Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)

How to make it stick

• Red, like Delta. McNamara has a red train, the ExpressTram; the TSA numbers its checkpoints Red 1 to Red 6; and Delta’s logo is red.
• Blue, like the Big Blue Deck. That’s the name of Evans’s parking garage, and its two checkpoints are Blue 1 and Blue 2.
• North is Evans, south is McNamara. I-94 (Merriman Road) takes you to Evans; I-275 (Eureka Road) takes you to McNamara.
• EM and WE are the initials of the two namesakes: Edward McNamara and Warren Evans.
• Flying in from Europe? Via Amsterdam (KLM, Delta) or Paris (Air France, Delta) you land at red; via Frankfurt (Lufthansa) or Istanbul (Turkish), at blue.

A bit of honesty: the colors weren’t invented for travelers; the TSA and airport operations use them as internal names. On the road signs, look for McNamara or Evans. As a memory trick, though, red and blue work perfectly.

Sources: DTW Airline Directory (EM/WE) · DTW FAQ: what does EM stand for · DTW airport history (Terminal 1, Terminal 2) · TSA wait times: DTW checkpoints · RadioReference: DTW · DTW: which parking garage · DTW transfer between gates · Wikipedia: ExpressTram

passengers in 2025

33.4 millionThe peak was 36.8 million, in 2019

international passengers in 2025

3.69 million+17%, more than ever

flights a day

about 800more than one every two minutes

cities nonstop

125+on three continents

airlines

17as of September 2026

takeoffs and landings in 2025

321,759up 6% on the year before

runways

6the longest is 12,003 ft

gates in use

133McNamara 104, Evans 29

parking spaces

18,164two garages and the Green Lot

in the US

18thby boardings (FAA, 2025, preliminary)

flown by Delta

71.8%of boardings in 2025

area

about 4,850 acresper the FAA; the airport’s 2025 financial report says 7,342 acres

Sources: WCAA aviation statistics · WCAA calendar year 2025 report (PDF) · FAA passenger boarding data · DTW about · WCAA facts & figures

As of September 2026, 17 airlines fly scheduled service from DTW: about 800 flights a day to more than 125 cities on three continents. The star of the show is Delta. Detroit is its second-biggest base, with more than 348 departures on a peak day to 106 destinations, 15 of them abroad.

Same rule as above: Delta and its partners fly from red, McNamara; everyone else from blue, Evans. Gates are assigned on the day; you’ll find yours on your boarding pass and the screens.

Within the US, Delta flies nonstop to almost every big city, from Atlanta to Honolulu, and Delta Connection’s small jets reach Michigan’s smaller airports: Alpena, Escanaba, Iron Mountain, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, Pellston, Saginaw, Sault Ste. Marie and Traverse City. By late 2026 Frontier will fly 15 Detroit routes, 11 of them inherited from Spirit.

Sources: DTW Airline Directory · Delta Media Kit: Detroit · Wikipedia: Detroit Metropolitan Airport · WDIV: Spirit ceases operations (2026-05-02) · Frontier newsroom (2026-09-17) · Volaris at DTW

Flying home, there’s no passport control in Detroit; only the airline checks your documents. Coming in, you enter the US at your first American airport, so on a nonstop from Europe that’s Detroit. If you connect here to a domestic or Canadian flight, allow at least two hours: after customs you go through security again.

Sources: DTW Airline Directory · Budapest Airport (Wikipedia) · Air France–KLM, Delta, Virgin Atlantic JV

The airport is in Romulus, about 18 miles (29 km) southwest of downtown Detroit. Before you get in the car, check which terminal you’re flying from: each one has its own freeway, and the signs split before you even leave the highway.

• For your GPS: McNamara is 2596 Worldgateway Place, Detroit, MI 48242; the Westin is 2501 Worldgateway Place. Evans has no single official address (sources disagree), so just type “DTW Evans Terminal” or “Big Blue Deck”.
• Picking someone up? There are two free cell phone lots where you can wait until they call. The North lot (for Evans) is on East Service Drive near Lucas Drive, by the rental car lots. The South lot (for McNamara) is on the south side of Eureka Road between I-275 and the airport ramp, with two EV chargers. You have to stay in your car.
• Want to meet them inside? Park in short-term. For international arrivals, expect a longer wait because of customs.
• Live traffic: MDOT’s Mi Drive; the airport posts road work on its own site.

Sources: DTW pick-up & drop-off · DTW traffic & driving · Evans terminal & parking map (PDF) · CBP port 3807 (McNamara address)

▶How the parking guidance system works (airport video, 2026)

• Where’s a free space? The “Spaces Open” box on the airport home page shows it live, and so does the Park Assist app. Since July 2026 a $25 million system has been guiding drivers in the McNamara garage: a light above every space glows green if it’s free, red if it’s taken, blue if it’s accessible. The Big Blue Deck gets it by late 2026.
• EV charging: 20 free ChargePoint chargers in total (you still pay for parking): 8 on Big Blue Deck Level 4, 8 on McNamara Level 8, 2 at valet and 2 in the South cell phone lot. EVs with unrepaired safety recalls can’t park at the airport.
• Tall vehicle? Most of the garage space fits vehicles under 7 feet. Vans up to 8′2″ can use McNamara Level 2 by the B elevators or Big Blue Deck Level 1, zones A and B; anything taller goes to the Green Lot.
• Parking is free for Michigan residents with a disability placard and a free-parking sticker.
• Trouble? The 24-hour parking line is +1 (800) 642-1978 (0 jump-start, flat tire, air; 3 space availability; 5 shuttles). Can’t find your car: +1 (734) 247-6734.
• Private lots operate nearby (Merriman, Middlebelt and Wick roads) with their own shuttles; we haven’t checked their prices. In 2026 parking-broker sites claimed McNamara had gone up to $36 and the Big Blue Deck had closed. On September 25 neither the official rate table nor the airport’s live data showed that.

Sources: DTW short-term parking · DTW long-term parking · DTW valet · DTW EV parking · DTW parking guidance system (2026-07-17) · DTW parking

At McNamara, buses stop on the Departures level outside Door 1 (by international check-in, Air France and Aeroméxico); at Evans, at Ground Transportation Center stall 1, through the glass doors marked “Public Transit”. At both terminals the Ground Transportation Center (GTC) is in the parking garage, across the skybridge.

For live departures and every other Michigan service, see our Transit section’s DTW page.

• By train: no train goes to the airport. Your best bet is Amtrak’s Wolverine to Dearborn (John D. Dingell Transit Center), where FAST 261 takes you to both terminals in 40–50 minutes without a change. From Ann Arbor, Michigan Flyer is easier.
• From Windsor: the Tunnel Bus (LINQ) only goes to downtown Detroit ($19); carry on by DAX or FAST 261.
• Intercity coaches (Greyhound, Barons, FlixBus) use the downtown bus station (1001 Howard St) and don’t stop at the airport.

Sources: DTW public transportation · DAX · SMART FAST · SMART fares · Michigan Flyer · TheRide AirRide · Froggy Transportation · Robert Q Airbus · DTW rideshare · DTW taxis & sedans · DTW rental cars · Amtrak Dearborn

• TSA PreCheck lanes are in both terminals, opening at 4:30 a.m. Delta’s facial-recognition Touchless ID works in both too.
• CLEAR: McNamara Mon–Sat 4 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun 4 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; Evans Sun–Fri 4 a.m.–7:30 p.m., Sat 4 a.m.–7 p.m.
• Sign up for PreCheck or CLEAR at Door 4 on McNamara’s Departures level, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Once you’re through security, you can only switch terminals outside, since there’s no airside link. After the shuttle, you line up again.
• Want to walk someone to the gate? That’s what the Destination Pass is for: apply on the airport site; kiosks are on both Departures levels and in the Westin lobby.

