Will You Spend More Time in the TSA Line at MSP Airport Right Now?

With travelers flooding the airport for Spring Break and a partial government shutdown making national headlines, it’s natural to worry about missing your flight. Here is the breakdown of how Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is handling the rush-- and how long you might spend in those security lines.

If you and your family are doing any traveling for Spring Break 2026, here's a heads-up about the time it will take you to get through the lines at the biggest airport here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Just how is the partial government shutdown affecting those TSA checkpoints during one of the busiest times of the year?

MSP Airport Ranks High for Customer Satisfaction Amid Renovations

You might recall a story I first wrote back in September, about how the 2025 Airport Satisfaction Survey from noted consumer research firm J.D. Power once again confirmed that the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) near Bloomington is the Top Airport in the U.S. for Customer Satisfaction.

And you also might recall a story I wrote last December about MSP unveiling the largest renovation of Terminal 1 in the airport's history. That project took over two years to complete and is something you'll definitely notice if you're flying out of Minnesota soon.

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Comparing TSA Wait Times: MSP vs. National Airport Delays

But thanks to the partial government shutdown, TSA lines at several airports across the country have been swamped, leading to massive wait times to get through those TSA checkpoints.

KARE 11 reported that the airports with the longest wait times in the TSA line this past weekend were in Houston, Texas, where passengers faced an average wait time of 216 minutes, and New Orleans, where travelers faced wait times of 77 minutes.

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

But that's necessarily the case here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. According to the MSP Security Wait Times page on Tuesday, March 11, 2026, wait times at the Terminal 1 North Gate were just 5 minutes, while wait times at the Terminal 1 South Gate were averaging around 10 minutes.

What to Expect for Spring Break 2026 Travel at MSP

And KARE 11 confirmed that things are flowing smoothly at MSP, even as it gears up to see an increase in passengers for spring break. MSP officials are forecasting that around 3.3 million travelers will fly in and out of the airport during this year's spring break period, with the weekend of March 28 set to be the busiest weekend for travelers.

That increase means you might spend a few more minutes going through the security line, but overall it's not a big deal compared to the wait times travelers are facing at other locations!