Detroit Metropolitan Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Wayne County Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Serves |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Romulus, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | September 4, 1930 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hub for | Delta Air Lines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Focus city for | Spirit Airlines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 645 ft / 197 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°12′45″N 083°21′12″W / 42.21250°N 83.35333°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 FAA diagram |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Runway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Source: Detroit Metropolitan Airport
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), often called Detroit Metro Airport or simply DTW, is a very important international airport in the United States. It covers a huge area of about 4,850 acres (1,960 hectares) in Romulus, Michigan. This airport is the main international gateway for Detroit and is the busiest airport in Michigan.
DTW is a major hub for Delta Air Lines and a base for Spirit Airlines. It helps connect the Eastern United States to Asia for Delta. The airport offers flights to 30 international places and 39 states across the U.S. It is managed by the Wayne County Airport Authority and has six runways, two terminals, and 129 gates. Detroit Metro Airport can even fix and maintain very large planes like the Boeing 747-400.
The airport serves the Metropolitan Detroit area, Toledo, Ohio, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and even parts of Canada like Windsor, Ontario. It flies to over 140 destinations. In 2010 and 2019, it was named the best large U.S. airport for customer happiness by J.D. Power & Associates.
Contents
History of Detroit Metro Airport
How the Airport Started
Plans for an airport in Wayne County began in 1927. In 1928, the county bought land for the airport. Construction finished in 1929, and the first plane landed on February 22, 1930. The airport was officially opened on September 4, 1930, and was first called Wayne County Airport. Soon after, Thompson Aeronautical Corporation, which later became American Airlines, started flying from there.
During World War II, from 1931 to 1945, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces and was known as Romulus Field. After the war, in 1947, it was renamed Detroit-Wayne Major Airport. Over the next three years, it grew much bigger, adding three more runways.
Growing Bigger and Jet Travel
In the 1950s, the airport continued to expand. In 1958, it became the first inland airport in the U.S. ready for jet airliners. That same year, the Leroy C. Smith (South) Terminal was completed, and the airport got its current name: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
More airlines started moving to Detroit-Wayne in 1958, including American Airlines, Northwest, Allegheny, and Delta. The first scheduled jet flights were Delta DC-8s to Miami in late 1959. A new terminal, the North Terminal (later called the James M. Davey Terminal), opened in 1966. Another terminal, the Michael Berry International Terminal, opened in 1974. The airport kept adding runways, with the last of its six runways finished in 2001.
Becoming a Major Hub
Republic Airlines started using Detroit as a major connection point (a "hub") in 1984. When Republic merged with Northwest Airlines in 1986, Detroit became an even bigger hub for Northwest. In 1987, Northwest began flying directly to Tokyo–Narita, connecting Detroit to Asia.
In 2002, the huge McNamara Terminal opened. It is a mile long and has 122 gates. Detroit remained a hub for Northwest Airlines until Northwest merged with Delta Air Lines. After the merger, Detroit became Delta's second-largest hub.
In 2009, Detroit Metro Airport started using social media like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to connect with travelers. In 2011, Lufthansa started a special service at DTW where premium customers could check in and drop off their bags right at the curb for international flights.
Even though Detroit's economy faced challenges, the airport has grown back. Airlines like JetBlue Airways and United Airlines have added new flights. Spirit Airlines has also grown a lot at DTW, becoming the airport's second-largest airline. In 2014, Royal Jordanian was the first airline to fly the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Detroit.
In 2015, Spirit Airlines announced they would build a new maintenance facility at DTW, creating jobs and helping the airline grow. This new facility opened in 2017.
In 2017, WOW Air started offering low-cost flights to Reykjavik, Iceland, which became very popular. However, WOW Air stopped flying in 2019. Later, in 2022, Icelandair and Delta announced new seasonal flights to Reykjavik starting in 2023. In 2021, Turkish Airlines also announced plans to start flights to Istanbul from Detroit.
Airport Facilities
DTW has two main terminals: the McNamara Terminal and the Evans Terminal. Together, they have 4 concourses and 129 gates.
