Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

Holiday shopping discounts at Minneapolis-St. Paul Int’l Airport

Deals, Free Stuff, Shopping

Heading to or through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) this holiday season? Be sure to leave some time for shopping.

The airport is giving out holiday coupon books with discounts, freebies, and gift-with-purchase offers from more than 60 airport shops and restaurants.

The coupon booklets will be available at the airport information booths and downloadable from the MSP Web site. Valid dates: November 26-December 31, 2008.

But why wait? Here’s a copy of all the coupons and offers.

Cheap, car-free, airport side-trips

Museums, , , , ,

Airline route cuts and drastic schedule cutbacks mean you’re probably going to be spending a lot more time hanging around the airport waiting for a flight.

You could use that time to snooze, eat, or work. Or you can head out for one of the cheap, educational, car-free side trips I list in my most recent At the Airport column on USATODAY.com.

For example, the Louis Armstrong Museum is a short bus ride away from New York’s LaGuardia Airport; the movie theaters, theme park, and other attractions at the Mall of America are a ten minute light-rail ride away from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport; and the Museum of Flight, home of the Aerocar (below), is a short bus ride from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

(Photo: courtesy Museum of Flight)

Have you discovered a great airport side-trip destination? Add a comment below.

Power up at Newark-Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Cell Phones, Power Outlets, , , ,

Goods news for gadget-toting travelers:

There are now 50 free 4-outlet charging stations scattered through Terminals A, B, and C at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).

The charging stations are courtesy of Samsung Mobile, which sponsors similar power charging stations at five other major airports (so far): John F. Kennedy International Airport (54), Los Angeles International Airport (51) LaGuardia International Airport (12), Orlando International Airport (18), and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (22). In addition, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has eight Samsung Mobile Travel Centers, which also offer couches and other amenities.

Power charging stations (both free and pay-per-charge), desks with working power outlets, and banks of seats with built in outlets seem to be popping up at more and more airports these days. But don’t leave your extension cord home just yet: during high traffic times a spot at the charging station is harder to get than a seat in the sports bar during a playoff game.

Forbes confirms: We’ll all be stuck at the airport

Delays, ,

In her Forbes article titled “America’s Most Time Draining Airports,” Rebecca Ruiz reports on the Forbes analysis of 2007 Bureau of Transportation statistics for 100 of the largest airports. (The full table of delay statistics is here.)

No surprise – Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) tops the list as “the nation’s worst airport for delays.” In defense, airport officials tick off a list of things passengers can do while they’re stuck at O’Hare: get a massage, shop at the Field Museum kiosk, or eat at the Wolfgang Puck restaurant.

That might keep you amused for about an hour.  In the Top 20 list of airports with the worst delays there are few that offer far more entertainment: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Denver International Airport (DEN) have lots of artwork to see and at Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport (MSP) there’s oodles of great shopping.

sfoart.jpg

(World Civilization,” by Viola Frey, is located in Boarding Area A. Courtesy SFO airport)

MSP will soon pamper people and their pets

Massages, Pets, Salons, Spas

Last week the folks at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport announced that a 24-hour pet boarding facility will open on airport property in October.  The “pet palace” will have an outdoor play and exercise areas, indoor play areas, and a spa and grooming area with a pet therapy pool and massage services.

Now travelers passing through MSP can also look forward to some pampering.   On Monday the airport announced that XpresSpa will open a wellness center inside the airport next fall.  The 5,000 square-foot center will offer spa and beauty services (hair cuts, manicures, pedicures, massages, facials, etc.) a full-service pharmacy, and a walk-in health clinic.