 The long-awaited move of the center employee security portal on Terminal 1’s ticketing level to a permanent location will occur next month.
On Tuesday, Oct. 4, MSP Airport employees who use the security portal in the center of the ticketing lobby will move to a new employee lane in the TSA’s south security checkpoint. This change is part of the long-planned operational improvement facility modifications and is intended to enhance the security of the airport in partnership with the TSA.
Both the north and the south TSA security checkpoints at Terminal 1 will have a dedicated employee security lane. To balance the flow, all employees who currently use the center portal are encouraged to use the south checkpoint lane when it opens on Oct. 4.
Airport employees currently using the center portal will notice some changes in the new employee security lane at the south security checkpoint:
- There will be a 3.4-ounce limit on liquids allowed through the south security checkpoint, the same as the limit at the north security checkpoint. Employees can bring an empty container through the checkpoint and fill it on the secure side. Food items that are not liquids or gels will be allowed to pass through the TSA security checkpoint.
- The current escort procedure used in the center portal will no longer be available. The TSA does not allow un-badged individuals to be escorted through the TSA security checkpoints. Concourse passes (or gate passes for airline guests) will now be required for all guest access to the secure side of the terminal. If the unbadged individual needs access beyond passenger areas of the terminals, a badge holder with an “E” escort symbol on their badge may escort the individual by following MSP security procedures.
The MAC has an approved list of concessionaires who can request concourse passes. For all companies that aren’t concessionaires, authorized signers (badge application signers) are your company’s representatives to request concourse passes.
All airport employees with authorization to request a pass can email concoursepass@mspmac.org and include each visitor’s full legal name, date of birth and gender. Also include the day and approximate time that the guest will pick up the concourse pass at the tram level information desk at Terminal 1. Your guest will need a government-issued ID to receive the concourse pass from staff at the information desk.
A 24-hour notice is appreciated for a concourse pass, though last-minute requests can be facilitated. In that instance, guests may encounter a short wait at the information desk.
Please visit this website for full information on concourse passes.
Shoes and Boots
Employees will be required to remove their shoes if they set off the screening device. The sensitivity of the TSA screening devices is similar to those used in the center portal.
Tools of the Trade
Airport employees bringing tools of the trade through a security checkpoint can use either the north or south TSA checkpoints. Over-sized items, such as machinery or a lift, will go through a portal located in the middle of the ticketing lobby, near the current employee portal when it is completed in 2023. Until that time, large equipment that cannot fit through the cart entrance at the south security checkpoint will need to be brought in through the sterile area (airfield) into the terminal.
Checkpoint Hours
The south security checkpoint opens at 4 a.m. and closes each evening at 7 p.m. The north security checkpoint’s employee lane is open 24/7.
As part of the MAC’s broader operational improvement plan for Terminal 1, the center employee security portal space will be used, in part, for a larger screening room for oversized bags. A new unstaffed security exit will also eventually be added in that location, continuing to provide access from the airport mall out to the ticketing level.
Please note that no changes are currently planned for the employee checkpoint at Terminal 2.
Thank you for your patience as we work with the TSA to implement the changes to the employee checkpoints and provide enhanced security.
The MSP Security Consortium will hold a virtual meeting on Wed., Sept. 28, at 1 p.m. and all authorized signers are asked to attend. We’ll cover timely topics on MSP Airport security and get you up-to-date on important procedures and practices related to badging applications and renewals.
Please see the online flyer here which provides the live link to the Microsoft Teams meeting and a dial-in option.
 The migration to the online badging application process continues, and we thank all signers for using the portal. That change has increased the overall efficiency of the badging process tremendously and has enabled the Badging Office to offer appointments no more than two to three days out from the time they were requested.
One important note about the new online process: Whether the employee is meeting with you in-person to fill out the application from online or filling out the forms online and sending them back to you, the signer needs to make certain that the employee is completing all aspects of the application. Signers cannot complete any part of the employee application on behalf of the employee. That includes the click on the signature line.
For clarity about the various processes: On the “Application Workflows” page pictured above, only the green options – including “Applicant: New Badge,” and “Applicant: Badge Renewal,” involve sending forms to the employee electronically, who then returns the forms.
The purple and blue options are designed to be completed by the employee while the employee is meeting in-person with you, the signer.
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As the weather gets cooler in the evenings and your employees start to wear jackets during their shift, please remind them to move their airport security badge to their outer-most garment.
We appreciate your assistance with this task now and in the months ahead.
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