Detroit-Wayne Metropolitan Airport

By Kin Enriquez -

Detroit-Wayne Metropolitan Airport (IATA: DTW) is one of the busiest gateways to the United States, and the 24th busiest in the world, handling 32 million passengers in 2011.

McNamara Terminal (Concourse A)

The airport is memorable to me as this was the first place in the US that I first set my foot in. It was scary and exciting at the same time. I remember getting interviewed by border control twice, the second in the small room where some people who are about to be deported are. I was nervous but at the same time cautiously optimistic that I'd be admitted to the country anyway. After about half an hour of nerve-wracking waiting and several phone calls by the immigration officer, my passport was finally stamped and I was officially in the United States. 

As my connecting flight to St. Louis was on the other concourse, I have to go through the awesome Light Tunnel, the underground passage connecting Concourse A to Concourse B/C, where my boarding gate was. The tunnel is lighted with colorful LED lights that are synchronized with the piped-in music. 

Fountains add a nice touch to the ambiance of the terminal
The airport has two terminals, Edward H. McNamara Terminal and North terminal. McNamara, where concourses A, B and C are, is about a mile in length, making it the second longest in the world, after Tokyo's Kansai Airport.

The Delta 747-400 that I took back to Manila
My favorite part of this airport is that it has an overhead tram system, called the ExpressTram, running inside the terminals, ferrying passengers from one terminal to another. During my layover I took the trams from the concourse that I am in to the other, just for fun. 

 There are many shops that line the concourses where you can spend time browsing for gifts or mementos while waiting for your flight. Or you can just ride the trams.
Useful info: 
Website: metroairport.com

by Kin Enriquez

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