Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport: Difference between revisions

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The observation deck at MSP is located just prior to the Concourse D departure lounge, and is up a flight of stairs marked "Observation Deck", but the stairway and sign are somewhat concealed (it's immediately to your left as you transition from the hallway outside McDonald's to the departure lounge).  The deck offers good views of Concourse C, D & E and on Runway 12L/30R, as well as traffic to and from Concourses A, B, C, D and E on the taxiway paralleling Runway 12L/30R.  A lens of about 200mm on a 1.6 DSLR should be plenty for just about all operations visible from this location. The observation deck is covered by windows on all sides. Chairs go around most of the observation deck.
The observation deck at MSP is located just prior to the Concourse D departure lounge, and is up a flight of stairs marked "Observation Deck", but the stairway and sign are somewhat concealed (it's immediately to your left as you transition from the hallway outside McDonald's to the departure lounge).  The deck offers good views of Concourse C, D & E and on Runway 12L/30R, as well as traffic to and from Concourses A, B, C, D and E on the taxiway paralleling Runway 12L/30R.  A lens of about 200mm on a 1.6 DSLR should be plenty for just about all operations visible from this location. The observation deck is covered by windows on all sides. Chairs go around most of the observation deck.


===New Cargo Road Spotting Lot (Free)===
===Cargo Road Spotting Lot (Free)===
The airport's newest viewing area is next to the FedEx shipping center on the airfield near the intersection of runways 12R/30L and 4/22. It has parking, picnic tables, benches and trees that will eventually provide shade. Open every day from dawn to dusk, the free viewing area is now the closest option for aircraft spotting. From MN77 take the 66th Street exit and then take Longfellow Avenue to the south to Cargo Road. Turn left on Cargo road and take it all the way to the end, just past the FedEx shipping center.
The airport's newest viewing area is next to the FedEx shipping center on the airfield near the intersection of runways 12R/30L and 4/22. It has parking, picnic tables, benches and trees that will eventually provide shade. Open every day from dawn to dusk, the free viewing area is now the closest option for aircraft spotting. From MN77 take the 66th Street exit and then take Longfellow Avenue to the south to Cargo Road. Turn left on Cargo Road and take it all the way to the end, just past the FedEx shipping center. The first tunnel goes under Runway 35/17, and the second tunnel goes under a taxiway entrance for freight aircraft.


==Other Spotting Locations==
==Other Spotting Locations==


===Terminal 1 Parking Ramps ($$$)===
===Terminal 1 Parking Ramps ($)===
This location gives you a great view of both the 12/30 runways and runway 4/22 as well. Drive up to the 8th or 9th floor, and you can walk (or drive) between the different ramps for different views.
This location gives you a great view of both the 12/30 runways and runway 4/22 as well. Drive up to the 8th or 9th floor, and you can walk (or drive) between the different ramps for different views.


===Terminal 2 Parking Ramps ($$$)===
===Terminal 2 Parking Ramps ($)===
This location gives you a pretty good view of most of the airfield. Terminal 2 gates, runways 17/35, 4/22, 12L/35R and the cargo area.
This location gives you a pretty good view of most of the airfield. Terminal 2 gates, runways 17/35, 4/22, 12L/35R and the cargo area.


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==Spotting Locations Map==
==Spotting Locations Map==


<display_map>
{{#display_map:
44.882102, -93.228851~ ~ ~ ~ ~Cargo Rd Spotting Lot
44.882102, -93.228851~Cargo Rd Spotting Lot;
44.890910, -93.234528~ ~ ~ ~ ~Dog Park
44.890910, -93.234528~Dog Park;
44.875493, -93.212192~ ~ ~ ~ ~Post Rd Cell Phone Lot
44.875493, -93.212192~Post Rd Cell Phone Lot;
44.855763, -93.238354~ ~ ~ ~ ~Mall of America East Parking Ramp
44.855763, -93.238354~Mall of America East Parking Ramp;
44.881985, -93.209801~ ~ ~ ~ ~Terminal 1 Parking Ramps
44.881985, -93.209801~Terminal 1 Parking Ramps;
44.873309, -93.227565~ ~ ~ ~ ~Terminal 2 Parking Ramps
44.873309, -93.227565~Terminal 2 Parking Ramps;
44.884905, -93.210299~ ~ ~ ~ ~Terminal 1 Observation Deck
44.884905, -93.210299~Terminal 1 Observation Deck;
44.874893, -93.211792~ ~ ~ ~ ~Fort Snelling National Cemetery
44.874893, -93.211792~Fort Snelling National Cemetery
</display_map>
}}


==Regular Traffic==
==Regular Traffic==
Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (a former Northwest hub and a current hub for Delta Air Lines) doesn't get many international airlines/year-round heavies (with Delta as the exception), but regional jets definitely frequent MSP 24/7. Seeing the heavies from foreign airlines (Condor and Air France) is one of the big highlights during the summer months. KLM has recently moved their flights from a seasonal schedule to having flights year-round with the 787 Dreamliner
Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (a former Northwest Airlines hub and a current hub for Delta Air Lines and Sun Country Airlines) doesn't get many year-round passenger heavies (with Delta and KLM as the two exceptions), but regional jets frequent MSP 24/7. Seeing the heavies from other foreign airlines (Condor and Air France) is one of the big highlights during the summer months. KLM has year-round flights, switching back and forth from the A330-200 and the A330-300 (during the summer months) to the 787-9 Dreamliner (during the winter months).