Sources: DTW security checkpoints · DTW Customs & Border Protection · CBP: Detroit Metropolitan Airport port 3807 · CLEAR at DTW · CBP: Mobile Passport Control at DTW · DTW Destination Pass

• The airport home page shows live security wait times (at 9 a.m. on September 25: 5 minutes at Evans, 3 at McNamara). The TSA’s MyTSA app tells you when crowds are expected.
• Early mornings are busiest because of business travelers, as are the days before holidays and the start of Michigan school breaks.
• Evans security closes overnight, roughly 10:45 p.m. to 2:45 a.m.; one McNamara checkpoint is always open.

Sources: DTW FAQ · Delta domestic check-in times · Delta international check-in times · DTW connecting passengers

McNamara’s Concourse A is nearly a mile (about 1.6 km) long, with 64 gates. The red ExpressTram glides under the ceiling and links its ends with three stops: South (A1–A28), Terminal (A29–A55) and North (A56–A78). Concourses B and C (17 and 41 gates, mostly smaller planes) are reached through the underground Light Tunnel. The ExpressTram only runs in Concourse A, not to B/C or Evans.

Evans is a single Concourse D with 29 gates, 8 of them international. It’s smaller and easy to read; even the farthest gate is a few minutes’ walk from security.

▶Self-driving wheelchairs at Evans (airport video, 2026)

• Wi-Fi: free, no login. Join “Detroit Airport Wi-Fi”, then choose “Free Wi-Fi” in your browser.
• What you won’t find: a pharmacy, luggage storage or a USO lounge. Luggage carts (Smarte Carte) cost $7 and can’t go past security.
• Water: refill stations in both terminals. Smoking only outside, in designated spots.
• Accessibility: ask the airport police at the TSA checkpoints for a Hidden Disabilities sunflower lanyard. Wheelchairs are free (tipping is customary); request one from your airline. Self-driving wheelchairs have run since 2025, at Evans since April 13, 2026.
• Helping hands: volunteers in royal blue (Airport Ambassadors) staff the information desks, with phone interpreting. Therapy dogs (DTW Dogs) pop up at the gates too.

▶Meet the volunteer Airport Ambassadors (airport video)

Sources: DTW transportation within terminal · DTW services & amenities · DTW FAQ · Priority Pass: DTW · DTW nursing rooms · DTW multi-sensory room · DTW accessibility

If you have half an hour before boarding, don’t just sit at the gate. McNamara is the work of Detroit’s SmithGroup; sources call its Concourse A the longest straight concourse in America, second in the world only to Terminal 1 at Osaka’s Kansai airport. At its center, the Central Link, you’ll find Delta’s biggest Sky Club, the fountain, and the escalator down into the Light Tunnel.

▶A walk through the Light Tunnel between Concourse A and B/C (2017)

Tip: walk the Light Tunnel both ways, because the 27-minute show looks different every time. Near the gates, Detroit favorites are waiting (Buddy’s Pizza, Leo’s Coney Island, Atwater Brewery), so you can start tasting the city before you even leave the airport.

Sources: DTW attractions · Color Kinetics: Detroit airport · Jim on Light: the McNamara tunnel · Wikipedia: ExpressTram · DTW tram upgrades complete · Thornton Tomasetti: North Terminal · Architectural Record: Gensler · Walbridge: Westin DTW · PCI Journal 1991: DTW tower (PDF) · DTW Art in the Airport

The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport is literally part of McNamara (2501 Worldgateway Place). It has 404 rooms, an indoor pool and its own security checkpoint, so you can walk from your room straight to your gate. Phone: +1 (734) 942-6500. Just connecting? Their fitness package gets you a shower. From Evans, the terminal shuttle stops at the Westin entrance.

