This holiday season, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is experiencing some of its busiest travel days since April, when the Coronavirus pandemic began impacting air travel.

Travelers are seeing first-hand the safety enhancements made at the airport earlier this year, including Plexiglas shields in customer service areas, expanded cleaning protocols, signage to guide social distancing, and the face mask requirement. Full details on MSP’s Travel Confidently program can be found at this web page.

If you’re planning a trip this week, we encourage you to try MSP’s Prebooked Parking, which provides a contact-free parking experience. MSP customers can Prebook parking this holiday season and save $7 a day at Terminal 1 ramps from now to Sunday, Jan 3.

While the overall number of travelers at MSP has declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport continues to provide safe and reliable services to all who are traveling, including access to food while at the airport.

The federal government classifies airports as an essential service -- one that needs to continue operating and serving travelers during the pandemic.

About 40 percent of MSP travelers are at the airport on a layover -- some of which can be several hours long. Delayed flights can also result in travelers spending more time than they planned at the airport. Both types of travelers have similar needs for access to food while at MSP.

In response to the pandemic, the airport’s concessionaires – both restaurants and retailers – have changed how they interact with customers.

Full-service, sit-down restaurants are operating at a maximum of 50 percent capacity. All tables and bar stools are separated by at least six feet. And diners are required to wear a mask when they are not eating or drinking.

Important to note is that travelers are not required to eat within the restaurants. If they order food to go, they can eat it in any public location inside the terminal, making social distancing even easier.

For more information about apps that allow contactless ordering and payment at MSP, visit this link.

The COVID-19 testing site at MSP will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 31 and Friday, Jan. 1 this week.

The site provides saliva tests for the virus and delivers results in 24 to 48 hours. Full information about the site’s operations is available here.

Reservations are still encouraged. During the site’s busiest hours, which are typically 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, the walk-up wait time is about 15 minutes.