ROMULUS,
Mich. – All
domestic passengers arriving or departing from Detroit will be greeted
with two new terminals, the North Terminal, which opened on Wednesday
and the McNamara Terminal, which opened in 2002. Both terminals
are luxurious on the inside and the outside. There are more than
30 shops, Detroit-based restaurants and several first-in-airport
vendors inside.
The
North Terminal replaces the Smith and Berry Terminals. Airlines
flying from this new terminal include American Airlines, Frontier
Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines and
U.S. Airways, among others. International carriers Lufthansa and
Royal Jordanian Airlines will also provide service at this new terminal.
"We've
got a powerful airfield, two modern, new terminals kind of launches
Detroit as a major international gateway, convenient, comfortable
airport," said Michael Conway, Director of Public Affairs and
Environment. "It doesn't matter what airline you fly into Detroit
now, your first impression if you arrive by air is going to be positive.
"This
terminal is safe and secure as any terminal in the world. The TSA
has brought its absolute best equipment in here to screen passengers
and screen luggage. There were more than 1.5 million work hours
put into this building with not one loss-time injury accident. The
simplicity of this building is beautiful. Basically, you walk in
the check in lobby, check in, go through passenger screening, turn
right or left."
There
are 26 total gates, 80 check-in positions on the inside and 16 curb
front check-in positions. In addition, 24 stand-alone e-ticket kiosks
are available for self-check-in. Five domestic and two international
baggage claim carousels are located downstairs. The North Terminal
cost $431 million for design and construction. None of those funds
came from taxpayers -- only from travelers.
A
state-of-the-art 600 foot long glass box provides natural light
to the ticketing baggage claim downstairs and the passenger screening
areas upstairs.
"I
love it. It's more open," said Katarzyna Dratwinska, a traveler
from Walnut Creek, California. "I don't see the lines like
before. We fly from the old terminal a month ago and it was really
small. This one is just beautiful. It's my first time inside the
new one. I heard it just opened and I love it. Everybody should
try the new terminal and enjoy the new openness and freedom."
The
terminal is linear in design with a hockey stick shape at the ends.
It allows for taxis and shuttles to pull directly in front of the
respective gates.
"One
of the complaints the airlines have about the Smith Terminal and
the Berry Terminal is it takes a while to taxi from your gate to
the runway," said Conway. "Airlines can do more turns
per gate here because of the efficient layout of the linear concourse."
The
Federal Aviation Demonstration (FAA) awarded Detroit Metro Airport
with a $5.1 million voluntary airport low emissions grant. Each
boarding gate in the North Terminal is equipped with an auxiliary
power pack which delivers fuel, temperature-controlled air and power
to the aircrafts. This saves the environment from harmful emissions.
A
new ground transportation center will open in October. The facility
will provide easy access to luxury sedans, taxis, hotel and rental
car courtesy shuttles, parking and terminal-to-terminal shuttles.
A 200-foot long pedestrian bridge connects the new terminal to the
Big Blue Deck parking structure. In addition, almost 600 new parking
spaces are being added there.
"Quite
an improvement from the old American Airlines terminal, which is
what I called it," said Jennifer Woogk, a passenger from Fort
Worth, Texas. "I noticed a lot more places to eat which is
a plus for travelers. So far, it seems pretty well organized and
looks good. American Airlines is a direct flight for us so that
is usually what we'll take. This is a welcome sight. Well worth
the wait."
The
new terminal created 500 new and permanent concession jobs. It will
generate $24 million for the Southeast Michigan economy.
Greg
Principato, President of Airports Council International-North America
said: "Detroit Metro Airport's new North Terminal will not
only be a major enhancement for Detroit-area travelers, but it is
also a prime example of what airports across North America are doing
to meet increased pressure to provide passenger facilities that
are both customer-friendly and efficient for airlines."
The
North Terminal is expected to provide service to 7 million passengers
each year. Its maximum capacity is 14 million passengers per year.
"We
wanted to build something, unlike the Smith Terminal, that we had
an airline come in that wanted to provide service or one of our
existing carriers, which is probably more likely, wanted to expand,
we would be able to grow with them," said Conway. "The
design of this building allows for expandability. In fact, even
as we open, we've got gates that are available. We've got plenty
of room for them."
Naming rights
are available for the new North Terminal. It will become the first
airport in America to be named after a corporate sponsor, once one
is selected.
"We've
hired a company to go out and test the waters to see what kind of
interest there would be," said Conway. "No final decision
has been made. Essentially, yes, the terminal name is for sale.
It would have to be an appropriate name. It would have to be the
right amount of money before we would do that. This would be an
opportunity to generate a source of funding we wouldn't be able
to get from airline sources."
Hollywood
filmmakers are considering to use the old L.C. Smith Terminal to
film movies and television shows. Conway confirmed that ABC has
already filmed scenes for "The Prince of The Motor City"
in the McNamara Terminal next door.
"The
Smith Terminal is empty, except for our offices," said Conway.
"The whole check-in lobby is empty and there is empty gates.
We know that Michigan is providing an excellent incentive right
now for Hollywood to come in and spend money making movies. We'd
like to be part of that. We'd like to cooperate. The county and
the state of Michigan. We have an empty building that really could
double as a movie set."
Once
passengers arrive, they will get off the plane and go down this
hallway. It leads to the front area where they take the escalators
down to pick up their baggage.