Heavies (including some 757s) and regional jets will mainly use 12R/30L and 12L/30R, respectively. This shortens the length of their taxi routes to their assigned gates. Additionally,  heavies will usually be assigned gates on Concourse G. Charters (usually about the size of a 737 or a 757) will park near Signature Flight Support, directly across from concourses G and F.  
Heavies and regional jets will mainly use 12R/30L and 12L/30R, respectively. This shortens the length of their taxi routes to their assigned gates. Additionally,  heavies will usually be assigned gates on Concourse G. Charters (usually about the size of a 737 or a 757) will park near Signature Flight Support, directly across from concourses G and F.  


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===Service Announcements===
*'''KLM will begin operating year-round 787-9 service to MSP on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, beginning on October 29. '''
*Delta's seasonal Honolulu route will now run from November to August of the following year.
*Sun Country Airlines will start (seasonal?) service to both Santa Clara and Mazantas in Cuba in December of 2017.
*Alaska Airlines announced service to San Francisco and San Diego, with both routes using Embraer E175 aircraft. The former route will start on July 18th, 2017, and the latter route will start on November 18th, 2017.


===Commercial Airlines, Aircraft, and Concourses-Terminals===
===Commercial Airlines, Aircraft, and Concourses-Terminals===
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|'''Terminal-Concourse'''
|'''Terminal-Concourse'''
|-
|-
|Air Canada Express (operated by Sky Regional/"Maple")
|Aer Lingus
|Embraer E175
|A330-900, A321XLR
|1-C
|-
|Air Canada Express  
|CRJ-900, E175 (Jazz Aviation)
|1-E
|1-E
|-
|-
|Air Choice One
|Air France  
|Cessna Grand Caravan 208
|777-200ER, 787-9
|1-B
|-
|Air France '''(early May - mid Sept)'''
|A340-300 (ends fall of 2017), 777-200 (begins spring of 2018)
|1-G
|1-G
|-
|-
|Alaska Airlines
|Alaska Airlines
|737-700, 737-800, 737-900, Embraer E175 (operated by SkyWest and Horizon Air)
|737-700, 737-800, 737-900, E175 (SkyWest and Horizon Air)
|1-E
|1-E
|-
|Allegiant Airlines
|A320
|2-H
|-
|-
|American Airlines
|American Airlines
|A319, A320, A321, 737-800, Embraer E190, MD-80
|A319, A320, A321, 737-800, E190
|1-E
|1-E
|-
|-
|American Eagle
|American Eagle
|CRJ-700 (operated by PSA Airlines), Embraer ERJ-170 (operated by Republic Airlines)
|CRJ-700 (PSA Airlines), E170 (Republic Airlines)
|1-E
|1-E
|-
|-
|Boutique Air
|Condor Flugdienst
|Pilatus PC-12
|A330-900
|1-B
|-
|Condor Flugdienst '''(early May - early Oct on Mon, Tue, Thu, and Sat)'''
|767-300
|2-H
|2-H
|-
|-
|Delta Air Lines
|Delta Air Lines
|A319, A320, A321, A330-200, A330-300, 717-200, 737-800, 737-900ER, 747-400, 757-200, 757-300, 767-300ER, 777-200ER/LR, MD-88, MD-90
|A220-100, A220-300, A319, A320, A321, A321NEO, A330-200, A330-300, A330-900, A350-900XWB, 737-800, 737-900ER, 757-200, 757-300, 767-300ER, 767-400ER
|1-C, 1-D, 1-F, 1-G
|1-C, 1-D, 1-F, 1-G
|-
|-
|Delta Connection
|Delta Connection
|CRJ-100 (SkyWest), CRJ-200 (SkyWest and Endeavor Air), CRJ-700 (ExpressJet), CRJ-900 (ExpressJet, SkyWest, and Endeavor Air), Embraer ERJ-145, Embraer E170 (operated by Compass Airlines), Embraer E175 (operated by SkyWest)
|CRJ-100 (SkyWest), CRJ-200 (SkyWest and Endeavor Air), CRJ-700 (ExpressJet), CRJ-900 (ExpressJet, SkyWest, and Endeavor Air), E170, E175 (SkyWest)
|1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D, 1-F, 1-G
|1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D, 1-F, 1-G
|-
|Denver Air Connection
| Dornier 328 Jet, ERJ 145
|
|-
|-
|Frontier Airlines
|Frontier Airlines
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|-
|-
|Icelandair
|Icelandair
|757-200, 757-300, 767-300 (seasonal)
|737 MAX 8, 757-300
|2-H
|2-H
|-
|-
|KLM '''(Mon, Wed, & Sat)'''
|JetBlue
|A330-200 (ends October 28), '''787-9 (begins October 29)'''
|A320, E190
|2-H
|-
|KLM  
|777-200ER, 787-9
|1-G
|1-G
|-
|-
|Southwest Airlines
|Southwest Airlines
|737-300, 737-700, 737-800
|737-700, 737-800, 737 MAX 8
|2-H
|-
|Sun Country Airlines
|737-700, 737-800
|2-H
|2-H
|-
|-
|Spirit Airlines
|Spirit Airlines
|A319, A320, A321
|A319, A320, A321
|1-E
|-
|Sun Country Airlines
|737-800
|2-H
|2-H
|-
|-
|United Airlines
|United Airlines
|A320, 737-400, 737-700, 737-800, 737-900
|A319, A320, 737-700, 737-800, 737-900
|1-E
|1-E
|-
|-
|United Express
|United Express
|CRJ-700 (operated by GoJet and Mesa "Air Shuttle"), Embraer E170 (operated by SkyWest, Shuttle America, and Republic Airlines), Embraer E175 (operated by SkyWest)
|CRJ-700 (GoJet and Mesa), E170 (SkyWest, Shuttle America and Republic Airlines), E175 (SkyWest)
|1-E
|1-E
|-
|WestJet
|737-700, 737-800
|1-G
|}
|}


