Just Heard Overhead: New Voices of MSP Guide Travelers and Visitors

Travelers and visitors at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) are hearing a new set of voices overhead as they move about through the terminals.

Ten employees were chosen for public address announcements for 2022-2023 after an open audition process for the annual Voices of MSP program. It’s a unique contest that puts a local spin on traditional airport safety and operational public address announcements. Airport employees are inspired to go beyond their daily jobs for a chance to share their hidden or emerging voice talents. Those new voices are now featured in MSP’s terminal lobbies and concourses, at automated exits, inside airport trams, at baggage carousels, along moving walkways and elsewhere.

“We have discovered some very talented individuals through the program, some who have done voice work in the past and some who are sharing their voice to a wider audience for the first time,” said Phil Burke, assistant director of customer experience for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which operates MSP. “We have no shortage of employees who want to lend their voices to help make MSP more personable and welcoming to our millions of travelers.”

This year’s Voices of MSP represent five companies and organizations at the airport: Delta Air Lines, SkyWest Airlines, Marsden, Airport Foundation MSP, and the MAC. The contest winners have jobs that range from being a chief pilot and a police officer to a customer service agent and an arts program coordinator.

“I thought it would be exciting to give back and find another way to be part of the airport,” said Noah Keesecker, the arts program coordinator for the Airport Foundation MSP. Noah’s previous vocal work was a small voice acting part in a musical he scored. He found his place in front of the microphone this time around to be just as rewarding. “It’s fantastic that I get to vocally welcome people to Terminal 2.”

Lykoung Wong, a Delta Air Lines service center lead at MSP, had never done any voice work before she auditioned with a co-worker who urged that they both give it a shot. 

“I hope my voice brings comfort,” said Wong, whose announcement offers a reminder about liquids, gels and aerosols near the TSA checkpoints. “I want it to be informational but show that we are here to help get you to your destination safely, while making it an enjoyable experience.”

The MAC has an on-site audio studio where employees recorded their announcements. The MAC opens its casting call to MSP employees each November. A local judging committee selects winners based on sample recordings from the open audition process.