 This coming weekend and through Tuesday, approximately 1,800 airport and aviation leaders from across North America will be in the Twin Cities for the Airports Council International-North America’s (ACI-NA) annual conference. The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and Meet Minneapolis – the city’s convention and visitors’ organization – are proud to host the conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Most attendees will travel to and from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and witness the recent improvements to modernize Terminal 1 and other parts of the airport.
A dozen of the MAC’s business partners are also helping make the ACI-NA Annual Conference a successful event. As an airport traveler, you may notice their presence anytime you pass through the terminals, each one providing important goods and services. Our sponsors include:
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Areas -- Areas is a leading concessionaire at MSP and other top airports around the country. Their presence at MSP features both national brands – including Panda Express and Wendy’s – and local favorites – including Leeann Chin, People’s Organic, and Blue Door Pub – for travelers to enjoy.
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LG – LG’s advanced technology appears at MSP in the form of numerous video display screens, including 7-foot stretch monitors that bring messages to life.
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Airport Foundation MSP – Airport Foundation MSP works closely with the MAC to staff information booths and provide a nationally recognized arts program that includes rotating exhibits, live performances and MSP’s popular animal ambassadors.
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ReachTV – America’s largest in-airport TV network is a key partner at MSP, providing passengers with timely and entertaining programming.
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mspGOLF – Operated by mspGOLF, the PGA Lounge is a golf lifestyle facility at MSP's Terminal 1 that allows travelers to play their favorite PGA golf course on a simulator, and grab refreshments at Ike’s Clubhouse.
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HMSHost – A long-time partner at MSP and a national airport concessionaire, HMSHost’s concessions bring many of the nation’s best-known brands – including Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, and Chili’s – to MSP travelers.
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Alliiance – Alliiance is a full-service architecture and design firm based in Minneapolis. The firm has partnered with the MAC on many expansion and improvement projects at MSP.
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Verdis Group – Verdis Group helps organizations identify and implement sustainable solutions, including working with the MAC to design its sustainability goals for the years ahead.
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ICF – ICF is a consulting and communications consultant and has partnered with the MAC on a variety of digital and visual communication strategies, including our enterprise strategic plan.
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Paslay Group – A full-service airport development consultancy, Paslay Group works alongside MAC leadership to support the development of an enterprise-wide strategic plan.
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Paradies Lagardere Travel Retail – Paradies Lagardere brings Vino Volo and Verdi Market to Terminal 1, on Concourse C, and operates the Surdyk’s location at Terminal 2.
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Stellar Partners – Stellar Partners is a leading airport retail operator that prides itself on offering optimal shopping experiences for airport travelers. Stellar Partners operates Swarovski on Terminal 1's mall, New Stand in Concourse E, and Wild & Sweet near Gate F4.
Looking for a respite between flights? Want to learn more about the people and culture of Minnesota and the region while traveling through MSP Airport? The See18 film screening room is the perfect place for both.
Located between Gates C18 and C19 at MSP Airport's Terminal 1, the screening room features 21 new films – most just a few minutes long – all around the theme of "Someone That Looks Like Me: Exploring Identity and Place Through Minnesota Arts and Culture."
The nearly four hours of video has been curated into four sub-topics: an overview of Minnesota’s land and history, the diversity of cultures and culinary arts, individual artist profiles, and stories of resilience and healing.
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 MSP Liminal, described as a “poetic glass intervention” that features hints of MSP’s past, was installed recently outside the entrances to the men’s and women’s restrooms across from Gate G17 on MSP Airport’s Concourse G at Terminal 1.
The light and colorful piece was created by Miami-based Artist Monika Bravo and fabricated by Franz Mayer of Munich, Inc., using a float glass and airbrushing technique and is visible from both inside and outside the restrooms – a creative departure from the mosaics that adorn many vibrant MSP restrooms.