The area’s other hotels line Merriman, Middlebelt and Wickham roads in Romulus, and most promise a free airport shuttle (for example the Wyndham Garden +1 (734) 713-8976 or Americas Best Value Inn +1 (734) 728-2430). Those shuttles leave from each terminal’s GTC. Before you book, ask whether it’s really free and whether it runs overnight.

Sources: Visit Detroit: The Westin DTW · DTW shuttle services · Wyndham Garden Romulus

The airport

• Airport information, (734) AIRPORTAutomated 24/7; a real person weekdays 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.+1 (734) 247-7678metroairport.com ↗
• Parking, 24-hour line0 jump-start, flat tire, air; 1 rates; 2 receipt; 3 space availability; 5 shuttles+1 (800) 642-1978
• Parking office (can’t find your car)+1 (734) 247-6734
• Lost & found, airport policeOr report it online: apps.clemis.org/lostfound+1 (734) 942-3669apps.clemis.org ↗
• Found something?Press 1+1 (734) 942-2222
• Airport police, non-emergencyPress 2; supervisor or complaints: press 4+1 (734) 942-2222
• Paging, EvansMcNamara has no public paging number+1 (734) 247-1000
• Noise hotline, 24/7+1 (734) 942-3222
• Wheelchair, McNamaraWalk-up only; book ahead with your airline+1 (734) 921-7200
• Wheelchair, Evans+1 (734) 247-1121
• Wi-Fi help+1 (800) 826-4646
• Media relationsmedia@wcaa.us+1 (734) 247-7379
• Metro Cab, the airport taxi+1 (734) 997-6500
• Metro Cars (sedans)+1 (800) 456-1701
• Martin’s Towing (towed cars)+1 (734) 341-0083
• The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport404 rooms, inside McNamara+1 (734) 942-6500

Federal agencies

• TSA Contact CenterLive agents weekdays 8 a.m.–11 p.m., weekends 9 a.m.–8 p.m. ET; on X: @AskTSA+1 (866) 289-9673tsa.gov ↗
• TSA Cares (disability or medical needs)Call at least 72 hours before you fly+1 (855) 787-2227tsa.gov ↗
• TSA lost & found, DTWCheckpoint items only; DTWtsalostandfound@tsa.dhs.gov+1 (734) 942-3126
• Customs (CBP), McNamaraService desk 10 a.m.–9 p.m.+1 (734) 942-9000
• Customs (CBP), Evans and Global EntryService desk noon–8 p.m.+1 (734) 941-7668
• Customs (CBP), airport port officeExt. 108; weekdays 8 a.m.–4 p.m.+1 (734) 941-6180cbp.gov ↗
• FAA (866-TELL-FAA)+1 (866) 835-5322faa.gov ↗

Airline reservation and baggage numbers are in the airline table. Who looks for your lost stuff? If it was on the plane or at the gate, or your checked bag didn’t show up: the airline. At security: the TSA. Anything else: airport police.

Sources: DTW contact us · DTW lost & found · WCAA Police · DTW wheelchair assistance · DTW taxis & sedans · TSA customer service

This airport grew out of farmland. It started as an airmail field, sent bombers toward Europe in the war, and became the first inland US airport ready for jets. Later it turned into one of the biggest bases of Northwest and then Delta. Every old name and demolished terminal marks an era, and that’s also where the T1/T2 confusion comes from.

1. 1927

   Wayne County decides to build a major commercial airport in its western townships.

2. 1928

   A $2 million bond buys one square mile at Middlebelt and Wick roads. Today it’s the airport’s northeast corner.

3. 1929

   Construction starts in April: a landing strip and a few maintenance buildings.

4. 1930. szept. 4.
   First takeoff

   Wayne County Airport opens. The first official plane had landed in February, and Thompson Aeronautical, a forerunner of American Airlines, starts service. The former Executive Terminal, the oldest airport building still in use, survives from this era.

5. 1931–1945

   The Michigan Air National Guard is based here.

