MINNEAPOLIS — It used to be an unpleasant but expected part of picking someone up at MSP International Airport. You show up at a business or lot close to the terminal... wait for a cell phone call... then drive loop after loop until your friend or family member is out on the curb, ready to hop in and zoom away before a security person chews you out for obstructing traffic.
No more. The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) recently added a 40-space "cell phone waiting lot" for customers to wait safely and not add to pickup congestion until their passenger is ready. This week, MAC added a second lot with spaces for 100 vehicles just in time for Thanksgiving travel and the upcoming holidays.
The new lot, which MAC is calling the east lot, is located at 4921 Post Road, while the original west lot is at 4211 Post Road. Both waiting lots are between Terminals 1 and 2 for easy access to arriving passengers. The additional capacity will immediately be in high demand as MSP anticipates a crush of travelers and visitors over the next 10 days tied to the annual Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
“This is another way to enhance the customer experience, meeting the growing demand for free, safe, and convenient spaces for drivers to wait before picking up passengers,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the MAC. “The lots help reduce traffic congestion near the terminals because they eliminate the need for drivers to circle the airport before their party arrives at the pick-up zones.”
MSP is expecting its busiest Thanksgiving travel season in four years, with some peak times over the next 10 days approaching pre-pandemic levels. Air travelers are reminded to arrive two hours before a domestic flight and three hours ahead of international flights. They are also advised to refresh themselves on TSA screening measures and requirements.
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