The start of the annual MEA break meant Thursday was one of the busiest days of the fall at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
But despite the increased number of travelers — and potential delays due to the federal government shutdown — there were few headaches for passengers. Security checkpoint lines kept moving, and wait times at Terminal 1 stayed between about five and 15 minutes.
Airport officials expected about 52,000 people to pass through security checkpoints on Thursday. They were predicting a 19 percent increase in passengers this week, compared to the rest of fall.
Jeff Lea, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, said the airport prepares for those kinds of busy days.
“We try to work with our airline partners to staff up where we can,” Lea said.
Extra staff were on hand in the lobby areas Thursday morning.
A possible travel complication this year is the ongoing government shutdown. Several airports around the country have reported flight delays as air traffic controllers call out of work at higher rates than usual. They’re federal employees, and they’re required to work during the shutdown — but they don’t get paychecks as long as it goes on.
Lea said MSP hasn’t seen that problem, and flights have continued running smoothly this week. But he said it’s a good idea for travelers to look for updates from their airlines, especially at their destination airports.
“While you may not have any issues here, wherever you fly, there may be issues down the road,” Lea said.
Lea recommended that anyone traveling keep an eye out for updates from their airline for any delays or cancellations. Travelers can also check the MSP website for estimated security wait times.
Many schools across the state are closed Thursday and Friday, while educators have an opportunity to go to an annual conference. MEA weekend is typically one of the airport’s busiest in the fall, behind Thanksgiving.