===Cargo Airlines & Plane Type===
===Cargo Airlines & Plane Type===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|Amazon Prime Air (operated by Sun Country Airlines)
|737-8F
|-
|DHL (operated by Encore Air Cargo)
|SW4
|-
|-
|DHL (operated by Atlas Air)
|DHL (operated by iAero Airways)
|767-200
|737-4F
|-
|-
|DHL (operated by Suburban Air Freight)
|DHL (operated by Suburban Air Freight)
|Beechcraft 1900 (twin-turboprop)
|Beechcraft 1900 (twin-turboprop)
|-
|Encore Air Cargo (DHL)
|SW4
|-
|-
|FedEx Express
|FedEx Express
|A300-600, 757-200, DC-10, MD-11
|A300-600, 757-200, 767-300, MD-11
|-
|-
|FedEx Feeder (operated by Corporate Air)
|FedEx Feeder (operated by Corporate Air)
Line 193: Line 197:
|Cessna Grand Caravan 208 (single turboprop)
|Cessna Grand Caravan 208 (single turboprop)
|-
|-
|FedEx Feeder (operated by IFL Group Air Cargo)
|FedEx Feeder (operated by IFL Group)
|Dassault Falcon 20
|CRJ-200SF, Dassault Falcon 20
|-
|-
|FedEx Feeder (operated by Mountain Air Cargo)
|FedEx Feeder (operated by Mountain Air Cargo)
|ATR-42 (twin-turboprop)
|ATR-42 (twin-turboprop)
|-
|Suburban Air Freight (DHL)
|B1900 (twin-turboprop)
|-
|-
|UPS
|UPS
|A300-600, 757-200, DC-10, MD-11
|A300-600, 747-400F, 747-8F, 757-200, 767-300, MD-11F
|-
|-
|UPS '''(seasonal)'''
|UPS '''(seasonal)'''
|747-400F (operated by Atlas Air) '''or'''
|747-400 (operated by Kalitta Air), 747-400 (operated by Polar Air Cargo), MD-11F (operated by Western Global Airlines)
MD-11F (operated by Western Global Airlines)
|-
|-
|UPS (operated by Bemidji Air)
|UPS (operated by Bemidji Air)
|BE65 Queen Air, BE80 Queen Air, BE99, SW4
|BE65 Queen Air, BE80 Queen Air, BE99, SW4
|-
|-
|UPS (operated by IFL Group Air Cargo)
|UPS (operated by IFL Group)
|Dassault Falcon 20
|Dassault Falcon 20
|-
|-
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===Military Plane Types===
===Military Plane Types===
*C-5 Galaxy ('''VERY''' rare)
*C-5 Galaxy/Airbus A400M Atlas
*C-130 Hercules
*C-130 Hercules
*RAF and USAF C-17 Globemasters (rare)
*RAF and USAF C-17 Globemasters  
*KC-10 Refuelers
*KC-10 Refuelers


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===Hotel (on-site)===
===Hotel (on-site)===


InterContinental Hotels has signed on to be the first full service on-site hotel at the airport with 300 rooms on 12 floors. It will open during the winter of 2017-2018. The new hotel will be skyway connected to the airport with its own security checkpoint. The hotel will also have an "observation bar" on the top floor. It will have floor to ceiling windows with views of both downtowns of Minneapolis and St Paul.
The InterContinental Hotel is the first full service on-site hotel at the airport with 300 rooms on 12 floors. It opened in the summer of 2018. The hotel is skyway connected to the airport with its own security checkpoint. The hotel also has an "observation bar" on the top floor. It has floor-to-ceiling windows with views of both downtown Minneapolis and St Paul.


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