MSP expected to return to pre-pandemic levels during spring break

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is preparing for a spring break passenger surge by adding more parking, more venues and staff to meet demand this year. 

“MSP expects one of its busiest spring break seasons in several years as increased passenger demand continues to fuel aviation’s ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which owns and operates MSP. “We are prepared for peak travel days in the coming weeks, with more parking, more staff, and more concessions for our travelers flying off to sunny vacations and other late winter getaways.”

In 2022, five out of the top 20 busiest days at MSP occurred during the spring break travel period. This year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects national spring break passenger volumes to rival pre-pandemic levels. MSP is projecting overall passenger volumes in 2023 to increase 10%

“We’re encouraging people to pre-book parking if they plan to park at terminal 1 or 2. If you pre-book online you can save some money and if you stay for longer than seven days this month you can save seven dollars per night,” said Allison Winters, MSP Spokesperson. 

Winters said some of their busiest days have been this month. For a smooth trip, she encourages people to check with airlines for recommended arrival times at the airport. 

“Most of the time it’s about two hours if you’re flying domestically and three hours if you’re flying internationally. Always good to check with your airlines to make sure that’s still the recommended case,” she said. 

According to MSP, airlines are scheduling the most seating capacity on departing flights with 410,000 seats per week. That’s up nearly 390,00 scheduled seats per week at the outset of this travel period. 

Travelers should expect to see increased vehicle traffic volumes and parking demand at MSP. During peak hours, MSP will have additional staff in the ticketing lobbies to help passengers. 

“We work really closely with our partners across the airport, so we’re fully staffed and ready to accommodate traffic levels, so we have more parking that’s open more than ever for spring break,” Winters said. “We have more concessions that are open and then we have more staff around the airport.”

More than 20 concession venues have debuted or reopened at MSP since spring 2022. 

For more tips to streamline your spring break experience click here.