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Thanksgiving is a week away, and MSP Airport is geared up for the influx of travelers we see each year at this time.
Passenger numbers are expected to increase this weekend and during the days just before the Thursday holiday, with Tuesday Nov. 22 and Wednesday Nov. 23 anticipated to be among the busiest departure days. The Sunday following Thanksgiving is also one of the busier travel days.
MSP will have additional staff on hand to direct passengers to appropriate lines and help with wayfinding and other questions that arise. We continue to recommend that flyers arrive two hours ahead of domestic flights, three hours ahead of international flights, and that you stay in touch with your airline about your flight's status.
MSP is offering discounts for prebooked parking during the holiday, which will allow you to save $7 a day on Daily parking at Terminal 1 ramps from Nov. 21 to Nov. 27. And Prebooked always guarantees a parking space for $2 less than daily drive-up rates.
If the inbound roadway at Terminal 1 gets crowded, remember that drivers can go up or down to the terminal’s departures or arrivals levels to pick up or drop off passengers. For pick-ups, also consider using the cell phone lot on Post Road, where you can stage yourself while you wait for a call from your passenger after they have their bags.
If you’re flying with children, please visit the TSA’s tips for traveling with children, and other travel tips including what you can and cannot bring through security. You can also discover additional MSP resources to help you travel with confidence.
Once inside, you’ll notice a variety of new dining options, especially if you haven’t been to MSP in a while. For pre-flight dining, you have options to make your airport experience time-efficient at both terminals. At Terminal 1, MSP ASAP offers options to order ahead and pick up your items. At Terminal 2, travelers can order ahead from several restaurants and skip the lines.
Plan ahead and make your MSP Airport experience a joy over Thanksgiving!
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A variety of new and reopened dining and shopping options will greet you as you visit MSP over the Thanksgiving holiday.
On Concourse G, a new Crisp & Green is now open near Gate G22. The popular choice for healthy dining offers a breakfast menu that includes acai bowls and a selection of smoothies. For lunch and dinner enjoy grain bowls and signature salads, or the breakfast items, which are offered all day long.
Next door to Crisp & Green, you’ll find a new combination eatery. Poppy’s Bagels operates in the space in the mornings, offering an assortment of delicious bagels and toppings. At 10:30 a.m., the same location becomes Custom Burger, a quick-serve option that has a wide-ranging menu with a burger of your choice to satisfy your hunger. Impossible burgers, chicken sandwiches, cheese curds and loaded hot dogs are options as well.
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MSP is excited to have Shake Shack back and serving passengers at its location in the food court on the airport mall at Terminal 1. The burgers are always 100 percent Angus beef, never frozen and always delicious. A vegetarian option is available along with a flat-top hot dog and chicken sandwiches. Fries, shakes and frozen custard will keep you coming back to try all the menu options. Shake Shack also serves wine and beer.
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After you dine, stop by Urban Undercover, (pictured) near Gate G12. The specialty retailer provides trendy travel essentials including bamboo convertible wraps, maxi dresses, and stylish leggings.
Travelers will also be happy to see that MSP Shopping by Dufry has reopened on Concourse D. Stop by for upscale cosmetics, fragrances, and other luxury products. The duty-free section (for international travelers) offers tobacco products and spirits.
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Passengers at MSP Airport will be treated to an expanded number of performances over the Thanksgiving holiday, as Arts@MSP provides an assortment of dance and musical talent in its “Sounds of the Season” series.
- On Sunday, Nov. 20, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Ballet Minnesota will perform The Nutcracker in Terminal 1’s North Rotunda, located just inside the north security checkpoint.
- On Wednesday, Nov. 23, José James (R&B, pop, jazz) will perform in Terminal 2’s performance space from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
- On Sunday, Nov. 27, The Pop Standards Social Club (classical, jazz) will perform in Terminal 2’s performance space from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Keep an eye out for these entertainment options when you’re in the terminals to add some artistry to your travel adventure. For the full seasonal schedule of performances, stretching into December, visit this webpage.
