DTW Ranked No. 1 Mega Airport for Customer Satisfaction

**Cincinnati_Kid** · September-26-19, 01:30 PM

Kinda hard to believe, but I'll take it. Something positive about Detroit, at least.

**bartocktoo** · September-26-19, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

Kinda hard to believe, but I'll take it. Something positive about Detroit, at least.

I don't know why this is hard to believe. I'm as critical about our city as anyone and I've flown all over. We have, by far, the best airport. It is the one thing that we definitely have over anyone else.

*Other than an international border and pound-for-pound culture.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · September-27-19, 07:07 AM

Originally Posted by bartocktoo

I don't know why this is hard to believe. I'm as critical about our city as anyone and I've flown all over. We have, by far, the best airport. It is the one thing that we definitely have over anyone else.

*Other than an international border and pound-for-pound culture.

Whoa..don't shoot the messenger. It wasn't mean't as a knock towards DTW. The complaints I have heard from others and experienced myself, are the airport police sometimes won't let you park and wait for a relative to arrive. Sometimes they are accommodating, other times they make you drive around and come back. I even had my car towed away, when I went to use the restroom, a couple of years ago. Everything else I assume, is top ranked.

**ferndalien** · September-27-19, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

...the airport police sometimes won't let you park and wait for a relative to arrive...

DTW does now have 2 cell phone lots a few minutes from the terminals to wait in.

Pretty much every major airport [[I don't mean the little regional ones) has prohibited waiting curbisde since 9/11, and have discouraged it since at least 1980 if that documentary "Airplane!" is to be believed.

**Lowell** · September-27-19, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by ferndalien

DTW does now have 2 cell phone lots a few minutes from the terminals to wait in.

Pretty much every major airport [[I don't mean the little regional ones) has prohibited waiting curbisde since 9/11, and have discouraged it since at least 1980 if that documentary "Airplane!" is to be believed.

I pull into the lot of the Big Boy on Merriman, just before the entrance under I-94, flip on my Flightradar 24 app to track my pick-up's incoming flight [which I usually can actually see as the main landing path is in front of me] then wait for the call.

**Lowell** · September-27-19, 09:17 AM

There is one awkward aspect at McNamara. If you check baggage and are using ground transport [cab] you have to go up, over, and down again by elevator. Seems like that could have been designed to roll straight out.

**313WX** · September-27-19, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

There is one awkward aspect at McNamara. If you check baggage and are using ground transport [cab] you have to go up, over, and down again by elevator. Seems like that could have been designed to roll straight out.

I was going to mention that as well, but I get the logic behind it [[traffic control).

This setup is a PITA for those who are handicap/disabled though. There was even a YouTube video about ADA complaints being filed regarding this.

**Atticus** · September-27-19, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

I was going to mention that as well, but I get the logic behind it [[traffic control).

This setup is a PITA for thise who are handicap/disabled though. There was even a YouTube about ADA complaints being filed regarding this.

This is unfortunately very true. If you are not physically able to use an escalator, coming from ground transportation you have to first take an elevator up to the sky bridge, then another separate elevator up to ticketing, go through bag drop/TSA, and then take a third elevator down to the gate level. Not to mention all the elevators are both crowded and in short supply, which often means long waits for each elevator. Upon return home you have three more elevators to go through, and the long waits associated with each. Not fun.

And don’t get me started on the rental car situation. The fact that DTW, in a cold weather climate, doesn’t have a consolidated garage for rentals is beyond idiotic. Yes, the terminals are great. But they really need to spend some money on the ground transportation aspect, and building a consolidated rental car garage.

**Former_Detroiter** · September-28-19, 09:16 AM

[QUOTE=Lowell;580463]There is one awkward aspect at McNamara. If you check baggage and are using ground transport [cab] you have to go up, over, and down again by elevator. Seems like that could have been designed to roll straight out.[/QUOT

I'm not sure who came up with that idea. Would it have been too difficult to have ground transportation outside of baggage claim?

**iheartthed** · September-28-19, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

There is one awkward aspect at McNamara. If you check baggage and are using ground transport [cab] you have to go up, over, and down again by elevator. Seems like that could have been designed to roll straight out.

Isn't the check-in counter up one level from the bridge?

**detlump** · October-01-19, 07:37 PM

Yes! This is a huge pain - just had to go through it again on Friday. I can't understand why there could not just be a crosswalk through the arrivals road to the garage with a traffic cop or traffic light to stop traffic. There are only a few elevators and you're not supposed to bring roller bags on the escalator but most everyone does it.

Otherwise I like DTW quite a bit. The only thing that needs to be addressed is the roads to and from the airport. Nothing like visitors experiencing bad roads right off the plane! Why are these roads in such bad shape? I don't see any steel haulers going to DTW!

**bartocktoo** · September-27-19, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

Whoa..don't shoot the messenger. It wasn't mean't as a knock towards DTW. The complaints I have heard from others and experienced myself, are the airport police sometimes won't let you park and wait for a relative to arrive. Sometimes they are accommodating, other times they make you drive around and come back. I even had my car towed away, when I went to use the restroom, a couple of years ago. Everything else I assume, is top ranked.

Nah you make a great point. I'm flying in and out of here and parking in the structure, so my opinion of the airport doesn't include ground or public transport. I defer that part and it definitely sounds like a large weak spot for the airport [[not surprising, either, in this town). I mean I definitely judge the airports I fly into pretty heavily on my ability to actually get out of there and to my hotel or business, etc.