MSP Airport / Metropolitan Airports Commission

[mattaudio]

Idea for a full loop airside tram for Terminal 1 that also connects to Terminal 2.
- Replaces the Concourse C airside tram
- Supplants the proposed Concourse G airside tram.
- Supplants the proposed Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 tram.
- Takes advantage of planned mid-term reconstruction of the two oldest parking structures into additional curbside/terminal/FIS space - there will already be a corridor between C and G suitable for taking a tram from above the concourse to below the airfield/service level.
- Allows for additional gate expansion - maybe a Terminal 2 satellite concourse in the future.

[J. Mc]

The western end of Post Rd. has been reduced to a single traffic lane with one-way traffic flow all summer. It appears they have finally finished whatever utility work was being completed underneath and as of Sunday night it was prepped for paving. Interestingly a configuration change was included, so instead of two lanes in the center and wide shoulders, the curb on the south side was moved in to allow for a multi-use grade separated trail. For now it will just end at a ramp flowing into the existing shoulder roughly around Lot A, but I would assume they'll be extending that as the rest of the roadway gets rebuilt in the coming years.

[DanPatchToget]

https://thepointsguy.com/news/delta-air ... mmer-2025/

Delta is resuming MSP-Rome seasonal service next summer with four weekly flights operating between May and October. Delta tried this route in 2016, and IIRC it was profitable but Delta decided the aircraft could make more money elsewhere.

There were rumors Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was going to announce service to MSP, but they've only announced Seattle. With their new partnership with Delta and the other SkyTeam alliance airlines hopefully sooner rather than later we'll finally have a non-stop link to one of the Scandinavian capitals. I'd prefer Oslo, but very likely it would be Copenhagen. Northwest Airlines offered a non-stop MSP-Oslo flight back in 1998, but unfortunately that was short lived.

[MNdible]

There's also an allusion to a future MSP-Istanbul route by Turkish Airlines, which has been teased a few times and would be a huge get for service to eastern Europe and beyond.

While Copenhagen would be nice, northern Europe is already pretty well covered with Amsterdam and Frankfurt service.

[DanPatchToget]

Not sure which thread to put this in, but this one seems fine. I'm curious if there's any stats on the number of foreign travelers visiting the Twin Cities. With the amount of international flights we've gained, especially post pandemic, it would be interesting to see how many people from other countries take these flights. Obviously most of the passengers are Americans traveling to other countries, but I would think there's a little interest from foreign travelers to check out a part of the US that's not one of the coastal cities.

Don't know if this is/was true, but I heard Icelandics like/liked to visit the Mall of America and purchase a lot of stuff there to take back home since it was cheaper than buying in Iceland (I guess they still save money despite the airfare and hotel?). Also heard the same about people from Japan back in the Northwest Airlines days when service from here to Tokyo was a daily 747 (and two 747 flights pretty much back-to-back on Saturdays!).

[gopherfan]

Interesting question. CBP has data that shows 1.1M 2023 and already 1.2M for 2024 at MSP. https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/travel

[MNdible]

These numbers would include foreign travelers who are just making a connection at MSP, correct?

[DanPatchToget]

https://news.delta.com/scandi-summer-de ... U8iWYWFl1A

Delta announced MSP-Copenhagen! Three weekly flights beginning May 2025 using Airbus A330-300s.

Would've preferred SAS doing this route, but I'll still definitely take it.

[Tcmetro]

Condor is ending it's Frankfurt to Minneapolis summer flight (among a number of others to the United States and Canada).

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2024/12 ... o-airport/

[mister.shoes]

Awww. Seeing those funky striped planes was a nice break from all the boring blue-bellies.

[DanPatchToget]

Earlier in the year we lost JetBlue service, then recently Allegiant Air called it quits at MSP, and now Spirit Airlines will be leaving as well. They've been flying here since 2012, and I never expected them to leave, but I also didn't expect them to ever be bankrupt either.

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-li ... al-airport

These aren't substantial losses since each airline didn't operate a lot of flights here, but better to have more competition to keep Sun Country and especially Delta in check.

