MINNEAPOLIS — The Metropolitan Airports Commission and the Transportation Security Administration have reached an agreement to reopen a security checkpoint inside the MSP InterContinental Hotel.
The checkpoint will now be open between 4:45 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. each day, starting Nov. 22.
The checkpoint closed earlier this week due to staffing concerns, according to the TSA.
However, MAC officials and many passengers were upset by the sudden closure, leading MAC CEO Brian Ryks to meet with TSA administrator David Pekoske.
“The checkpoint is a tremendous convenience for guests of the MSP InterContinental Hotel and an alternate Terminal 1 entrance point for all flyers with only carry-on bags,” Ryks said in a statement. “We are pleased the TSA is willing to partner with us to reopen the checkpoint and ensure it becomes a reliable screening option going forward.”
As part of an agreement with the TSA, the Metropolitan Airports Commission will participate in a TSA pilot program, where airports reimburse the TSA for costs at non-primary checkpoints. A final agreement is expected to take about 90 days.
According to a MAC statement, the agreement with the TSA will be re-evaluated in 12 to 18 months, to decide whether passenger levels at the hotel checkpoint are sufficient for the TSA to resume responsibility for all costs.
