Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) Flights & Information

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) – more often called Detroit Metropolitan Airport or even just Detroit Airport – is one of the country’s 20 busiest airports. As a hub for Delta Air Lines, it’s Delta’s primary gateway for flights to and from Asia, accounting for much of its traffic. Next time you find yourself here, use these expert tips for flying through DTW.

Terminals

There are two terminals at DTW and they are not physically connected. To travel between McNamara Terminal and Evans Terminal (until recently called North Terminal), you’ll need to take a free shuttle bus. When arriving at the airport, be sure to locate the correct terminal to avoid losing time transferring and potentially missing check-in or your boarding period.

McNamara terminal is used almost exclusively by Delta Air Lines and other SkyTeam alliance partner airlines. Nearly all the rest fly from Evans. If you’re making a connection in DTW, you shouldn’t need to change terminals unless you’re changing airlines, so you don’t need to factor in extra time for the transfer or an additional security check.

If you do change airlines, remember to budget enough layover time to account for these added efforts. Keep in mind this usually doesn’t apply to tickets including multiple partner airlines on a single reservation – those will operate from the same terminal in almost all cases. But if you’re scoring a great deal by using multiple airlines on different tickets and only one of them is a SkyTeam partner, you’ll likely be changing terminals.

Public transportation

To travel between DTW and Downtown Detroit by public transportation, you have a surprising variety of bus options. SMART buses have three city routes that include the airport terminals and will make stops downtown. The Route 280 bus stops at Evans Terminal and the Route 125 bus stops at both terminals, but I recommend the dedicated FAST bus by SMART, which also stops at both terminals.

For the same cost, you’ll reach downtown in about 30 minutes less time (though it’s still about an hour). These buses pick up at the airport roughly every half hour, so you should never have to wait long. The Route 280 and Route 125 buses are very helpful if you’re headed to other neighborhoods, but FAST is the clear choice among SMART routes if downtown is your destination.

Still, I personally recommend paying a bit more and reserving a seat on the Detroit Air Xpress (DAX) instead. You don’t need to purchase your ticket in advance, but you’ll save a couple dollars if you do and your ticket will still cost less than a fancy coffee drink. Even on the door, it’s a bargain.

DAX travels between downtown and the airport in as little as 30 minutes, and up to around 45 minutes when traffic is rough. It’s not just the time saving that makes this my favorite choice though. These are luxury buses with comfy chairs, charging ports, free Wi-Fi and space below for luggage, so you don’t have to struggle with your suitcase the whole way.

Cars between the city and airport

To take a taxi between DTW and Downtown Detroit, head to the Ground Transportation Center on Level 4 from either terminal. From here, the taxi situation can be a bit less straightforward than usual, but not difficult. Taxis to downtown aren’t cheap, but they’re cheaper than rideshares in most cases.

There are many taxi and car companies that operate between the airport and downtown. Only Metro Cab and Metro Cars have kiosks here though, so you’d need to contact another company directly to make an alternative reservation with them.

The advantage of alternate cab services is they can be cheaper at DTW and will be ready as soon as you arrive if you reserve in advance. Some will even pick you up outside of baggage claim, though they’re technically not supposed to. Downtown is about 22 miles from DTW airport and the ride is just under a half hour in good conditions.

While rideshares do tend to be a bit more expensive than taxis, they can be more convenient for many, especially those who don’t want to deal with shopping around among multiple car companies to find the best rate. Rideshare pick-ups are easily located by following signs from either terminal. Wait until you arrive at the staging area before ordering to avoid added wait fees if the car gets there first.

If you fit into that category of wanting a car for less but not wanting to call a bunch of companies to score the best possible rate, I recommend at least checking the rideshare cost in your app when you arrive at the rideshare staging area. Metro Cab offers a flat rate to downtown, so you can compare costs against rideshare and take the better deal of the two.

Security lines

Except during peak travel periods (like holidays), when security lines are backed up at all airports, wait times are pleasantly short at DTW. In the McNamara Terminal, I’ve never witnessed a wait time longer than 10 minutes for general security. With TSA PreCheck and/or CLEAR membership, waits are even less.

The security line at Evans Terminal can sometimes be slightly longer, but you can still expect to complete the process in around 15 minutes or less in most cases. TSA PreCheck and CLEAR are both available here too. If you’re surprised by an unusually long line and are running late for your flight, you can always sign up for CLEAR on the spot and skip the line.

Airline lounges and alternatives

If you’re flying through McNamara Terminal and are hoping for free lounge access, you’ll need to be a Delta SkyClub member or have access to these clubs through other routes like qualifying credit cards, premium cabin tickets or alliance partner benefits. If that’s you, you’re in luck, because there are five SkyClubs in this terminal, so you’ll never be far from one no matter which gate you’re flying from.

The central club between the concourses is large, but you’ll also find the most people here, since it’s so easy to stumble across. If you’re looking for more of a relaxed atmosphere, I recommend heading to the end of Concourse A and popping into the lounge between gates A65 and A67. It’s usually quieter and still has a great selection of food.

Priority Pass members have no full lounge access in this terminal, but there’s a Minute Suites that provides one hour of access. In Evans Terminal, the only traditional lounge belongs to Lufthansa, and Priority Pass members have access at certain times of day only. If you have an eligible American Express card, you have full access here.

Free Wi-Fi at DTW

Wi-Fi is free across all areas of DTW. Service is generally reliable, and my favorite feature of this airport Wi-Fi is that you don’t need to provide any personal information to log in. Just connect to the network and click Free Wi-Fi for unlimited access.

Immersive art

If you’re flying through the McNamara Terminal, take a trip between Concourse A and Concourse B to check out the airport’s coolest art installation, the LED Tunnel. Even if you don’t need to change concourses, it’s worth seeing. It’s my favorite few minutes to spend in this airport every time I come through, and if you’re traveling through it just for fun, lucky you – you get to go through twice.

The entire tunnel is a light and sound extravaganza, with choreographed LED lights in 9,000 feet of glass panels dancing to a soundtrack. You don’t need to walk the whole thing – there are moving sidewalks so you can relax and enjoy the show.

If flashing lights and sound are problematic for you, but you need to pass through here, you can pause the display for five minutes by pressing a button at the bottom of the escalators. This is more than enough time to cross the tunnel and be out before it begins again.