The December holidays are now days away, and MSP Airport is geared up for the popular travel days around Dec. 25 and New Year’s Day.
The three-day span from Dec. 21 to Dec. 23 —and the period from Dec. 26 through the 30th — is expected to see increased amounts of passenger traffic.
For those traveling on or near those December dates, please remember that MSP recommends that passengers arrive two hours ahead of domestic flights, and three hours ahead of international departures. As always, stay in touch with your airline to hear of any changes in your schedule.
For those driving to MSP, we offer prebooked parking, guaranteeing you a spot. If you’re dropping someone off or picking them up at Terminal 1, you can use either the upper or lower level roadway. If traffic on one level is congested, use the other level.
We also recently expanded our cell phone waiting lots on Post Road, adding approximately 100 additional spots.
- Once inside the terminal, look for airline kiosks or the ticket counters if you’re checking any bags. Your airline will provide information on the most efficient approach.
- If you haven’t heard about MSP Reserve, visit the link to find out reserving a space in the security lines at Terminal 2 – for free!
- The TSA security checkpoints at both terminals display the current wait times. At Terminal 1, look right and left as you enter the ticketing lobby to see each checkpoint and their wait times. Current security checkpoint wait times for both terminals at MSP are found at this website. Remember that throughout the course of a day, wait times can change in a short period of time.
- For more tips on getting through the security checkpoints smoothly, visit this TSA webpage with holiday-specific tips. One key piece of advice: don’t wrap Christmas gifts that you’re bringing with you, in case they need to be inspected.
- MSP Airport offers passengers a wide range of accessibility services. Our accessibility webpage links you to a variety of resources including maps, parking information and hearing loop technology, to name only a few.
- Before your arrival at MSP, visit our holiday schedule of musical and dance performances, provided by Arts@MSP.
- On Thursday, Dec. 21, find a balloon artist and a face painter on the mall at Terminal 1 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Build in some time to visit your favorite concessions at MSP. You can find all the information at our Eat, Shop, Relax page, including a search-by-terminal tool.
- At Terminal 1, MSP’s Order Now service allows you to skip the line and have your food or drink waiting for you at your favorite concession. At Terminal 2, visit this page to see the restaurants that provide apps for ordering ahead.
Then board your flight and perhaps settle in for a long winter’s nap while airborne.