6. 1940–1946
   The war years

   The Army takes over and renames it Romulus Army Air Field. New aircraft leave here for Europe, including B-24s built at Ford’s Willow Run plant. In 1943, 107 women pilots (WASPs) serve here, among them Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese-American woman to fly for the US military.

7. 1944

   The county board votes 63–1 to grow the field to 3.5 square miles.

8. 1947

   A new name, Detroit-Wayne Major Airport, and now four square miles.

9. 1949–1950

   New runways and a control tower go up. The first international carriers, Pan Am and BOAC, arrive (sources date this anywhere from 1950 to 1956).

10. 1958
    The jets arrive

    It gets today’s name, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and “Terminal 1” opens (later the L.C. Smith Terminal). It’s the first inland US airport certified for jets. On October 1 American moves over from Willow Run, with Northwest and Delta close behind.

11. 1959

    The first scheduled jet service: Delta DC-8s to Miami.

12. 1966

    “Terminal 2” opens, also called the North Terminal (the J.M. Davey Terminal from 1975). By June the last airline has left Willow Run, and all 13 fly from here.

13. 1974

    The Michael Berry International Terminal, designed by Louis G. Redstone, is completed.

14. 1976

    The third parallel runway, today’s 3R/21L, is finished.

15. 1984–1986
    The Northwest era

    Republic Airlines builds its main hub here. In 1986 Northwest buys Republic, and Detroit becomes a Northwest stronghold.

16. 1987–1996

    Far-flung routes arrive one after another: Tokyo (1987), Seoul (1988), Paris and Frankfurt (1989), Amsterdam with KLM (1992), Osaka (1993), Mexico City (1994). In 1996 comes Beijing, North America’s first scheduled nonstop to mainland China.

17. 1992

    The FAA moves into the new $15 million control tower.

18. 1993–1994

    Crosswind runway 9R/27L opens, and today’s Big Blue Deck garage is finished.

19. 1997

    Crosswinds Marsh opens: a 1,000-acre (about 400-hectare) wetland replacing marsh lost to runway building.

20. 2001. dec. 11.

    The sixth runway, the $225 million 4L/22R, is dedicated.

21. 2002. febr. 24.
    Enter McNamara

    The $1.2 billion McNamara Terminal opens, then called the Northwest WorldGateway: 97 gates, the ExpressTram and an 11,500-car garage. It’s the first major US terminal to open after September 11, 2001.

22. 2002

    A state law creates the Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) on March 26, and it takes over the airport in August. The Westin opens in December.

23. 2005–2006

    The old Davey Terminal is demolished.

24. 2008. szept. 17.
    The Delta era

    The new North Terminal opens, designed by Gensler, and the Smith and Berry terminals close. That same year the Northwest–Delta merger is announced. By 2010 the Northwest name is gone and Detroit is Delta’s second-largest hub.

25. 2014

    Royal Jordanian brings Detroit its first scheduled Boeing 787.

26. 2017–2019

    Airport management moves into the Michael Berry Administration Building; the Berry Terminal comes down in 2018, the Smith in 2019. 2019 is the record year: 36,769,279 passengers.

27. 2020

    During the pandemic, only about 14 million passengers come through.

28. 2022. ápr. 4.

    The North Terminal becomes the Warren Cleage Evans Terminal, honoring the Wayne County Executive.

29. 2023

    New airlines arrive: Sun Country, WestJet, Icelandair and, on November 13, Turkish Airlines. On August 24 a cloudburst floods the tunnels leading to McNamara.

30. 2024

    Work begins on the Dingell Drive tunnels (running until 2027). In July the CrowdStrike IT outage grounds Delta for days.

31. 2025

    More than 33 million passengers; self-driving wheelchairs appear at McNamara.

32. 2026
    Now

    On May 2 Spirit Airlines, DTW’s second-largest carrier (1.7 million passengers in 2025), shuts down, and by August Evans traffic is down by a quarter. In July the $25 million parking guidance system goes live. The 2026–2030 capital plan comes to $1.6 billion: rebuilding runway 9R/27L, an extra Evans gate with bigger border facilities, and a Light Tunnel refurbishment.

