America’s Top Airport Has Therapy Dogs, Local Pizza, and a Cat Named Stitches

MSP Wins Top Honors Two Years Running

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport just earned the title of best mega airport in North America for the second year in a row.

The 2025 J.D. Power satisfaction survey gave MSP a score of 660 out of 1,000, beating out Detroit, Phoenix, and every other airport handling more than 33 million passengers annually. What makes travelers so happy here?

The answer involves 96 therapy dogs, one very calm cat, coal-fired pizza, and a light rail that never stops running.

Highest Marks in Six Categories

The J.D. Power study surveys about 30,000 travelers and grades airports on seven factors.

MSP ranked first among mega airports in six of them: airport staff, terminal facilities, food and retail, departure experience, arrival experience, and level of trust.

The only category where MSP didn’t take the top spot was ease of travel, where longer security lines at busy airports tend to drag scores down.

Still, no other mega airport came close to MSP’s overall performance.

$242 Million Makeover Just Finished

Delta Air Lines and the Metropolitan Airports Commission wrapped up the largest interior renovation in Terminal 1’s history in late 2025.

The $242 million project updated six of seven concourses with terrazzo flooring, LED lighting, granite wall finishes, and metal-panel ceilings.

New dynamic gate signs now display flight information from farther down the concourse, so you can spot your gate without squinting.

21,000 Workers With Minnesota Nice

The airport employs about 21,000 people, and travelers consistently praise their friendliness.

The culture here reflects what locals call “Minnesota Nice,” a genuine warmth that shows up in how staff answer questions and help passengers find their way.

Hundreds of volunteers also donate time to assist travelers, adding another layer of hospitality that bigger coastal airports often lack.

96 Dogs and a Cat Named Stitches

The Animal Ambassador program started in 2015 with therapy dogs roaming the terminal to calm nervous flyers. Today, 96 dogs work the concourses in red vests.

In 2019, an 11-year-old calico-tabby mix named Stitches became the first cat to join the program. She rides around Terminal 1 in a stroller with a sign that says “Pet Me.”

Stitches was rescued after a tornado in Hugo, Minnesota, and now she’s the one doing the rescuing.

Local Restaurants Bring Twin Cities Flavor

Forget generic airport chains. MSP features Black Sheep coal-fired pizza, Stone Arch craft beer with over 80 options on tap, and Mill City Tavern serving wild rice-crusted walleye and Minnesota chopped salad.

Red Cow brings its famous burgers. Angel Food Bakery handles pastries.

A dedicated Prince Store sells merchandise honoring the Minneapolis music legend, and you can even buy Paisley Park tour tickets there.

Light Rail Connects Everything 24/7

The METRO Blue Line stops at both terminals and runs to downtown Minneapolis in about 25 minutes and Mall of America in 12 minutes. Trains come every 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours.

Service between terminals is free and runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No other major airport makes it this easy to ditch your car and still explore the region.

Snoopy Statues and a 29-Foot Light Show

Peanuts creator Charles Schulz grew up in Saint Paul, and MSP honors him with three Snoopy statues scattered through the terminal for a fun scavenger hunt.

The Aurora, a 29-foot swirling light sculpture, stretches through two floors of Terminal 1’s departures hall.

Step on the lake-shaped LED platforms on the floor below, and you’ll trigger color changes that ripple up through the installation.

First Airport Cinema in America

The see18 Film Screening Room near Gate C18 bills itself as the first state-of-the-art cinema in any major U.S. airport.

Short films and documentaries about Minnesota culture run continuously, 24 hours a day, for free.

Topics range from Ojibwe beadwork to the history of Fort Snelling to tiny concerts by Minnesota Orchestra musicians. The space was remodeled in 2020 with comfortable seating and improved screens.

Walk Off Your Meal on a 1.4-Mile Path

Terminal 1 has an official 1.4-mile walking path marked with green dots on the floor.

The American Heart Association sponsors the route, which winds through the concourses and gives travelers a way to stretch their legs during long layovers.

Terminal 2 offers a simpler option: the concourse runs 500 meters end to end, so one round trip equals a full kilometer.

A Hotel Connected by Skybridge

The InterContinental Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport is the only hotel directly connected to MSP. A skybridge links the 12-story property to Terminal 1’s Concourse C.

The hotel features two signature restaurants, a penthouse cocktail bar called Altitude with 180-degree views of the runway, and 291 rooms designed to block out jet engine noise.

Early morning flyers can walk straight from their room to their gate.

Why Travelers Keep Coming Back

MSP handled 37.2 million passengers in 2024, making it the 18th busiest airport in North America.

Yet it consistently outperforms airports twice its size in satisfaction surveys.

The formula works: friendly staff, local food, easy transit, and therapy animals that greet you before your flight. Other airports are trying to copy it.

So far, none have matched the original.

Visiting Minneapolis-Saint Paul International, Minnesota

MSP earned top marks in J.D. Power’s 2025 satisfaction survey for good reason. Terminal 1 handles most flights, including all Delta operations, while Terminal 2 serves Southwest, Sun Country, and other carriers.

The METRO Blue Line runs from both terminals to downtown Minneapolis and Mall of America, with fares starting at $2 off-peak.

Therapy dogs roam the concourses daily, and Stitches the cat typically appears on Friday afternoons in Terminal 1. The airport is located at 4300 Glumack Drive, about 10 miles south of downtown Minneapolis.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Minnesota Shatters Its Own Record for Land Conservation with 12,000-Acre Deal
• Charming Minnesota towns you’ll want to explore again
• The day nature’s fury erased centuries of Minnesota forest growth in minutes