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Sneak Up the Stairs to Find MSP's Secret Observation Deck

February 10, 2011 at 9:59 AM | by | Comments (3)

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport might not be one of the mighty hubs for Northwest Airlines any longer, but Delta is still around sending plenty of planes to and from the Twin Cities each day of the week. There’s a slew of windows at the airport to check out the aviation action, but there’s actually a somewhat secret observation deck within Terminal 1-Lindbergh.

We say it’s a secret because anytime we’ve visited, there has been no one there, and it’s not even on the airport maps. It’s located in Concourse D up some stairs and kind of behind one of the gift shops in the area—we think it’s called Airport Express or something like that.

To get there, just make your way down the short hallway into the Concourse D gates past the Quiznos on the right as well as some bar/restaurant place called Northern Lights Grill. As soon as the hallway opens up into the gate area turn left and you should be able to see the stairs—as well as a sign—directing you to the airplane viewing party.

The observation room features plenty of seating—especially since like we said, nobody is ever around to use them—and is filled with windows on all sides. You’re up a little higher than the rest of the airport, so you’re able to get a slight bird’s eye view of all the comings and goings. Don’t expect too much airplane diversity, as it’s pretty much going to be lots of Delta jets. Still there might be a 747 heading overseas in addition to plenty of other smaller Boeing and Airbus planes.

Even if checking out airplanes isn’t really your thing, we kind of enjoy the MSP observation deck as simply a quiet place to enjoy a copy of US Weekly and an overpriced airport Frappuccino—don’t judge us—you’ve done it too. It’s so secluded up there they we’ve actually wondered if you could pretty much sleep in the airport if we missed a flight, but thankfully, we have yet to have to test that theory.

Related Stories:
· MSP Airport [Official Site
· Camp Out in Burlington Airport's Old Control Tower for Prime Plane Spotting [Jaunted]
· Plane Spotting coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Aaron Landry]

Comments (3)

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yes!

One of my favorite places at MSP - always quiet and I usually get a lot of work done while I'm waiting on a connection or have some time to spare. An FA friend of mine showed the secret spot to me a couple of years ago and since then I've only seen two other people in the small observatory - perhaps one of them was a Jaunted contributor!
murfslk230 on February 10, 2011 at 1:15 PM #Permalink

WIN!

Thanks so much for posting this. I have a pal who has been trying to get me up to MSP now for a while. This might be enough to sweeten the deal. By the way, I'm a new jaunted reader. I enjoy that you have a tag for planespotting. Every month or so I visit and catch up. Great stuff! Thanks so much.
user47 on May 9, 2011 at 11:19 AM #Permalink

@user47

Thank you for the nice comment! Glad to have you reading and we totally love to do plane spotting stories, so check back often!
JetSetCD on May 9, 2011 at 11:18 PM #Permalink
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