Look closely at Liminal and you’ll see faint images from MSP’s past, including a photo of a Dakota community that lived in the area for hundreds of years, a car racetrack that once encircled what are now the runways at MSP, and early airport scenes from MSP’s Terminal 1, which opened in 1962.
Bravo’s art has been featured in museums and public spaces around the world. MSP Liminal is the first of several prominent works to be installed on Concourse G.
Bringing art to MSP is the focus of Arts@MSP, a partnership between the Airport Foundation MSP and the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
Make sure to visit MSP Liminal - along with all the other improvements in the area - the next time you’re at Terminal 1.
What a way to go out: Honored as the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) "cutest canine" and retiring on the same day! That's just what happened to Eebbers – an explosives-detection dog that had worked at MSP Airport for nearly a decade. Eebbers is an 11-year-old Vizsla-Labrador mix and was the TSA’s oldest working canine when he retired.
At an Aug. 31 event attended by dozens of TSA security agents at Terminal 1, Eebbers and his handler, Jean Carney, who also retired, were feted with speeches, cakes and a swarm of television cameras gathered to capture the moment.
In a nationwide contest between 92 TSA dogs, Eebbers was crowned the "cutest canine" on National Dog Day (Aug. 26).
Eebbers will continue to live with Jean and her husband, Charlie, and Eebbers' litter mate, Etti.
Hungry for more? Watch this report about Eebbers.
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PBS Newshour recently ran a feature about Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport’s (MSP) accessibility initiatives – specifically, the Navigating MSP program, which started in 2013. The program was originally designed for children with autism but has since expanded and is available to a wider variety of travelers, including service dogs and their handlers.
The feature also provides an inside look at the newest tool for helping people who could benefit from a preflight experience before taking off on an actual flight – the Travel Confidently MSP Education Center.
Watch the 7-minute feature from PBS here
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The latest "Meet the Fleet" video from MSP Airport goes behind the scenes with Lt. Col. Denny Paulsen (pictured) and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft, flown by the Minnesota Air National Guard (ANG) and the 934th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve.
The aircraft is a familiar site in the skies above MSP, as the plane facilitates the mission of providing worldwide deployment of people, cargo, and services for the ANG and the Reserve. The C-130 line of aircraft first entered service in 1956.
The ANG reported in May 2022 that they are transitioning their C-130 fleet at MSP from four-bladed propellers to eight-bladed propellers. This update reduces vibration, noise, and the amount of regular maintenance required to operate the aircraft.
The C-130 Meet the Fleet video is available for viewing on the Meet the Fleet page and MSP's Youtube Channel.
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 An opportunity to see your eyes in a fresh light awaits you on Concourse C at MSP Airport’s Terminal 1, where Eyedentity is providing expert iris photography.
The service turns a photo of your iris into a signature piece of art and comes in a variety of finishes and sizes.
The photography process takes only minutes. The Eyedentity technician will go over your artwork options, including small to large prints and even custom jewelry. Within a few weeks the artwork will be delivered to your address, where it can be the focal point of your favorite room, a curio in a larger display, or become part of your jewelry collection.
Eyedentity’s website provides full information, including pricing, available formats and materials, and a large photo gallery. Stop by the next time you’re on Concourse C and see how you can make “eye-conic” art for your home.
Autumn is in the air and many air travelers have already booked fall excursions or are planning travel for November and December. We have an ongoing survey that gauges attitudes about air travel, whatever the season, and your answers are helping shape the MSP experience.
One thing we already know: Travel is back. Our surveys are now showing that 88 percent of respondents would be willing to get on a plane tomorrow, a figure that's almost triple what it was at the start of the pandemic.
Even if you’ve already taken the survey, please consider taking it again, as your thoughts and answers may have changed over time. We also add new questions each month. This month, we're asking "What tips would you share with a first-time visitor to MSP Airport?"
Among topics that survey takers have shown an interest in: MSP's safety initiatives related to the pandemic, which are a part of our Travel Confidently MSP program.
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