A free service that lets travelers reserve a time for a quicker trip through security – relieving some of the stress of unpredictable lines and how early you need to get to the airport – continues to expand, now heading to the primary terminal at Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP).
Starting next Tuesday, Sept. 17, travelers at MSP Airport's Terminal 1 will be able to visit the airport's website and enter their flight details to reserve a specific time for their trip through TSA security. You can make a reservation for yourself and your entire traveling party – up to 10 people. This reservation system, dubbed MSP Reserve, has been available at neighboring Terminal 2 for more than a year.
It's not TSA PreCheck and it's not CLEAR® Plus, either – and unlike both of those popular security services, this one is free. Sign up for a slot and you'll get a QR confirmation code sent to your phone, which you scan at a designated security checkpoint to enter a special lane, taking you to the front of the general security line.
You can reserve appointments online as early as one week before a flight … or even once you're already at the airport, assuming slots are available. Officials recommend booking an appointment at least 60 minutes before your flight is scheduled to begin boarding.
At Terminal 1, MSP Reserve lanes are located at the airport's north security checkpoint. Travelers can reserve slots between 3:45 a.m. and 7:45 p.m. daily. Over in Terminal 2 – home to Sun Country, Southwest, and other budget carriers – reservation slots are still available from 3:45-8 a.m. and 12-4 p.m. daily.
Though its footprint is much smaller, this reservation system similar to CLEAR® Plus: the privately-run (and pricey) trusted traveler program that allows members to cut to the front of the TSA PreCheck or general security lines at 50-plus airports nationwide. Unlike CLEAR, there are no biometric fingerprinting or iris scans to confirm your identity to reserve your spot in the security line. And there's no $199 annual fee, either: This is free to use.
But there's one big hitch: If you've got TSA PreCheck, you can't use it in tandem with this reservation system…probably. Travelers with CLEAR or PreCheck can still use the service – they'll just have to go through the general security screening, which means removing electronics from your bag and, yes, taking your shoes off, too.
But our Credit Cards & Award Travel Reporter Long Tran has used the service at Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SEA) and found a workaround. Since he had TSA PreCheck on his boarding pass, he was given a card to carry through the general security screening that let him keep his shoes on and electronics in his bag.
CLEAR itself is partnering with airports to run these reservation systems. But while CLEAR provides the product, it's up to each airport to determine how they want to operate the program, what it's called, and where and when it's offered.
Today, it's available at eight U.S. airports – though not at every terminal.
- Denver (DEN)
- Houston (IAH)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP)
- New York City (JFK)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Phoenix (PHX)
- Seattle (SEA)
Six airports in Canada and four in Europe are also using this reservation system at select security checkpoints. Whether travelers flying internationally will be able to take advantage of this service varies from airport to airport.
CLEAR launched this new reservation system in 2021, and while many airports in the U.S. and abroad have piloted the system, not all have permanently adopted it.
The reservation system is only available at 18 airports, fewer than last reported in 2023. Newark (EWR) no longer offers the service, while you'll now find it at Houston-Intercontinental (IAH). And while you'll find it at a few more airports in Canada now, fewer airports in Europe have continued to use the system.
Bottom Line
The free service that lets you reserve a spot in the airport security line is now available both terminals at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP).
Minneapolis is one of 18 airports across the U.S., Canada, and even Europe that currently partners with CLEAR to offer a free reservation system for airport security – allowing travelers to schedule a time to go through the general security screening and skip the line, reducing wait times and saving travelers time.
Lead photo courtesy of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport