ok so i just landed at msp and honestly im still kinda buzzing from the whole experience but i wanted to hop on here real quick and just share some thoughts for anyone who has a connecting flight through this place because its actually pretty decent but you gotta know a few things to make it smooth you know what i mean especially if youre like me and stressing about making your next flight and you dont want to be running around like a headless chicken through the terminals and getting lost and missing your flight which is like the worst travel nightmare ever so im here to give you the lowdown on how to basically survive your layover here and maybe even enjoy a little bit of it if you can believe that.
this airport its not like lax where everything feels spread out and super chaotic but its also not tiny and you can easily walk everywhere its kinda in between and its really well organized which is nice but you still need a plan especially if youve got a short window and you want to grab food or hit the bathroom before your next leg of the journey and its not like youre gonna get lost in some weird corner but you could definitely waste precious time if you dont know the layout or how to get between terminals effectively and i actually saw a few people looking super stressed out so i figured this info could totally help someone out there.
The connection game plan
alright so first things first msp basically has two main terminals terminal 1 also known as the lindbergh terminal and terminal 2 which is the humphrey terminal and most major airlines like delta united and american fly out of terminal 1 which is like the big one and if youre flying allegiant or spirit you usually find them over at terminal 2 and these two terminals are not connected by a walkway or anything like that so you cant just stroll between them you have to take the light rail which is honestly super convenient and pretty quick and its free for airport use which is a huge bonus so dont try to like find a shuttle or anything just follow the signs for the light rail and itll get you where you need to go and it runs pretty frequently so you wont be waiting forever and its really easy to navigate.
Do you have enough time?
this is honestly the million-dollar question right because no one wants a super short layover but also who wants to hang out at the airport for five hours and my general rule of thumb is if youre connecting domestic to domestic and youre on the same airline and its all on one ticket an hour and a half is probably the absolute minimum id feel comfortable with but two hours is honestly much better and if youre coming from an international flight or going to an international flight or changing airlines or terminals id honestly recommend at least three hours maybe even more if youre not familiar with the airport or if you know you move kinda slow and remember those light rail rides take a few minutes too so factor that in when youre calculating your time.
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the baggage hassle:
- if youre flying domestic to domestic and your flights are all on one ticket your bags usually get checked all the way through to your final destination so you dont have to worry about them at all which is a huge relief and makes things way easier.
- but if you arrive on an international flight your going to have to claim your bags clear customs and then recheck them which is like a whole process and can take a surprising amount of time so definitely factor that in to your layover plans.
- and if youre connecting to an international flight from a domestic one sometimes you still gotta grab your bags and recheck them for the international leg depending on the airline and destination so always double check with your airline its better to be safe than sorry honestly.
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clearing security all over again:
- most of the time if youre staying within the same terminal or even moving between concourses in terminal 1 without leaving the secure area you wont have to clear security again which is awesome and saves so much time and hassle.
- but if you arrive internationally and have to clear customs you absolutely will have to go through security again after rechecking your bags no way around that because your entering the secure area from outside and they need to make sure everything is legit.
- also if you decide to leave the secure area for any reason like to meet someone outside the airport or grab something specific from the non-secure side then yep your going to have to clear security again when you come back in so plan accordingly and maybe dont leave unless you have tons of time.
honestly msp is a pretty chill airport its got decent food options and some nice big windows to look out of which is always a plus for people watching or just decompressing and the free wifi is reliable which is super important for checking on your next flight or just passing the time and they have a few shops if you wanna grab a souvenir or a book but its not like a massive shopping mall its just enough and the whole place just feels clean and pretty efficient compared to some other major hubs ive been through so if youre stuck here for a bit its not the end of the world but hopefully these tips help you make your connection a breeze and you dont have to run around like i almost did just kidding but for real good luck with your travels and enjoy your layover if you can because its actually not too bad here.