Edward H. McNamara Terminal
The McNamara Terminal opened in 2002. It is used only by Delta Air Lines and its partners, Aeromexico and Air France. This terminal has three concourses: A, B, and C, with a total of 103 gates. You can find many shops and restaurants in the center of Concourse A and throughout the other concourses.
Concourse A is almost a mile long, making it one of the longest airport concourses in the world! To help passengers get around, Concourse A has moving walkways and a special people mover called the ExpressTram. The ExpressTram takes passengers between each end of Concourse A in just over three minutes.
The McNamara Terminal also has a special baggage sorting system that helps make sure bags get to the right flight on time.
A Westin hotel is connected to Concourse A. Guests staying at the hotel can even get a special pass to go into the airport concourses to visit the shops and restaurants, even if they aren't flying. This is a unique program!
Concourse A has 62 gates, with 12 gates used for international flights. There are signs in English, Japanese, and Mandarin to help travelers from different countries. The terminal also has special areas for pets.
The B and C concourses have 41 gates and are used for Delta's smaller regional flights. All these flights use jet bridges, so you don't have to walk outside to board the plane.
The B and C concourses are connected to the main terminal by a cool pedestrian walkway called the Light Tunnel. This tunnel has amazing multi-colored lights and music that play together. It's one of the first places in the U.S. to use so many color-changing LED lights! If someone is sensitive to flashing lights, there are buttons to turn off the light show for five minutes.
The terminal has modern electronic maps where you can scan your boarding pass to find your gate. You can also see restaurant menus and even order food to be delivered to your table in the food court areas!
Evans Terminal (formerly North Terminal)
The Warren Cleage Evans Terminal, which used to be called the North Terminal, opened in 2008. It replaced older terminals and now serves all airlines that are not part of SkyTeam (Delta's airline alliance). This terminal is known as Concourse D and has 29 gates. Two of these gates can handle large international planes.
The Evans Terminal has two security checkpoints and facilities for international passengers to go through U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It also has a special area for service pets.
In 2010, the Evans Terminal won the "Build Michigan" award for its design and construction. It also has a Lufthansa lounge for premium passengers and members of certain airline programs.
Getting Around (Ground Transportation)
You can reach the airport from major highways like I-94 and I-275. Both terminals are connected by John D. Dingell Drive. There are also "cell phone lots" where people can wait for arriving passengers.
Free shuttle buses run between the two terminals and to the Green parking lots. Rental car companies and hotels also have their own shuttles.
You can also get to Metro Airport by bus! The SMART bus system has routes that connect the airport to downtown Detroit and other nearby towns. There are also intercity buses like the Michigan Flyer that connect DTW to Ann Arbor, Brighton, and East Lansing. Private buses also go to Canadian cities like Windsor and London.
Airlines and Destinations
Detroit Metro Airport is a busy place with many airlines flying to different cities. Here are some of the airlines and where they fly:
- Aeroméxico Connect: Monterrey
- Air Canada Express: Montréal, Toronto
- Air France: Paris
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle/Tacoma
- American Airlines: Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, Phoenix. Seasonal flights to Philadelphia.
- American Eagle: Chicago–O'Hare, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Washington–National. Seasonal flights to Charlotte.
- Delta Air Lines: Flies to many cities across the U.S. and internationally to places like Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Cancún, Denver, Frankfurt, Honolulu, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Paris, San Francisco, San Juan, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo, and more. Also has many seasonal flights.
- Delta Connection: Flies to many smaller cities in the U.S. and Canada, like Albany, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Lansing, Milwaukee, Montréal, Toronto, and more.
- Frontier Airlines: Atlanta, Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh/Durham, Tampa. Seasonal flights to San Francisco.
- Icelandair: Seasonal flights to Reykjavik.
- JetBlue: Boston, New York–JFK.
- Lufthansa: Frankfurt.
- Royal Jordanian: Amman.
