Plan Ahead To Beat The Thanksgiving Travel Rush At MSP
If you are looking to travel for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest airports in the country, the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport is preparing travelers for an even busier travel season as the airport is estimating more people traveling than in past years.
An Increase In Air Travelers Is Expected
According to the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, they are expecting this holiday season to be one of the busiest in the last three years. MSP sends out a weekly newsletter, and this week, the airport sent out a reminder to travelers that they should expect full flights as well as full terminals this Thanksgiving.
"MSP predicts over 260,000 travelers during the week of Thanksgiving, a 1% increase over 2024. The busiest travel days expected are Wednesday, 11/26/25, and Sunday, 11/30/25."
What Days Aren't The Busiest For Thanksgiving Travel?
According to MSP, the quietest day for travel is Thanksgiving Day itself, with many travelers trying to get to their destination ahead of time. But if you aren't in a hurry, leaving the day of, might save you a few headaches.
The next best day for travel is the day after Black Friday. Small Business Saturday, November 29th, is also looking to be a tamer travel day. If you can swing it, coming home on Saturday might also be worth checking into.
Make Traveling Less Of A Hassle
Over the last three years, it seems I am catching a flight 3-4 times a year, and I'm becoming more and more of a believer in prebooking my parking spot. I go online, put in my flight information, along with the dates I am gone, and can simply park when I arrive, no need to worry about whether or not I'm getting a spot in one of the ramps.
I haven't done the reservation process for TSA yet, but the next trip I take, I think I will give it a try and see if that speeds up the process in getting to the gate, or if it's more of a gimmick than a timesaver.
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