b'BAGGAGEMSP15Among the teams first tasks was creating more floor space. By adding a 15-foot bump-out along the terminals 930-foot-long roadway frontage, designers were able to relocate stairways and remove six escalators and four elevators to better open areas along the backside of baggage claim. Overhead ductwork and conveyors were relocated to raise ceilings by 24 inches while adding much-needed natural lighting. Next, the older 20-foot-radius circular carousels were removed and replaced with rectangular units that are 50 feet long and 30 feet wide. What amounted to a mere 10% increase in floorspace enabled MSP to significantly reorient the carousels in a way that produced 50% more presentation space for travelers to see and claim their checked bags. The new carousels came online in phases, the first in December 2019 and last in September 2024. Some behind-the-scenes work will continue through late 2025.Project Manager Jeff Loeschen explains that the path forward began with removing a central escalator bank that The airport served 34.7 million1 had roughly half as much presentationwas long viewed as passengers in 2023, followed by 7.5%length (space for bags) as needed. In fact,untouchableuntilJEFF LOESCHENgrowth in enplanements through Octobersome carousels had not been expandedit became obvious it 2024 Its all-time high was 39.5 millionsince they were installed decades earlier. was one of the most restrictive points in annual passengers in 2019. As planners began to plot solutionsthe terminal. Alan Howell, seniorto those challenges, Howell had the[Relocated] vertical circulation became architect with theteam focus on inspansion, a twist ontransformative in terms of how we move Metropolitan Airportsthe work expansion coined by Davidpeople through the building, says Commission, notesTomber, a longtime aviation planner ofLoeschen, who has worked with MSP for that even thoughSeattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).15 years as a managing principal at the MSPs customerInspansion became an informal code fordesign firm Alliiance.experience hasthe planners guiding MSPs push to createConcessions and restrooms were not suffered amidALAN HOWELL a new terminal experience without buildingcentralized to improve previously increasing traffic,a new terminal. As Howell puts it, theunderutilized spaces. An emphasis on leadership recognized years ago thatchallenge was to make a building that wassmall details made movement and flow there were still opportunities to improveconstructed in 1962 last another 50 years.more intuitive, Reif adds. Terminal 1s five interconnected buildings. And with that, MSPs multiyear, $525 The ability to know you can take the In 2008, MSP began a formal examinationmillion Operational Improvements Programstairs whenever you want helps relieve of its infrastructure needs for 2020 to 2040.was born. It set a new pathway forcongestion near the escalators, she The resulting Environmental Assessmentreducing congestion, increasing capacityexplains. The stairs were there before published in 2013 revealed shortcomings inand optimizing passenger flowall tobut hidden from view. Putting them next several areas, including the ticketing lobby,improve the customer experienceandto escalators was just one little, nuanced checkpoint lanes and curbsides. It alsoincluded $63.8 million in improvements tothing that made it feel like a better found that baggage carousels in Terminalbaggage handling systems. experience.AirportImprovement.comJanuary | February 2025'