Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport
Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP IATA) is the major airport of the Twin Cities region.
Understand
MSP is 10 miles (16 km) southeast of downtown Minneapolis. The airport contains two terminals: Terminal 1 - Lindbergh (consisting of concourses A-G) and Terminal 2 - Humphrey (consisting only of concourse H), with most flights arriving at Terminal 1. Savvy travelers should check to make sure they know which terminal they are arriving at/departing from.
Flights
Delta Air Lines, a member of the SkyTeam alliance, is the dominant airline operating at MSP and transported 77% of all MSP passengers in 2011. Delta offers service between MSP and most major U.S. cities, as well as non-stop international service between MSP and Tokyo-Haneda, Amsterdam Schiphol, London-Heathrow and Paris-CDG, among others. Sun Country, Spirit, Frontier, and Southwest are the discount airlines operating at MSP. The only non-U.S. based carriers operating at MSP are Icelandair with service to Keflavik International Airport, Air France with service to Paris CDG, KLM to Amsterdam Schiphol, Condor with service to Frankfurt, and Air Canada Express with service to Toronto-Pearson.
Due to the wide range of connections offered by Delta and other airlines, the airport has a lot of destinations served nonstop, third only to Atlanta and Denver in US cities with the most nonstop markets served.
Gates are assigned a letter and a number dictated by what concourse it is on. For example, Gate C1 is on Concourse C. Concourses A through G are at Terminal 1, while Concourse H is at Terminal 2.
- Terminal 1 - Lindbergh
- Concourse A: Delta Air Lines
- Concourse B: Air Choice One, Boutique Air, Delta Air Lines
- Concourse C: Delta Air Lines
- Concourse D: Delta Air Lines
- Concourse E: Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, KLM, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines
- Concourse F: Delta Air Lines
- Concourse G: Air France, Delta Air Lines
- Terminal 2 - Humphrey
- Concourse H: Condor, Icelandair, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines
Ground transportation
By light rail
The METRO Blue Line links the airport with Downtown Minneapolis, South Minneapolis, northeastern corner of Bloomington (including the Mall of America), and offers connections to buses to other parts of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The trains are convenient, fast, and clean. Fare is $2.00-2.50 depending on time of day. The light rail has stations at both terminals.
By bus
Route 54 buses link the airport with Downtown Saint Paul, West 7th Street, and the Mall of America in Bloomington. The bus only stops at Terminal 1; passengers flying into or out of Terminal 2 can use the METRO Blue Line to complete their journey.
By car
Terminal 1 is off Minnesota Highway 5. Terminal 2 is along 34th Avenue north of Interstate 494/Highway 5.
Get around
The METRO Blue Line functions as the pre-security shuttle service between the two terminals; passengers that are only riding between the two terminals do not need to pay a fare. There is no post-security transport between the two terminals; luckily, having to switch terminals to catch a connecting flight is an extremely rare occurrence at MSP.
Wait
Lounges
- Delta Sky Club.
- Terminal 1, MSP Mall, near entrance to Concourse F. 4:30AM-10PM daily.
- Terminal 1, Concourse C, near Gate C12. 6AM-10PM daily.
- United Club, Terminal 1, Concourse E, near Gate E6. Su-F 5AM-7:15PM, Sa 5AM-5:15PM.
- Escape Lounge, Terminal 1, MSP Mall, above the entrance to Concourse E (mezzanine level), toll-free: +1-844-413-7227. 4AM-9PM daily. Common-use lounge open to passengers of any airline for a fee. $45 entrance fee, $40 if pre-booked online. Free access for American Express Platinum Card members.
Eat and drink
- Cocina del Barrio, Terminal 2, near gate H8. 4:30AM-9:30PM daily. Mexican plates and a wide variety of tequilas.
Buy
Connect
Free Wi-Fi is available on the airside of both terminals; look for the network MSP Free Wi-Fi. Sessions last for two hours, but once they expire you can connect again free of charge.
Cope
- Lost and Found (Terminal 1 ticketing lobby, near the Frontier Airlines counter), ☎ +1 612 726-5141, e-mail: lostandfound@mspmac.org. M-F 8AM-7PM, Sa Su 8AM-3PM. The airport's lost and found office deals with items lost at the airport, excluding items lost at security checkpoints or on aircraft. If calling the lost and found office after hours, leave a message and they will get a hold of you on the following business day.
- For items lost at security checkpoints, contact TSA Lost and Found at ☎ +1 612 486-6176 (phone line open M-F 8AM-4:30PM).
- Storage lockers are available in Terminal 1, but only on the secure side, and they're intended for carry-on luggage (locker dimensions are 23 inches high by 15 inches wide by 35 inches deep). Rental fees are $4 for the first four hours or $8 per day, with a maximum rental time of 48 hours, after which the lockers are emptied. The lockers are equipped with fingerprint technology, so baggage can only be retrieved by the same person who rented the locker. Lockers are near gates C2, C13, and the entrance to Concourse F. There are no lockers available in Terminal 2.
Sleep
- 🌍 InterContinental Hotel, 5005 Glumack Dr, ☎ +1 612 725-0500. This is the only hotel on the airport grounds. The hotel has a skyway connection to a TSA checkpoint at Terminal 1's Concourse C. The TSA checkpoint is open 5:15AM-6:45PM daily and is only for passengers without checked baggage; access from the terminal to the hotel through the skyway is open 24 hours a day, but also only for those without checked baggage. The hotel also offers shuttle service to Terminals 1 and 2. $289+.
Many of the hotels along the I-494 corridor (especially Bloomington and Richfield to the west, but also Eagan and Mendota Heights to the east) offer free airport shuttles. Hotels in Downtown Minneapolis are easy to access via the METRO Blue Line, as are some of the hotels in northeast Bloomington directly south of the airport (east of or next to the Mall of America).
Nearby
Routes through Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport |
Downtown Minneapolis ← South Minneapolis ← | N |
→ Bloomington → END |