[J. Mc]

I'm curious who will scoop up those gates/slots, IIRC Spirit only occupied two gates but they still could be a nice addition for a Delta competitor.

For the budget carrier segment, I wonder if Avelo will have any interest in the MSP market for future growth. Allegiant still operates from St Cloud, which does seem more like their standard type of smaller regional airport type than MSP.

[DanPatchToget]

Sun Country and Allegiant Air to merge:
https://www.startribune.com/sun-country ... /601562251

If approved, the Allegiant Air name would remain and HQ would be in Las Vegas. From an email I received from Sun Country about the merger:
"Minneapolis-St. Paul will remain a key anchor city for the combined company with a significant presence in the region. We expect to add even more routes from Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport to smaller destinations where Allegiant offers flights."

So there goes our last hometown airline. I expected sooner or later they'd merge. Whether this is good or bad for our region is, I think, up in the air at this point, though losing the HQ and corporate jobs is definitely bad. I haven't flown Allegiant Air before, but from what I've read the customer experience is better on Sun Country.

[mamundsen]

Some consolidation will happen, but forcing lots of Allegiant-style connections is unlikely. MSP’s value is nonstop leisure demand, not turning it into a connection-heavy airport.

Short term: Little changes at MSP — routes and schedules mostly stay the same and prices remain fairly stable.

Mid term: Some nonstop routes or frequencies get consolidated, MSP keeps strong leisure service, and fares rise slightly where competition thins.

Long term: Fewer but more profitable nonstop options, higher average fares on key routes, and limited added connections rather than a full shift to Allegiant-style flying.

[DanPatchToget]

https://www.startribune.com/delta-to-re ... /601581463

Delta making a second attempt at starting MSP-Maui flights this December with 5 weekly flights operated by A330-300s. Originally this was supposed to start in 2023, but the wildfires postponed those plans.

Interestingly, "Ashworth also hinted to the Minnesota Star Tribune that MSP might see a new international destination announced in 2026."

If anything, I'll expect it to be a seasonal destination in Mexico or the Caribbean, but they're more than welcome to prove me wrong with something that's on a different continent.

[Nick]

Interesting for this to be announced the same day that "mahalo" intersected with Minnesota Nice in the crossword.......who knows how connected the crossword people are.

[DanPatchToget]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/0716/15836 ... ngus-jobs/

Aer Lingus ending service to MSP this October.

Sad to see them go. I was hoping they'd be a long-term year-round option for Twin Cities travelers going to/from Europe, since Delta/Air France/KLM mostly dominate that market. Granted we also have Icelandair, but connections through their hub can be tight.

[twincitizen]

I'm now bummed about this as well. I just flew Aer Lingus and had a great experience. The seat cushions could've used replacement, but beyond that I was very happy with the legroom, angle of recline, and infotainment system in coach. Larger screens than Delta, with a wider selection of movies/tv as well. I was able to book a multi-city flight directly through Aer Lingus that allowed for a 3-day stopover in Dublin (flying Paris>Dublin>MSP).

Flying home directly from Dublin was nice for multiple reasons: shorter flight to MSP than anywhere else in Europe (besides Iceland), and you go through US Customs in the Dublin airport. After an 8-hour flight, it's nice to be able to just walk right out. Also, DUB is a much smaller airport (than CDG or LHR or AMS) and not super far from the city center. No rail connection to the city, but Uber was around $25, and there are coach buses as well.

Obviously many of these things are still true for flying MSP-DUB on Delta, but now that Delta has a monopoly on that direct flight, I doubt it will ever be affordable.

[MinneapBliss]

Volaris intends to offer non-stop service from MSP to Guadalajara, Mexico.

https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ ... route.html

[twincitizen]

Ooh, that would make a nice multi-city trip with Puerto Vallarta (served by Delta and Sun Country). A few beach days and a few days of culture / city exploration on the same winter getaway. Looks like about 5-5.5 hours by bus between the two cities, but I'm sure there are cheap quick flights between them as well.