- Southwest Airlines: Baltimore, Chicago–Midway, Denver, Las Vegas, Nashville, Phoenix, St. Louis. Seasonal flights to Orlando, Tampa.
- Spirit Airlines: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Cancún, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Myrtle Beach, Newark, New York–LaGuardia, Orlando, San Juan, Tampa. Seasonal flights to New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix.
- Sun Country Airlines: Seasonal flights to Minneapolis/St. Paul.
- Turkish Airlines: Istanbul (starting November 15, 2023).
- United Airlines: Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston, Newark.
- United Express: Chicago–O'Hare, Houston, Newark, Washington–Dulles.
- WestJet: Seasonal flights to Calgary.
Airport Statistics
Busiest Destinations
_(cropped).jpg)
Here are the busiest places people fly to from Detroit Metro Airport:
- Top Domestic Routes (May 2022 – April 2023):
* Atlanta, Georgia * Orlando, Florida * Las Vegas, Nevada * Los Angeles, California * New York-LaGuardia, New York * Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas * Denver, Colorado * Fort Lauderdale, Florida * Chicago-O'Hare, Illinois * Phoenix-Sky Harbor, Arizona
- Top International Routes (October 2021 – September 2022):
* Amsterdam, Netherlands * Paris–Charles de Gaulle, France * Cancún, Mexico * Toronto–Pearson, Canada * Frankfurt, Germany * Seoul–Incheon, South Korea * Montréal-Trudeau, Canada * London–Heathrow, United Kingdom * Mexico City–Benito Juárez, Mexico * Munich, Germany
Most Popular Airlines
Delta Air Lines carries the most passengers at DTW, followed by Spirit Airlines.
- Top Airlines at DTW (May 2022 – April 2023):
* Delta Air Lines: 57.13% of passengers * Spirit Airlines: 11.14% of passengers * SkyWest Airlines: 8.97% of passengers * Endeavor Air: 6.64% of passengers * American Airlines: 4.04% of passengers * Other airlines make up the rest.
Yearly Passenger Numbers
Detroit Metro Airport serves millions of passengers each year. In 2019, it had its highest number of passengers with over 36.7 million! In 2020, due to the COVID pandemic, the number dropped, but it has been growing back since then. In 2022, over 28 million passengers traveled through DTW.
Airport Incidents
Airports are very safe places, but sometimes incidents happen. Here are a few notable events at Detroit Metro Airport:
- In 1972, American Airlines Flight 96, a DC-10 plane, had a problem with its cargo door shortly after taking off. The pilots managed to bring the plane back to Detroit for a safe emergency landing. No one died, but some people had minor injuries.
- Also in 1972, Delta Air Lines Flight 841 was taken over by a group of people. The plane landed safely in Miami, and then flew to Algeria. No one was killed during this event.
- In 1987, Northwest Airlink Flight 2268 crashed while landing. Nine people died. The cause was found to be pilot error.
- Later in 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255, an MD-82 plane, crashed during takeoff. Everyone on board died except for one young girl. The investigation found that the plane's flaps were not set correctly for takeoff, which caused the crash.
- In 1990, two Northwest Airlines planes, Flight 1482 and Flight 299, collided on a runway. Seven passengers and a flight attendant on Flight 1482 died. This was also due to pilot error.
- In 1997, Comair Flight 3272 crashed while approaching the airport, killing all 29 people on board. The cause was related to how the plane handled icy conditions.
- In 2001, Northwest Airlines Flight 985, an Airbus A320, had to stop its takeoff and skidded off the runway. All 151 people on board survived. The pilots had incorrectly set a part of the plane called the horizontal stabilizer.
- In 2009, there was an attempt to detonate an explosive device on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 as it was landing in Detroit. The device did not work correctly, and only the person who tried to use it and three other passengers had minor injuries.
Images for kids
-
Spirit Airlines maintenance hangar at DTW.
See also
In Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Detroit para niños
- Detroit Region Aerotropolis
- Bishop International Airport
- Selfridge Air National Guard Base
- Windsor International Airport
