Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Understand
See also: Air travel in the USA

Detroit Metro Airport is the second-largest hub for Delta Air Lines. Detroit, historically being a major center for the automotive industry, has good domestic connections to other U.S. destinations and is well connected to major airports in Europe and Asia. There are so many passengers from Asia that airport signs include Japanese, and some announcements are made in Japanese and Mandarin.

Flights

Airlines

The airport is divided into two separate buildings:

  • McNamara Terminal – Delta, Air France, SkyTeam partners
    • Concourse A – Delta, SkyTeam partners.
    • Concourses B and C – Delta Connection
  • North Terminal
    • Concourse D – Air Canada, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Lufthansa, Royal Jordanian, Southwest, Spirit, United

Ground transportation

Public transport connections to Detroit are not great. There are no trains, and buses are not very regular. Taxis into town cost about $45. Bus connections to Ann Arbor are slightly better, with buses every 1-2 hours - $15 one way. Lyft started to serve DTW on March 21, 2017.

By car

On the southeast quadrant of the I-94/I-275 interchange.

By rental car

All the major rental companies are on Lucas Drive, a 10-minute free shuttle bus ride from the terminals (you must to go up and down a couple of floors to get to the bridge between the terminal and the pick-up/drop-off point).

For refueling hire car returns there is a gas station near the companies corner of Middlebelt Road and Wick Road, however is often difficult to get to a pump at busy times. Alternatives off the I-94: from the east- Telegraph Road (north of exit) and from the west- Wayne Road (south of exit); from I-275 (south) on Eureka Road.

To/from Detroit and suburbs

The public transit service to Metro Airport is, to be frank, lousy, and should only be considered as a last resort. SMART is the transit operator for suburban Detroit. Route 125 Fort St-Eureka Rd alternates between serving the McNamara and North Terminals, but no single trip will serve both terminals; each terminal is served roughly once an hour during weekdays (give or take a few minutes), one to two hours on Saturdays, and a pitiful two to three hours on Sundays. The route continues through Southgate, Wyandotte, Lincoln Park, Ecorse, and River Rouge; only during weekday rush hours does the bus continue into downtown Detroit. At all other times, downtown-bound passengers should exit the bus at Fort Street and Outer Drive (please note this is not at the terminus of Route 125, but a little before it) and transfer to a DDOT bus (DDOT is the transit operator in Detroit city proper), specifically Route 19 Fort. There is one other SMART route serving the airport, and that is the 280 Middlebelt South, which only serves the North Terminal and travels mostly along Middlebelt Road through Romulus, Inkster, and Garden City; the service operates hourly on weekdays and Saturdays, and about once every 70 minutes on Sundays.

To/from Ann Arbor

AirRide, a joint operation between Michigan Flyer (see below) and Ann Arbor's public transit authority, provides coach service to Ann Arbor, serving both terminals. Service operates about once every 1-2 hours daily, with more limited schedules on holidays. Fares reserved in advance are $12 one-way and $22 round trip. Walk-on fares are $15 one-way, cash only and exact change required. Advance reservations will receive seating priority.

To/from East Lansing

Michigan Flyer provides coach service to East Lansing via Ann Arbor, serving both terminals. Service operates about once every two hours daily, with more limited schedules on holidays. Fares reserved in advance are $30 one-way and $50 round trip for a single passenger, or $50 one-way and $80 round trip for two passengers. Walk-on fares are $35 one-way for a single passenger or $60 one-way for two passengers, cash only and exact change required.

By train

There is no rail connection to Metro Airport.

Get around

In the McNamara Terminal, the ExpressTram shuttles travelers between the central area and the two ends of Concourse A every few minutes. Interestingly, it's located above the main floor rather than in a tunnel, and the cars are actually hovercrafts that ride on a cushion of air.

If you need to switch terminals (which you would only need to do if connecting between different airlines), there is a free shuttle between the terminals: look for blue and white vans that say "Westin - Terminal." However, you will have to re-clear security to enter the other terminal.

Wait
  • Water Feature, McNamara Terminal, Concourse A center. A fountain that shoots streams of water that symbolize lines on a flight map. 
  • 🌍 Light Tunnel, McNamara Terminal, connecting concourses A and B/C. The pedestrian tunnel connecting the concourses puts on a light and sound show. If you are bothered by flashing lights or loud music, there's a button to the right of the entrance at the bottom of the escalators which will turn the display off for five minutes. 

Lounges
  • Freedom Center (Armed Services Lounge). Daily usually 6AM-11PM. Lounge for military, veterans, and their families. 

Airline lounges
  • Delta Sky Club. 
    • (McNamara Terminal, concourse A center). 
    • (McNamara Terminal, gate A15). 
    • (McNamara Terminal, gate A65). 
    • (McNamara Terminal, concourses B/C center). 
  • Lufthansa Lounge (North Terminal, gate D6). 

Eat and drink

McNamara Terminal
  • 🌍 Andiamo (Gate A30). Italian. 
  • 🌍 Bigalora Wood-Fired Cucina (Central Link). Detroit-style pizza. 
  • 🌍 Harvest & Grounds. Espresso bar with local coffee and baked goods. 
  • Illy Coffee & Fountain Bar. 
  • 🌍 Leo's Coney Island. Coney Island hot dogs. 
  • 🌍 Mezza. Mediterranean. 
  • 🌍 Plum Market. Pastries and coffee. 
  • 🌍 Reflections Restaurant and Lounge (in the Westin). 
  • 🌍 Sora. Japanese. 

North Terminal

Once a barren wasteland full of boring chain restaurants, North Terminal finally has some gems of its own.

  • Air Margaritaville. Burgers and tropical drinks. 
  • Atwater Brewery. 
  • Cantoro Italian Market Trattoria. 
  • Detroit Street Cafe. 
  • Earl of Sandwich. 
  • Mod Pizza. Fast-casual chain of customizable pizzas and salads. 
  • 🌍 National Coney Island. Coney Island hot dogs. 

Connect

Metro Airport offers unlimited free Wi-Fi in both terminals. The free service requires users to view a 30-second advertisement every 45 minutes. Premium access with extra bandwidth allowances and no ads is available for a fee.

Cope
  • Kids' play areas (McNamara Terminal, gates A6, A18, B20, C6; North Terminal, gate D16)
  • Nursing rooms (McNamara Terminal, gates A25, A53, A63, A25, C2; North Terminal, gates D8, D15, D24). You must call by phone to request an access code, and may be asked for details of your boarding pass as well. The reasonably-sized rooms have a comfortable chair, sink, counters, and electrical outlets.
  • Religious reflection rooms (McNamara Terminal, concourse A center; North Terminal, gate D17)
  • Pet relief areas (McNamara Terminal, gate A34 and pre-security outside International Arrivals; North Terminal, gate D16 and pre-security at either end of Departures Level)
  • Smoking areas are only located outside, pre-security.

Sleep

There are also many hotels in suburbs surrounding the airport such as Romulus, Wayne and Allen Park.

Nearby
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