MSP | Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

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Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (IATA: MSP, ICAO: KMSP, FAA LID: MSP) is the largest and busiest airport in the five-state upper Midwest region of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.

In terms of passengers, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is the fifteenth busiest airport in the United States (2009), and thirtieth busiest airport in the world in 2008. A joint civil-military airport, MSP is also home to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport Joint Air Reserve Station, supporting both Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard flight operations. Airlines out of Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport serve 134 nonstop markets from MSP, including 120 domestic and 14 international markets. Compared to other metropolitan areas in the United States, only Denver serves more non-stop markets per capita.

The airport, including both passenger terminal buildings, is mostly located in the Census-designated place of Fort Snelling in an unincorporated part of Hennepin County. Small sections of the airport are within the city limits of Minneapolis. The airport is across the Mississippi River from St. Paul. The terminal exits of the airport are minutes away from the Mall of America; careful flight pattern planning ensures that aircraft never fly over the mall at low altitude.

It is the third largest hub airport for Delta Air Lines and Delta Connection partners Compass Airlines, Mesaba Airlines, and Pinnacle Airlines (with Compass and Mesaba having headquarters nearby). It also serves as the home airport for Sun Country Airlines. Champion Air was based at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport until the airline ceased operations in May 2008. Delta Air Lines accounts for more than 80% of the airport's passenger traffic. It is operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which also handles operation of six smaller airports in the region. Other US airlines serving this airport include American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, Frontier Arlines, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines.

Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport has two terminals, both of which were named for famous Minnesotans: the Lindbergh Terminal (named after the aviator Charles Lindbergh) and the much smaller Humphrey Terminal (named for former US Vice President Hubert Humphrey). Lindbergh Terminal officially has seven concourses, lettered A-G, with the Humphrey terminal labeled as Concourse H. The Lindbergh Terminal is designated as Terminal 1-Lindbergh and the Humphrey Terminal is designated as Terminal 2-Humphrey. The old Humphrey Terminal, built in the late 1970s, was rebuilt in 2001 to expand capacity and give passengers a more seamless experience.

Like many other airports, MSP interconnects with several other forms of transportation. Several large parking ramps are available for cars. Most other connections are made at the Hub Building and adjacent Transit Center, which has city and shuttle bus, taxi, light-rail, and rental car service. Two trams (people movers) are at the airport. One carries passengers from the main section of Lindbergh Terminal to the Hub Building, and another runs along the long Concourse C in that terminal.

The airport is near Fort Snelling, the site of one of the earliest European settlements in the area. Both the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers flow nearby. Minnesota State Highway 5 provides the closest entrance to the Lindbergh Terminal, just a short distance from Interstate 494. The Humphrey Terminal is accessed via the 34th Avenue exit from I-494, which runs past Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Delta Air Lines has hangars arranged along I-494 and 34th Avenue, so it's possible to see airliners undergoing maintenance while driving past.

The Blue Line light-rail has stops at both the Hub Building (Lindbergh Station) and Humphrey Terminal (Humphrey Station). It connects the airport with downtown Minneapolis as well as with the Mall of America in nearby Bloomington, and operates as a shuttle service between the two airport terminals. Travelers can use the rail line to go between the two sites at all times; it is the only part of the line that operates continuously through the night (the rest shuts down for about four hours early in the morning). Passengers going between the two terminals may ride free of charge, but those riding beyond the airport grounds must pay a standard fare. Two parallel tunnels for the line run roughly 70 feet (20 meters) below the airport, and at 1.7 miles (2.7 km) in length are the longest tunnels on the route. The Lindbergh Terminal station is the only one underground on the line, as the rails return to the surface near Humphrey Terminal. Due to current concerns about terrorism, a great deal of effort went into ensuring that the tunnels are highly blast-resistant. The underground portion was the costliest section of the entire rail project.

The airport has three airline lounges, all located in the Main Terminal: two Delta Air Lines Sky Clubs and one United Airlines United Club.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneap...tional_Airport

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DSC_3745_Minneapolis Airport by la1akim, on Flickr

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Minneapolis airport by hippofairy, on Flickr

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minneapolis airport by mk30, on Flickr

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Minneapolis airport Wireless by brewbooks, on Flickr

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Minneapolis Airport by YoshioHosaka, on Flickr

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Fanciest DQ - Minneapolis Airport by PeteyIsCuterThanHerb, on Flickr

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"moving walk" at Minneapolis airport 1 by brewbooks, on Flickr

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Inside The Minneapolis Airport by LI Refugee, on Flickr

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Minneapolis Airport by sfPhotocraft, on Flickr

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A video of the two train systems at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. One connects the rental car garage/light rail station with the Lindburgh Terminal and one runs alongside Concourse C in the Lindburgh Terminal.

