Wayne County and Northwest Unveil Parking Facility At Edward H. McNamara Terminal / Northwest WorldGateway
DETROIT--Feb. 5, 2002--Ground transportation will be as convenient as air travel at the Edward H. McNamara Terminal / Northwest WorldGateway thanks to a comprehensive ground transportation center, an 11,500-space parking garage - the largest built at one time in the world - and a pedestrian bridge connecting both to the new terminal.
The parking garage includes four parking options - valet, hourly, daily and economy - and FastPay devices that let customers pay before they exit the garage, and expedite their departure.
"Designing this airport with the customer in mind means building in features that add ease to the travel experience from the moment the customer enters the parking garage," said Jim Greenwald, Northwest's vice president, facilities and airport affairs. "Millions of people will use this facility to park, pick up friends who are flying and catch taxis or shuttles, and we want this facility to be easy for them to find and navigate."
"This new parking structure is a world-class facility in itself," said Wayne County Executive Edward H. McNamara. "People will find it easy and convenient to drive to the airport, whether it's for a flight of their own or a trip to pick up a friend or family member."
Customers who park and depart from the current Davey, Smith or Berry terminals before February 24, then return to the new terminal will be able to take a shuttle back to their cars. Wayne County will run continuous shuttle service between the terminals, and passengers can board those shuttles at the Domestic Arrivals curbside.
Arriving passengers awaiting taxis, car services, hotel and rental-car shuttles, and off-site parking shuttles can also meet these vehicles on Level 4. Visitors to Detroit can get information on transportation, lodging and attractions from a number of touch-screen kiosks located on Level 4.
The parking facility is connected to the terminal by an enclosed, heated pedestrian bridge. Passengers taking the bridge will enter the terminal on the gate level and can take an escalator up one level to ticketing or down one level to domestic baggage claim.
Departing passengers can check their luggage at one of two SkyCap stations or an E-Ticket center located on the bridge level of the garage. Upon their return, they can use one of the FastPay machines to expedite their departure from the facility.
Here's how FastPay works:
| -- | Customers parking in the garage must take their parking ticket with them when they exit their vehicle. |
| -- | When they return from the terminal, they insert their ticket into one of the FastPay machines (cashiers are also available) and pay the amount owed with either cash or a credit card. Their ticket is then returned to them, and a receipt can be obtained if desired. |
| -- | As they exit the parking facility, these customers use special prepaid exit lanes, insert their ticket into the automated exit gate, and proceed. |
Moving through the parking facility will be easy. Signage will direct travelers to elevators on each level of the facility to transport them to Level 6 where enclosed, heated moving walkways traverse the length of the structure. The walkways bring people to and from the far ends of the structure to the pedestrian bridge. Each level of the garage is color-coded for easy reference.
About Northwest Airlines and the Edward H. McNamara
Terminal/Northwest WorldGateway
Northwest Airlines is the world's fourth largest airline with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam. With 2,400 daily departures, Northwest and its partners serve more than 750 cities in 120 countries on six continents. Together with Wayne County, Mich., Northwest is opening a new $1.2 billion domestic and international airport terminal on February 24, 2002, which includes 97 gates, 18 luggage carousels, 1.5 miles of moving walkways, along with two express trams capable of carrying 4,000 passengers per hour.
Wayne County's Detroit Metropolitan Airport is undergoing one of the most dramatic transformations of any airport anywhere. In addition to the new Edward H. McNamara Terminal / Northwest WorldGateway, the airport also recently opened a new 10,000 ft. runway, and within just one month, Metro will open a brand new airport South Access Road providing a second primary entrance to the airport off of another major area interstate highway. Together with the opening of the new McNamara Terminal, these projects mark the culmination of a multiyear capital improvement program, which will make Metro Airport one of the finest air transportation gateways in the world.
For more information on the terminal, refer to http://www.newdetroitterminal.com or contact Northwest Corporate Communications at 612-726-2331 or Wayne County at 734-942-3558.