▶History Lives: Detroit Metro Airport (LivoniaTV, 2015, 49 min)

▶When snow brought everything to a halt, 1974 (WDIV archive)

Sources: DTW airport history · Archived DTW chronology (2009) · Detroit Historical Society · Detroit Historical Society: Lost Airports III · DTW: North Terminal becomes Evans Terminal · DTW record 2019 · WDIV: Spirit ceases operations · WCAA FY2026–2030 CIP · Wikipedia: Detroit Metropolitan Airport

By 1994, 26.8 million passengers were already passing through, and in 1995 DTW was North America’s 9th and the world’s 13th busiest airport. The peak came in 2019, with 36,769,279 passengers. Then the pandemic cut traffic by 61.6% in a single year, to 14.1 million. By 2025 it had climbed back to 33.4 million, 90.8% of the 2019 level. And more people flew abroad from here in 2025 than ever before.

2026 is a tougher year: passenger numbers have slipped since Spirit shut down on May 2. From January to August 21,779,465 people came through, 3.4% fewer than a year earlier, and in August alone 8.2% fewer.

Sources: WCAA aviation statistics · WCAA total passengers & operations 2005–2025 (PDF) · WCAA calendar year 2025 report (PDF) · WCAA monthly reports 2026 · FAA Terminal Area Forecast · DTW record 2019 · DTW awards & accreditations · AirNav: KDTW

An airport’s story includes its tragedies. In memory of those lost, briefly and plainly:

1. 1987. aug. 16.

   Northwest Flight 255, an MD-82, crashed on takeoff near Middlebelt Road and I-94. 154 of the 155 people aboard died, along with two on the ground. The only survivor was four-year-old Cecelia Cichan. The crew had not set the flaps and slats, and the warning system had no power. It remains Michigan’s deadliest air disaster; a memorial has stood at the site since 1994.

2. 1987. márc. 4.

   Northwest Airlink Flight 2268 (CASA 212) crashed on landing beside Concourse F; 9 of the 19 aboard died.

3. 1990. dec. 3.

   In thick fog, Northwest Flight 1482, a DC-9, got lost and taxied onto an active runway, where Flight 299, a 727 taking off, struck it. Eight people on the DC-9 died.

4. 1997. jan. 9.

   Comair Flight 3272, flying from Cincinnati to Detroit, crashed in icing conditions in Monroe County, about 18 miles from the airport. All 29 aboard died.

5. 1999. jan.

   Blizzard: more than 6,000 passengers were stuck on planes for hours, some for nearly 8½ hours.

6. 2009. dec. 25.

   On Northwest Flight 253 from Amsterdam, just before landing in Detroit, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to set off explosives sewn into his underwear. Passengers tackled him and no one died. He was sentenced to life in prison.

7. 2023–2025

   Flooding on the McNamara access roads (August 24, 2023), the CrowdStrike IT outage (July 2024) and a Delta network failure (December 5, 2025) each left thousands waiting on delayed or canceled flights.

Sources: Wikipedia: Northwest Airlines Flight 255 · Wikipedia: Northwest Airlines Flight 1482 · Wikipedia: Comair Flight 3272 · Wikipedia: Northwest Airlines Flight 253 · CBS Detroit: 2023 flooding

Sources: Wikipedia: Edward H. McNamara · Wikipedia: Warren Evans · DTW: North Terminal to be named for Warren Cleage Evans · DTW airport history

Sources: Wikipedia: Willow Run Airport · Wikipedia: Coleman A. Young International Airport

• Official social accounts: Facebook ↗, Instagram ↗ (@dtwshots), X ↗ (@dtweetin).
• The airport home page shows live security waits and how many parking spaces are free; the Park Assist app also shows McNamara garage levels.

Sources: DTW FAQ