Originally Posted by
davetravels
I was mostly trying to point out that somebody above made the mistake of thinking this pax is elite - which he isn't - which changes things some.
But I didn't make that mistake, someone else did. I took the pax's status into consideration in my recommendation.
Originally Posted by
davetravels
Also, I just wondered when the last time was that you used the non-elite lines?
Fairly regularly, actually. You'd be surprised. There are times at MSP, believe it or not, when one of the "regular" lines is faster than the elite lane. Plus, I travel a lot with non-elites, so I usually go through the line with them. Careful about making assumptions.
Originally Posted by
ifette
Re: breakfast - I stopped at Ike's not too long ago. I was connecting off of a redeye from SFO. Not great food, but not bad, and it was open at 6a.
I've eaten at Ike's twice, both for lunch/dinner. Food was above average and the atmosphere is nice if you grab a booth in the back (you completely forget you're in an airport). The menu is a bit pricey, though, even for an airport.
Originally Posted by
ifette
Absolutely no disrespect meant to @SchmutzigMSP, and I know MSP is your home airport, but I've just seen such huge variance that I personally wouldn't chance it. My home airport used to be DTW, and I used to cut it close, and even with the elite lines (which OP cannot use), every once and a while crap happens. You get a "behavioral specialist" who thinks you deserve the works, the guy in front of you throws off the alarm three times, the agent makes a red diagonal line across your BP because you were the 7th pax after their last sip of coffee, who knows. I agree that most of the time you're probably fine, but the question is if you're starting (or ending) a vacation, is it really worth saving a half hour to risk it?
All of those variations would be covered, IMO, by my last statement in post #2 of "If you want to be extra cautious, maybe tack on an extra 15 minutes to account for some random unexpected delay..."
OP: Obviously there is a little variation in the opinion. I really think you'll be fine arriving no later than one hour before the flight, but it's obviously your call. Best of luck.
