This Change Could Now Affect Your Flight From Minnesota

If you're flying soon from Minnesota, Delta Air Lines is implementing a change regarding check-in times that could affect your flight at MSP Airport.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is the largest airport in the North Star State. Airlines at MSP served 163 nonstop destinations from the North Star State in 2023, up from 156 destinations in 2023 and 145 destinations in 2022.

Overall, MSP saw 324,140 flight operations (both takeoffs and landings) in 2024, up from 323,929 in 2023 and 310,269 in 2022. MSP also averaged 60,644 daily departing seats, up from 56,823 a year ago, an increase of 6.7 percent.

ALSO INTERESTING: The Surprising Fact About MSP Airport You May Not Know

All those numbers add up to an even bigger number: 37,168,257. That's the total number of passengers who went through the gates at MSP in 2024. That 37 million is a a nearly 7 percent increase from the 34,770,800 passengers who used MSP in 2023, and the 31,241,822 passengers served in 2022.

The largest airline serving MSP is, of course, Delta Air Lines. Delta is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but its second-largest hub is here in the North Star State at MSP. I still kind of think of Delta as a 'Minnesota' airline, seeing as it merged with Minnesota's Eagan-based Northwest Airlines back in 2008.

And now, Delta has just announced a change that could affect any flight after April 8th, 2025. According to a release, Delta is advising passengers with checked bags to arrive even earlier than usual at the airport.

Delta's current policy allows you check-in time just 30 minutes before departure for most flights. However, starting April 8, Delta requires checked bags to be checked in at least 45 minutes before departure for all domestic flights.

For travel with checked bags on or after April 8, 2025, baggage must be checked in at least 45 minutes before your scheduled departure time.

Delta notes that if you're traveling without checked bags, you can still use the 30-minute before departure check-in. Seeing as Delta still recommends getting to the airport a full two hours before any domestic flight (and 3 hours for an international flight), I'm not sure just who is waiting that late to check in!

So you're not surprised the next time you head to MSP, you can read more about Delta's new policy HERE. And speaking of MSP, did you know it was once again named the best airport in North America for the third year in a row last year? That was the seventh time in the last eight years it won that distinction!

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