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Do you have a tendency toward indecisiveness? It’s about to be tested again, as the number of options for sun-filled trips out of MSP is escalating quickly.
As winter arrives in the Twin Cities region, there are 20 seasonal destinations coming back on the schedule at MSP in November and December.
Several popular routes have already returned this month, including Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico flights offered by Delta Air Lines. MSP’s hometown carrier, Sun Country Airlines, recently relaunched service to Ft. Lauderdale; Mazatlan, Mexico; Punta Cana and Puerto Vallarta. And Spirit Airlines started serving Phoenix again recently.
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In December, an even larger group of sunny routes return to MSP, helping you beat cabin fever before it starts.
American Airlines will relaunch service to Miami, and Delta will bring back flights to Tucson, Hayden/Steamboat Springs in Colorado; Liberia, Costa Rica; Montego Bay in Jamaica, and San Jose del Cabo in Mexico.
Also in December, Sun Country kicks off its new seasonal destinations that includes Punta Gorda, Fla.; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Tucson; Aruba; Belize City; Cozumel, Mexico; brand new service to Grand Cayman starting Dec. 17; Liberia, Costa Rica; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Providenciales, Turks and Caicos; Roatan, Honduras; San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, and Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
Looking ahead to next summer, the route options are already mushrooming. Earlier this week, Sun Country announced a whopping 15 new seasonal destinations that will run from April to near the Labor Day weekend. Beaches and mountains are among the highlights on the list, stretching from Colorado Springs to Wilmington, N.C.
Visit the airline website of your choice and book your trip today!
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 Two MSP Airport-based nonprofits are participating in “Give to the Max Day,” which is happening today, Thursday, Nov. 17.
Both the Airport Foundation MSP and the Minnesota Armed Forces Service Center (AFSC) are participating in the nationwide fundraising event again this year, which raises awareness of public charities and provides information about ways to support a number of worthy causes.
The Airport Foundation and the AFSC both provide helpful services to passengers passing through MSP.
The volunteers who staff the information desks at the airport are part of the support offered by the Airport Foundation, which also provides a multi-faceted arts program at MSP. Live entertainment, art exhibits and installations enjoyed by passengers are all brought to the airport through the Foundation. MSP’s popular animal ambassador program is also administered by the Foundation.
The Armed Forces Service Center, located inside security at Terminal 1 near the entrance to Concourse A on Level 2, provides services to active-duty military personnel and their dependents as they’re traveling. The all-free location offers food and beverages to its guests, computer connectivity, Wi-Fi and charging stations, a lounge, a lactation area, and other services.
More information is available on Give to the Max Day’s website, where there are specific donation pages for both the Airport Foundation MSP and the Minnesota Armed Forces Service Center. And the website is open year-round, providing opportunities to donate beyond today.
 In the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," Minnesota's rivers and waterfalls often get second billing. But a new exhibit at MSP Airport's Terminal 1 -- Waterfalls: A Fire Art Perspective -- give the state’s rivers and waterfalls some overdue recognition.
The exhibit in the Airport Mall (next to Starbucks) features some of Minnesota's more-than 100 waterfalls as interpreted by 18 artists associated with the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center (CAFAC) in Minneapolis. "Fire arts" include blacksmithing, jewelry making, metal casting, neon bending, metal welding and forming, and neon art.
CAFAC is a non-profit arts organization that supports artists, art education and public art throughout the Twin Cities.
The exhibit – which will be displayed for one year – includes representations of some of Minnesota's most iconic waterfalls, including Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, the High Falls of the Pigeon River on the Minnesota-Canada border and Minnewissa Falls in Pipestone in the southwest corner of the state.
The exhibit is coordinated by Arts@MSP, part of the Airport Foundation MSP.
Thanksgiving is one of the most popular times of the year for air travel, and it's also a period when travelers start booking winter getaways. 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 is your favorite shop or restaurant at MSP?"
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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