Larsen Idealog

Terminal Confusion

So which exit do I want for my flight? I’m in the fast lane heading to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, and I don’t have a clue which renowned Minnesotan — Lindbergh or Humphrey — represents domestic flights and which represents international flights.

This is a classic example of let’s-forget-about-the-customer communication. We’ve all encountered it — whether in confusing website navigation, an opaque product name, or a real “huh?” of a headline.

 “Oh, you’re just not from around here,” my Minnesotan friends chide.

That’s precisely the point. I’m not, and neither are thousands of travelers who visit this artistic arctic tundra. Wouldn’t it be, well, Minnesota nice of us to clarify this? When clarity is the goal, whether in marketing communications or traffic control, what we create has to make sense to insiders and outsiders alike.

I see three layers of information on these signs as I speed under them, and I still don’t know which exit to take. Let’s pull over — and pull apart this content.

•    Exit 1A or Exit 1B. Helpful, yes, after I know whether Lucky Lindy or The Happy Warrior will get me to Washington D.C. or L.A. or London or wherever.

•    Minnesota 5 or 34th Ave. Sure, but I’m getting on a plane. Which will take me to the Northwest Airlines Domestic Flights?

•    Lindbergh Terminal or Humphrey Terminal. Funny, I don’t recall my e-ticket receipt saying anything about either of these gentlemen. And at 60 m.p.h., how would I check it anyway?

The fine people of the Metropolitan Airports Commission have named these terminals to honor two fine Minnesotans and in the process have forgotten all about communicating to motorists. So all of us are going nowhere fast.

What works on these signs are the airplane icons. (Although they could be a bit bigger.) They’re clear, they cut through the clutter. Now how about another unambiguous detail, perhaps housed in a little hang tag off the bottom, to balance the little tab on the top of these signs?

Domestic Flights
International Flights

Unfortunately, I’m wrong about which terminal is for what. The domestic-international distinction is not relevant. (See what happens when audiences don’t understand your message?) A look at the homepage of MSPairport.com doesn’t help my Lindbergh-Humphrey confusion. I begin poking around for an answer, first under “Flight Information” and then under “MSP Airline Information.” I finally find what I’m looking for in sub-nav under the headline “Getting To and From MSP.” And it’s called, plainly enough, “Choosing the Correct Terminal.” At last! The information I need:

Choosing the Correct Terminal

“Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has two full-service terminals: the Lindbergh Terminal and the Humphrey Terminal. Your airline ticket may abbreviate the name, listing Terminal L for Lindbergh Terminal and Terminal H for Humphrey Terminal.”
To be honest, it never occurred to me to check my ticket first. Heck, I never have a ticket. I just show up at the airport having booked online and get a boarding pass.

According to MSPairport.com, here’s what flights are where:

Lindbergh Terminal
Air Canada
American Airlines
America West
Comair
Continental
Delta
Frontier
KLM
Mesaba
Northwest 

SkyWest 

United 

U.S. Airways                       

Humphrey Terminal
AirTran Airways
Casino Express
Champion Air

Icelandair
Miami Air

Midwest Airlines

Omni Air International

Ryan International

Sun Country Airlines

Whoa. That’s one big honkin’ highway sign.

But I’ll bet I’m not the only motorist who’d appreciate it.

— That's words on words