Writer: Eleana Teran
2 min read March 2023 – With Spring Break underway in the Twin Cities, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is expecting a surge in passenger traffic that signals a recovery post-pandemic.
According to Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), the airport is anticipating one of its busiest spring break seasons in years, fueled by increased passenger demand as the aviation industry continues to recover from the pandemic. “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,” shared Ryks in a press release.
Airport officials noted that five of the 20 busiest days at MSP occurred during the spring break travel period, and this year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is expecting national spring break passenger volumes to rival pre-pandemic levels. MSP is projecting a 10% increase in passenger volumes for 2023. To meet the demand, airlines are scheduling the most seating capacity on departing flights from MSP during these weeks, with 410,000 seats per week available, up from the nearly 390,000 scheduled seats per week at the start of the travel period.
The airport has made some notable improvements to ensure passenger comfort, such as creating more space for parking and having additional staff during peak hours in ticketing lobbies to direct passengers and help them find their way through the airport.
The airport was recently named the Best Airport in North America for the second straight year through the Airports Council International’s (ACI) global Airport Service Quality (ASQ) program, making it the sixth time MSP has received the honor in the past seven years. MSP qualified for the 25-40 million passenger category — the awards were based on nearly half a million traveler surveys at airports in over 90 countries during 2022.
MSP has continued to position itself as a trailblazer in safety and technology by incorporating ASDE-X Taxiway Arrival Prediction (ATAP). This software uses radar sensors to tell if a plane is lining up to land on a taxiway rather than a runway, which will help prevent ‘wrong surface events.’ The FAA reported 1,641 incidents between October 2016 and the end of 2022, as cited by Axios. ATAP has helped prevent more than 50 wrong surface landings since it was first implemented in 2018 and now it will be available in the Twin Cities.
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