Faced with a growing number of complaints from travelers, the Metropolitan Airports Commission is considering a $1 million proposal for new signs on the freeways approaching Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport directing drivers to "Terminal 1" (Lindbergh) or "Terminal 2" (Humphrey). The new signs would also list which airlines fly out of each terminal.Some people are outraged by this because a) the price and b) they think people should be able to tell which airport to go to, due to the note on their itinerary if nothing else. Well, I'm in the travel business and I think it's an ok change.
For those of you who don't understand the problem, the Twin Cities has two different airport terminals. They are unconnected and right next to each other. Presumably (due to the sited complaints) travelers are getting confused and going to the wrong ones.
Apparently the price isn't just for a few signs, but also for a public awareness campaign. I don't know how necessary this is but our public officials aren't very stingy when it comes to spending money. A sign with lists of airlines that use each terminal seems to make the most sense to me. I'd think that would be enough.
I can see a need for the overall effort. When someone says to me, "Go to the Lindbergh Terminal" I have to stop and think about which one they mean. I mentally translate to 'Big terminal' and drive accordingly. Humphrey is 'the smaller one'. That must be the thought process for others as well.
What do you guys think?
4 comments:
I agree that something needs to change. If some of the people who live in the twin cities have to stop and think about which terminal they need to go to, those of us who don't travel a lot and don't live there, really have to think about it, or actually inquire somewhere so we don't go to the wrong terminal and take a chance on missing a flight.
Before spending an outlandish amount of money they need to go back to the drawing board and see what is the best way to make this change.
I'll go paint "main" next to the word Lindburgh on every sign for a paltry hundred thou...
Personally, I like the idea of signs for the airlines that use the appropriate terminals, along with a bunch of video monitors with Garrison Keillor repeating the names of the airlines in each terminal over...and over...and over, until the travelers flee for their lives to escape the madness.
I don't think you could pack them in the planes quickly enough, frankly.
Actually, the more I think about this the more I think it's an awful idea. One-freakin'-million dollars to redo the signage? How many diverted passengers would it take to justify that?
This really makes budget shortfall tears seem hollow doesn't it?
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