Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport - Romulus, MI
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NorStar
N 42° 12.490 W 083° 21.500
17T E 305320 N 4675582
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is a hub for Delta/Air France Airlines, providing connections for both domestic and international flights.
Waymark Code: WMJAGC
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 10/19/2013
Views: 25
In the Detroit suburb of Romulus is the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, which is a major hub for Delta and their partner, Air France.
The airport terminal I went through is the McNamara Terminal, which is a two part terminal occupied solely by Delta and Air France. There are two long structures connected underground by a tunnel and moving sidewalks. Both structures have gates where people board and arrive. Both are fairly long, taking up to 10-15 minutes to walk from end to end if you were to walk without using any other means of travel. The structure by the main entrance, Concourse A, is longer than the structure further out into the airport tarmac, Concourse B-C.
To aid you in getting from your arrival gate to your departing gate, there are moving sidewalks everywhere. This certainly helps. The tunnel underneath not only has moving sidewalks in both directions, but it also has colorful light displays with moody sounds. However, a big help is the ExpressTram, a transit-like people mover that shuttles the 1 mile length of Concourse A. You have to go up a floor, then wait at one of three stations for the mover to arrive. You can see the mover slide along the track from the main walking area, as well, so you can spend time in the shuttle itself or spend it watching them move. There are other amenities, including restaurants, newsstands, and gift shops.
I didn't go to the other terminal, so someone else will have to report on the experience there.
My two layovers (over and back) between Boston, MA and Peoria, IL, were at this terminal. Both involved going between the two concourses. Thus, for instance, from Boston, I arrived in Concourse A at the very end of the concourse and traveled by using the moving sidewalks to the very center of the concourse, then went down and through the tunnel under the airport to Concourse C, then walked with moving sidewalks to the very end of Concourse C to board the plane to Peoria. On the way back, we boarded the Express Tram in the middle of Concourse A to the end. The layovers were pretty short, so I didn't have a lot of time to explore. The way back was actually delayed - we had trouble at the starting point - Peoria. The plane had mechanical problems - a leaky coffee Pot (as reported by the pilot). This involved rebooking to a later flight - not a problem when there are several flights available.
Sources:
Airport Web Site:
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Wikipedia (Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport):
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visit link)