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International Destinations served directly from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) as of 2011:


Toronto-Pearson


Calgary
Edmonton
Montreal-Trudeau
Regina
Saskatoon
Toronto-Pearson
Vancouver
Cancun (seasonal)
Cozumel (seasonal)
Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo (seasonal)
Mazatlan (seasonal)
Puerto Vallarta (seasonal)
San Jose del Cabo Cancun (seasonal)
Cozumel (seasonal)
Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo (seasonal)
Mazatlan (seasonal)
Puerto Vallarta (seasonal)
San Jose del Cabo (seasonal)
Punta Cana (seasonal)
Montego Bay (seasonal)
Grand Cayman (seasonal)
Liberia
Amsterdam
London-Heathrow
Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Tokyo-Narita


Reykjavik-Keflavik (seasonal)



Cancun (seasonal)
Cozumel (seasonal)
Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo (seasonal)
Mazatlan (seasonal)
Puerto Vallarta (seasonal)
San Jose del Cabo (seasonal)
Punta Cana (seasonal)
Montego Bay (seasonal)
Grand Cayman (seasonal)
St. Maarten (seasonal)
Liberia (seasonal)
London-Gatwick (seasonal)

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Minneapolis St Paul Airport Tram by Roger Penguino, on Flickr

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Minneapolis Airport, Southwest Airlines by michaelgass, on Flickr

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Minneapolis St Paul Airport by Roger Penguino, on Flickr

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MSP Minneapolis airport no. 3393 by Eric E Johnson, on Flickr

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Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) by Boris071, on Flickr

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Light rail station at MSP Airport by Brady Dorman, on Flickr

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Light Rail, MSP Airport by Mr. History, on Flickr

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MSP Airport (Lindbergh Terminal) - Entrance by jbenson2, on Flickr

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The Airport Mall Section of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport by LI Refugee, on Flickr

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MSP by sfPhotocraft, on Flickr

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5 - MSP Airport by Sotosoroto, on Flickr

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Minneapolis St Paul International Airport by joemw39, on Flickr

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Flying Bus Out, Flying Bus Back, at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport -- Minneapolis, MN, August 15, 2010 by baseballoogie, on Flickr

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MSP by sfPhotocraft, on Flickr

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Fox News by sarae, on Flickr

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Minneapolis St Paul International Airport 016 by Michael Kappel, on Flickr

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Minneapolis Skyline by Inanimate Carbon Rod, on Flickr

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Minneapolis Airport by beenbair, on Flickr

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Airbus A380 at Minneapolis by AV8NLVR, on Flickr

[IsaanUSA]

I recently had a connecting Delta flight through this airport. WOW!! Very nice! Shopping, restaurants, nice seating, IPADs, AC and USB charging all over the place. I could hardly even tell that I was in an airport. This has got to be one of the nicer airports that I have been to in my life.

[Benn]

The C and G concourses are really pretty good these days, E and F could use some help though. It's certainly not Munich, Zurich or the serious Asian airports, but I suppose its not too bad by American standards. The plans to improve the food selection with some of the better local chefs seems like a really smart move. And I really hope the expansion and new international facility goes through before too long, that side of things really does need to improve if we want expansion in the international sector.

However we can officially add Air France to the list of carriers, with daily seasonal service to CDG with an a340. Nice to have a tiny bit of diversity making its way in.

[Benn]

New dining at MSP + iPads everywhere. Well we certainly aren't going to be seeing any James Beard awards out of the airport, by airport standards the options look really good.

Shoyu -(Japanese, especially fresh made noodles, with Koshiki Yonemura Smith)
http://otgmanagement.com/data/experi...terior%202.jpg



Minnibar ("world cuisine" and alchohol, with Andrew Zimmerman of all people)
http://harrisontile.com/images/project9high.jpg



Mimosa (Mediteranean, raw bar, oysters with Russel Klein)

http://otgmanagement.com/data/experi...0Arch%201b.jpg




Also (but not pictured) Mill City Tavern (Locally sourced, moderately high end in conjunction with Lenny Russo), Vero (Thin crust pizza with Ann Kim), Volante (Modern Italian, with Doug Flicker). Definitely stepping the food game up, Shoyu and Mimosa are both supposed to be really solid by any standards much less airport food, and I can't imagine Lenny Russo being involved with anything short of excellent.

[IsaanUSA]

Yeah Benn, this is exactly what I saw the other week. Very nice photos.

I don't know which Asian airports are "serious", but I've been to many airports in Asia, and this beats them all.

[Benn]

Goood to hear it ranks so high for some people, and in terms of food quality like that I don't know of any airports (especially outside of business class lounges) that are keeping up off the top of my head. Finding places serving fresh made soba, much less finding Bison ribeye or an oyster bar next to your gate is pretty unique. But keep in mind those are only on the G concourse, If you are flying out of E Burger King or Chili's is about as good as one can expect, and they could generally use some work. D and F aren't quite on par either. A/B/C are fine and since they serve short haul and commuter flights fine dining isn't really a concern or spaces to hang out for longer periods of time.

[Jota_bog]

I was in MN 15 years ago as an exchange student and wow how this airport has changed. I remember it being all NW... i even flew MSP to SFO on a 757.

I remember the planes on app over the mall of america. one of my fav views.

Hope i can come back soon.