Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport straddles the southern border of the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a major hub for Northwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines, both headquarted nearby. Northwest accounts for more than 70% of the airport's passenger traffic. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport's IATA Airport Code is MSP. It is operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which also handles operation of six smaller airports in the region.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport has two terminals, both of which are named for famous Minnesotans; the Lindbergh Terminal (named for aviator Charles Lindbergh) and the much smaller Humphrey Terminal (named for former US vice president Hubert H. Humphrey).

Like many other airports, MSP interconnects with several other forms of transportation. Several large parking ramps are available for cars. Most other connections are made at the Hub Building and adjacent Transit Center, which has city and shuttle bus, taxi, and rental car service. Two trams (people movers) are at the airport. One carries passengers from the main section of Lindbergh Terminal to the Hub Bulding, and another runs along a long concourse in that terminal.

The airport is near Fort Snelling, one of the earliest white settlements in the area which is now a historic site. Both the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers flow nearby. Minnesota Highway 5 provides the closest entrance to the Lindbergh Terminal, just a short distance from Interstate 494. The Humphrey Terminal is easier to access via the 34th Avenue exit from I-494. That road runs past Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Most airlines at the airport have hangars arranged along I-494 and 34th Avenue, so it's possible to see airliners undergoing maintenance while driving past.

The Hiawatha Line light-rail project, which will have stops both at the Hub Building and Humphrey Terminal, is expected to provide connections to downtown Minneapolis as well as the Mall of America when the full line is opened in December 2004. Two parallel tunnels for the line run roughly 70 feet (20 meters) under the airport, and at 1.7 miles (2.7 km) are the longest tunnels on the route. The Lindbergh Terminal station will be the only one underground on the line, as the rails return to the surface near Humphrey Terminal. The underground portion was the costliest section of the line, but will provide smooth and quick service to downtown Minneapolis for the cost of a bus fare.

Lindbergh Terminal

• Air Canada
• AirTran
• America West Airlines
• American Airlines
• ATA
• Chautauqua Airlines d/b/a American Connection
• Comair d/b/a Delta Connection
• Continental Airlines
• Continental Express
• Delta Air Lines
• Frontier Airlines
• Great Lakes Aviation
• Icelandair
• KLM
• Mesaba Airlines d/b/a Northwest Airlink
• Midwest Connect
• Northwest Airlines
• Pinnacle Airlines d/b/a Northwest Airlink
• Skywest d/b/a Delta Connection
• United Airlines
• US Airways

• Casino Express Airlines
• Champion Air
• Miami Air International
• Ryan International Airlines
• Sun Country Airlines
• Transmeridian