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I’ve been accused of becoming nostalgic a little too easily. (“You’d cry at a parade” is something a certain family member has snarked at me more than once.)
Let me put it this way: if trips down memory lane earned frequent flyer miles, I’d be a multi-trillion miler. I should probably live on a street named after a certain Night Ranger song.
I love reminiscing about past travels. (Well, most of them.) And one place that’s played a major role in my life is the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP).
MSP truly is sentimentally special to me. (There was no way I’d miss the grand opening of Delta’s new Sky Club there!)
For real. An airport gets me in the feels.
I’ll share why MSP owns a place in my heart. Then, I hope you’ll comment about a special airport of yours — and why it’s unique to your life. (Chances are there’s at least one treasured airport if you read this blog.)
Why I Get Misty About MSP
I was six(?) when I took my first flight ever: a Republic Airlines hop from Fargo (FAR) to MSP during the first leg of a big family trip to Laguna Beach, California. That hooked me on California. I moved to the Los Angeles area 18 years later and have been here ever since.
Northwest eventually absorbed Republic. MSP was a major Northwest hub; most of my Fargo travels took me through Minneapolis.
United came to FAR at some point. I flew through Denver and Chicago every so often. But something about MSP and — darkly, Northwest — was always comforting. Delta, of course, eventually merged with Northwest.
I’ve been through MSP countless times for personal or business trips. Each visit generates so many memories — happy, sad, and bittersweet.
- My first trip flying alone when I was maybe 12 or 14 and navigating the airport myself. (Piece of cake!)
- The time my dad brought me to a Northwest WorldClub — my first visit to an airport lounge! (There was no turning back). It’s not there anymore but I’m pretty sure it was on the Green (now D) Concourse near what is now a McDonald’s.
- Flying out to Los Angeles with a then-girlfriend during college spring break — and MSP was crazy packed with college students that Friday night. I bumped into a friend at the Cheers-themed bar.
- In December 2020, my mother was gravely ill. I landed around 5:30 AM after my LAX to MSP flight. This was pre-9/11. A former co-worker (David) from my Radisson Hotel Fargo days graciously met me airside so I’d have someone to spend time with before my mid-morning flight to FAR. (David lived in Minneapolis at that point.) We had breakfast at Chili’s (which is now, I believe, Stone Arch) near the current F/G Delta Sky Club. I still remember that breakfast each time I pass by that area.
My wife, daughter, and I usually connect through MSP at least twice a year when traveling to Fargo or elsewhere. My daughter’s two favorite haunts: the indoor play area near the C Concourse Delta Sky Club and the F/G Sky Club. (Though I think she’ll be a fan of the new G Concourse lounge 🙂 ).
Honestly, it’s not unusual if I get momentarily misty when I go through MSP — especially when I travel alone. I miss my traveling companions!
Oui: There’s One More
An honorable mention is Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). When my wife and I took our first trip to Europe (during a bucket list journey to Bruges, Belgium), de Gaulle is where we originally landed from LAX before connecting to Amsterdam a few hours later. (We’d both been across the Atlantic before — but this was our first time in Europe together.)
I’ve since been back to CDG several times — but without her. Those have been mileage runs and/or trips with friends. (All with her blessing!) But every time I step onto that red carpet and see the arched ceiling, I always think of her.
Final Approach
Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) is a sentimentally special place for me. I’ve transited through MSP during each phase of my life. It always feels like home (though I’ve never lived within 200 miles of the Twins Cities) — and probably always will.
Which airport is special to you? Please tell us in the below Comments section — and share why it’s dear to you.
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
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CVG is where my first Delta mile originated back in 1991 when I lived there for 2 years. Always enjoyed the Crown Room/Sky Club. Large and they seemed to always have different offerings than other Sky Clubs. Frinedly workers who had been there awhile.
Over 2 million Delta miles later, FCO and ATH are at the top for me. FCO because it’s the first European trip I took back in the 90’s with my late father to visit relavatives and see where his dad was born. It was also the first European destination for my wife and me in the early 2000’s on our honeymoon. Great lounge (the old Casa Alitalia).
ATH because its where my wife’s family is from. Great shops, restaurants and for me, friendly people. The lounges are subpar, but the airport to me is solid.
My Fav airport(other than my hometown airport-JAX) is Nice since I know I am close to Monaco.
I’ve been all over the US and Europe and my favorite airport is still DTW. I went to school in Detroit so it was my first long haul airport and is still my primary connection airport out of the region. I love the airy feel of the Macnamara terminal and how well laid out everything is so that even tight connections from opposite ends are no problem.
And who can forget the musical light tunnel between the A and B/C concourses? It gives me a smile every time I go through.
MSP is nice for the upstairs indoor observation deck. The Snoopy statue marks the Senator Larry Craig restroom.
I like SFO. It’s not the best but I like it.
Funny…those are the first two things i think about regarding MSP.
I spent many times up there with my scanner and watching planes.
I’ve spent hundreds of hours at ATL, my home airport, and will fight anyone 🙂 who disparages it. But the airport that I have a soft spot for is CVG. Early in my working life I travelled every week, typically to a secondary city or two in the Midwest. I always tried to book a connection through CVG with the excellent CrownRoom which became a de facto meet-up point where my colleagues coming from DEN and BMI and I would meet up and head out to our final destination. Sadly DL doesn’t route me through CVG very often since it was downgraded from its former hub status, though I still occasionally try manually to stop-over at CVG.
I loved the Milwaukee airport when Midwest Airlines was based there, but those days are long gone.
@Dave – RIP Midwest Express, they were great! I was in college at Marquette in Milwaukee when they were still going strong and had the opportunity to fly them to/from home frequently. Champagne and strawberries and a leather seat in “coach” was a real treat at the time.
I visited my aunts in Madison and took Midwest Express LAX-MKE-MSN. What a treat!
Here an old video showing the level of service. Everyone on the plane got a better meal than you get today in first class on Delta:
https://youtu.be/hF1no2IizCU
As a 25 year employee with NWA in DSM, I too spent a lot of time at MSP for training and meetings. It really is a pretty efficient airfield,even in Winter!
I have a spot in my heart for MEM. Growing up in Memphis I can remember flying Republic which became NW then DL. The days of the ole MEM-GCM non stop on a DC9 (had to use special version to make the whole flight without needing fuel). Back when NW/DL merged and I no longer lived in MEM I used to still try to connect through MEM whenever possible. You could actually fly almost anywhere from MEM in its prime.
Right? It’s sad that MEM pretty much got kicked to the curb.
I have you by one predecessor airline: North Central Airlines.
Yes they did……very few options now…..at least they added a MEM-SLC a few days a week and have a MEM-LAX.
My fav is SFO. Huge international connections, BART provides easy public transportation, and the normal landing pattern easing down over the bay from San Jose to the airport cannot be beat for viewing.