MEA break sends thousands to MSP Airport

MEA break starts today for a number of schools. Yes and that also means the travel rush has officially begun. Tanu is in the live center with when the roads and the airports when we'll start seeing things get very busy. Good morning Tanu. Hey good morning guys yeah definitely a certain uh busy time of the year for us here and most Minnesota schools they actually officially start the long weekend tomorrow but there are some that have today off as well. So right now we want to take a live look at MSP airport from MinCam there it's at 633 about 50,000 people They are expected to go through security today and tomorrow, which is 16% higher than average. Right now, wait times at TSA, not too bad. Less than 20 minutes at Terminal 1 and 15 minutes at Terminal 2. So while lots of families take the opportunity to use these days off for a quick vacation, the official reason for the break is the annual Teachers Conference in St. Paul. Attendance at the conference, though, is down. Out of the Union Education Minnesota's 80,000-plus members, just 669 attended in 2023, 621 in 2024, and 659 in 2025. Now, Education Minnesota President Monica Byron says they now offer MEA courses online. Thousands, the union says, choose professional development that way instead of making that drive to St. Paul. Byron says whether or not the teachers actually attend the conference, the time off is essential. It's such a perfect time for them to assess what's going on in their classrooms, make any pivots so that our students have all the success that they need in their spaces. Yes, certainly a time, guys, where it's good for teachers and educators to get those resources, but for families, just kind of planning a little bit of time away as we kind of get into this fall season. guys. Yeah, very much a Minnesota tradition for families and educators and all sorts of folks to take this time off. Thank you.