As travel continues to rebound again this year, the next several weeks look to be the busiest in a while at Minnesota's MSP Airport.

If you and your family are doing any traveling for Spring Break 2023, here's a heads up about the time it will take you to get through the lines at the biggest airport here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport (MSP) in Bloomington (which was recently named the Most Outstanding Airport in North America for the second year in a row) says the next few weeks could be the busiest of an already-busy spring travel season.

March is typically already a very busy month for MSP. Three years ago, my wife and I headed out for a quick trip to New Orleans in late February 2020. (We were there for Mardi Gras on Fat Tuesday and came back to Minnesota just days before the pandemic hit and shut everything down.)

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While it wasn't very busy when we were in the TSA line at MSP, I remember an agent saying that if we were traveling again in late-March to plan ahead for much longer lines at the security checkpoints, thanks to all the Spring Break travelers.

And this year, MSP officials and travel experts have said that the following dates look to be the most intense for the biggest crowds:

  • Wednesday, March 29th
  • Friday, March 31st
  • Saturday, April 1st
  • Sunday, April 2nd
  • Monday, April 3rd
  • Saturday, April 8th

So, with major airports across the country once again getting busier with crowds bouncing back to near pre-pandemic levels, MSP has a few tips to make sure you get to your destination on time this spring:

  • Arrive at MSP two hours ahead of your scheduled departure for domestic flights and three hours ahead for international. Always check with your airline for any guidance about airport arrival times.
  • If you arrive at the airport to pick up or drop off a passenger, remember that you can go up or down on the roadway in front of Terminal 1. See a full list of pick-up and drop-off tips on this webpage.
  • The TSA offers a handy checklist of security-related tips to consider as you prepare for your trip and go through security screening.
  • Face masks are still required at MSP airport and on your flight. Find out more about what MSP is doing to help keep travelers safe through its Travel Confidently program.

And if you ARE going to brave the crowds at MSP this spring, keep scrolling to take a look at 15 items travel experts say you should never board a plane without!

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