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MSP Airport help


EMS8
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Domestic to international? International to domestic? Domestic to domestic? International to international?

Airlines?

Routes?

Flight numbers?

Arrival times?

 

Too many factors to consider if you're looking for more information beyond the legal minimum connection times...

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That’s really pushing it. Personally, we wouldn’t do that. 39 Minutes is not a lot of time.

What month is this? Nov - March is wintertime. Snowstorms are very possible.

Are both flights Delta? You have a better chance they’d wait if your 1st flight is late.

Are there alternate flights available if you’re 1st flight is late?

Do you have spare time built in if a issue arises? Hours? Days?

Are both flights is same terminal (A&B)? Probably, but not always.

 

Happy sailing!

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This trip is in August, so winter weather isn’t likely. Could be thunderstorms though, but not usually at 0800 in the morning. Both flights are with Delta. I’m only seeking info about MSP. My DW and I have been thru multiple US airports and in Europe. We are experienced travelers but have never flown to MSP.

Edited by EMS8
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This trip is in August, so winter weather isn’t likely. Could be thunderstorms though, but not usually at 0800 in the morning. Both flights are with Delta. I’m only seeking info about MSP. My DW and I have been thru multiple US airports and in Europe. We are experienced travelers but have never flown to MSP.

 

Out of all of the Delta hubs I like MSP better than any others.

 

Airport is basically a big square. All delta flights are in the same terminal. There is a people mover.

 

Yes 39 min is not a lot of time and your in trouble if the the inbound is late and the connecting flight is on time. That said it is doable otherwise if you move quickly.

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Out of all of the Delta hubs I like MSP better than any others.

 

Airport is basically a big square. All delta flights are in the same terminal. There is a people mover.

 

Yes 39 min is not a lot of time and your in trouble if the the inbound is late and the connecting flight is on time. That said it is doable otherwise if you move quickly.

 

 

So given your experience with MSP, what would be the shortest connection time you would be comfortable with?

 

Thanks for the info.

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Delta Airlines

ICT=>MSP=>ANC

With the caveat that past performance is not necessarily a guide to the future, it looks like ICT-MSP flights over the past few days have been arriving at a variety of A, B and C gates. MSP-ANC flights have been departing from F gates. Using Google Maps, the walking distance from the furthest A gate to the furthest F gate is something like 1.2 miles. All in the same terminal, for sure, but that's a long walk.
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With the caveat that past performance is not necessarily a guide to the future, it looks like ICT-MSP flights over the past few days have been arriving at a variety of A, B and C gates. MSP-ANC flights have been departing from F gates. Using Google Maps, the walking distance from the furthest A gate to the furthest F gate is something like 1.2 miles. All in the same terminal, for sure, but that's a long walk.

 

Some "tips" on MSP.

 

Although the "square" for MSP looks pretty much the same, there are significant differences.

 

Along the C concourse is a tram that has three stops. Fast and easy - BUT it only stops at those points and you still have to make your way to/from there.

 

Parallel to C is the G concourse. Moving walkways the entire length, so you are walking but with the assist of the belt.

 

Now to the perpendicular sides. The "top" part of the squared is through the terminal building past all of the shops. No walkways or trams...you do the whole distance on your own.

 

On the bottom part of the square is a connector between C & G. This one has moving walkways, no gates and is a basic up and over.

 

The thing to do is to map out origin and destination gates and plan a strategy. If coming from the A/B gates, it looks tempting to take the tram all the way to the terminal and cut over. Personally, I would take the moving belts for both segments, using the connector and the G concourse.

 

Finally, the F concourse has NO moving walkway, so you will always hike that length.

 

The biggest issue with a 40 minute connect is that your outbound aircraft will already by boarding (and maybe halfway done) by the time you get there. Not an issue if you are in zone 47 (haha) but if you in Sky or zone 1, any boarding advantage will be gone and you might have trouble with carryon space.

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Thanks for the excellent description of MSP Terminal 1. 39 minutes is just to short for us. Just as the 45 minutes at ATL is WAY too short for us.

 

Interestingly, I would much rather have 45 minutes at ATL than 39 at MSP. IMO, ATL is a very easy airport to navigate with a simple, logical layout. Yes, the concourses are long, but you only have to walk a maximum of one full one - even if at the end, you only walk halfway to the train, then at max another half to your gate.

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So given your experience with MSP, what would be the shortest connection time you would be comfortable with?

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I tightest connection I have ever done there was 30 min. I have made 30 min connection, I have also arrived at the gate in just sufficient time to see the aircraft pull away from the gate.

 

I travel for business more than for pleasure, so the thought process is different. If I can wrap up my meeting in early afternoon get to the airport for evening flight and get home late that night that is an improvement over staying an extra day. If I miss the connection, I am just staying at an different hotel that night.

 

I would try for 45. I would do 30-45 with the expectation that sometimes its not going to work out.

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This trip is in August, so winter weather isn’t likely. Could be thunderstorms though, but not usually at 0800 in the morning.

 

True, but I have had morning flights delayed due to weather the day before, and my crew ended up getting in so late that their (my) morning flight was delayed due to minimum crew rest requirements.

 

 

So given your experience with MSP, what would be the shortest connection time you would be comfortable with?

 

Are you boarding a cruise ship the day you arrive at ANC?

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Flyer,

I agree ATL is an easy airport to navigate in. That is, once you get in the terminal. I have sat on the tarmac for 30 minutes or more waiting for a gate to open more than once.

 

That can happen anywhere though. Usually it's a result of a bigger issue like weather that has caused a major disruption.

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I sympathize for you if this is a common occurrence when you travel.
Thank you, but it's no big deal. It's still a reasonably comfortable place to sit for the extra 20-30 minutes. It's not like I'm standing on a packed train for that length of extra time (which also sometimes happens).

 

What was irritating was sitting on an aircraft for two extra hours because the ground crew had gone on a wildcat strike literally minutes before we landed.

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Thank you, but it's no big deal. It's still a reasonably comfortable place to sit for the extra 20-30 minutes. It's not like I'm standing on a packed train for that length of extra time (which also sometimes happens).

 

What was irritating was sitting on an aircraft for two extra hours because the ground crew had gone on a wildcat strike literally minutes before we landed.

 

I hear you loud and clear. Flying and maybe even traveling in general, is nothing like it was 20 or 30 years ago. In some ways it's better today, but the customer service is long gone.

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