sethb

The lounges are nowhere near those gates so it wouldn't matter. There's plenty of space in the airport overall, just not enough at some gates.

The other problem is announcements. "Delta 123 now boarding Zone 1" people hear "Now boarding zone 1" and zone 1 pax from Delta 987 start pushing through.

SOBE ER DOC

The G Concourse at MSP is one of my least favorite DL hub terminals. Agree that the new food options and cluttered retail options have created a mess at these gates. I would have rather had fewer dining options.

MSPeconomist

It's not as profitable, but I'd rather not have any concessions cluttering the gate area or impeding the path from the main concourse to the gate.

DLERT

RE: If the G concourse keeps growing it can encompass the proposed hotel and eventually connect Terminals 1 and 2. However, it's strange that G keeps growing as DL is supposedly exercising capacity discipline.

Aye they still have room once the last hangar complex is removed and then the extension can go right up to the Minnesota River where you could take a water taxi to downtown St. Paul Holman Field with more available gate space and you thought the "A" concourse was the limit at Highway 5 !

Ah something about the food and snack gauntlet hitting a nerve - but you are right on having to leap the hurdles burger and dog race track -
a broad jump pass the news stand after the 100 meter freestyle race since the moving walk way was not in the WALK mode and finally then
making the pole vault over the gate lice in Priority Zone 1 Boarding Lane.

A nice preflight warm-up for the Olympics !

So fanfare "Let the Games (Flights) begin !

3Cforme

Airports want to keep people occupied. They want to keep people spending, taking a cut of revenue

A singular mark in the movement of concourses to restaurants and shopping malls came with the opening of LHR Terminal 4 in 1986 - for all the people who've been living under a rock for the last three decades, thinking busy U.S. airports wouldn't be busy on a weekday late afternoon.

Widgets

It's easy for a red coat to float between a couple gates at my airport too. Also makes it easy for the secondary agents to float while the primaries do the main work.

kop84

In MSP all the CRJ200's leave from A/B. As DL upgauges the planes and reduces some frequency it would naturally remove flights from A/B and move them to the rest of the concourses.

That said I'll take the small cluster in G vs vending machines only in B, and one bar in A that seems to be open only 25% of the time.

CJKatl

It's not the existence of the shops or bar that are the problem, it's the horrible design that causes chaos. You would think people designing an airport gate space would realize people would be getting off the planes while other people would be gathering under the monitors, others would be making purchases and others would be gate-licing around the entry line ropes and not put all four activities in the same three foot square space. Why they chose to put the registers on the end where all those other activities are taking place is beyond me. Had the registers been placed where you first walk in, instead of close to the Jetway door, half the problem wouldn't exist.

And you would think there would be a SkyClub somewhere near there.

Carpboy823

The register thing may be for loss prevention. Easier to steal something and hop on an airplane than steal something and walk in plain sight in a large terminal, in my opinion.

Beckles

I'm not a huge fan of the design ... but I do give them credit for be willing to try something radically different. Do they have feedback cards ... or feedback option on the iPads ... or a website ... or a mailing address ... I think it would be much more productive to provide feedback that way than posting here on FT.

CarmenOM

Here's where you can provide feedback:

https://mspairport.com/contact-us.aspx

Also, the information desks scattered around the airport, including one at each end of the mall, have feedback cards.

Ebes1099

I really dislike what they did with all the iPads and food options in G at MSP. I liked sitting down and being able to interact with a bartender and a bar-like setting. Now it's a bar with an ipad and a high counter in front of you, it doesn't feel very welcoming.

I'd also agree those higher G gates are overcrowded and they always put flights departing near the same time next to each other. Like other people have said, I'm sure DL does this intentionally and has a reason for it. I see it at ORD as well. That poor one bathroom across from the G18 gate is a terrible place to be.

DL-Don

Do you think taking the G concourse OVER or UNDER I-5 on its way to the Minnesota River is preferred?

miraclebear2003

A number of times I can connect through MSP or DTW going out West and unless there is a big difference in price or schedules, I've quickly tired of the G gates and like DTW much better.

Exiled in Express

Delta, not the airport, designed G. Short term cash grab.

Through 2015, Delta has exclusive control of all of Concourse G, covering concessions and public spaces as well as gate areas. Delta gets 85 percent of the concession rent revenue; the MAC receives the remaining 15 percent.

LINK