Plan early this summer for parking at MSP's Terminal 1

Ah, the summer travel season.

For better or for worse, it goes along with a visit to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, given family and personal vacations, as well as normal business travel.

Spring break at the airport, another busy travel season, was chaotic this year because of the consolidation of security checkpoints in Terminal 1. This induced Gov. Mark Dayton, Minnesota congressional leaders and the Metropolitan Airports Commission to write angry letters to the Transportation Security Administration, causing its administrator, Peter Neffenger, to visit last month. He promised things will go better this summer. We shall see.

In the meantime, MAC officials are facing a different challenge: trying to anticipate and manage the parking situation at Terminal 1.

Sometimes on busy travel weeks long-term parking at Terminal 1 can be a dicey proposition, especially on Tuesday and Wednesdays. Travelers drive to the terminal expecting to park at the general parking ramps there, only to find they're diverted to short-term parking (with a long-term voucher) or to Value parking at Terminal 2, meaning they must take light rail and the tram to their destination.

This unexpected hassle no doubt adds another level of stress to a travel itinerary.

Terminal 1, of course, is the busier of the two terminals at the airport, with about 16 million passengers boarding planes there last year — and 55 percent of them (or 9 million people) began their journey in the Twin Cities.

Phoebe Larson, a marketing specialist for the MAC, suggests that Terminal 1-bound travelers this summer try a lesser-known parking option: the Quick Ride Ramp.

This ramp, formerly used for Delta Air Lines employees, is a mile from Terminal 1, off Hwy. 5 at the Post Road exit. Its exact address for those of you using GPS is 5315 Northwest Drive, St. Paul, MN 55111, and it can accommodate 1,400 vehicles.

Once you've parked, a free 24/7 shuttle picks you up at your car and drops you back off once you return. The trip to the terminal, Larson says, takes about five minutes. (Terminal 2 is not served by this ramp.)

"The lot isn't as well known to people," Larson said. The ramp opened last year.

Plus, she notes, it's cheaper. The tram- and skyway-connected general ramps at Terminal 1 cost $24 a day, while the Quick Ride Ramp's daily rate is $14. That's the same rate as the Value parking lot at Terminal 2.

Personally, I never drive to the airport. I get a ride, take light rail, hail a cab or use Car2Go, which is now at Terminal 2. But if you live farther afield from the airport and have a family (read: lots of luggage), this seems like a decent option. And there are plenty of options for off-site parking, as well.