal.
The project is set to conclude in November.
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 If you’ve been to MSP recently you know that the best things about the airport are still here – the smiling faces providing award-winning customer service, a clean, safe environment, and an efficient operation to get you on your way.
If you haven’t been here in a while, Stuck at the Airport – a blog about airports and travel – recently posted a list of “5 Things We Love About MSP.” It’s a nice reminder of what you have to look forward to the next time you take a flight out of MSP.
We are eager to have you back soon, when you can add to this list and experience a few of your own favorite things about MSP.
As travelers begin thinking about future trips, there’s an important date to keep in mind – Oct. 1, 2021 - now less than a year away.
That’s the day when Minnesotans will need to have a REAL ID or other compliant form of identification to board a domestic commercial flight.
With that deadline in mind, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services division (DPS-DVS) opened a REAL ID office inside the secure area of Terminal 1 earlier this year. You will find it on the Airport Mall, across from Stone Arch restaurant near the entrance to Concourse G.
The office accepts REAL ID applications Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. by appointment only. Minnesotans should pre-apply and then make an appointment online for the Terminal 1 location by visiting this link. You must be a ticketed passenger for the day you make your appointment.
The office at MSP was temporarily closed when the COVID-19 pandemic started, but it reopened in September. More information is available here.
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