I like to travel, and for the most part, I like airport terminals. Now having grown up with a father who knew how to fly, I long ago understood the difference between an airport and an airport terminal. The airport is the runways, taxi ways and the things that planes use to come and go, the terminal is the buildings that people use. I get upset when people say that a city is building a "new airport" when in fact what the city is building is a new terminal at the same old airport. You can put all of the new buildings you want at Midway in Chicago and it will still be the same old crappy blocked in and barely large enough for modern jets airport.
Detroit was the first place I flew out of on an airline. The old terminal at Detroit was built in the late 50's early 60's, when I flew out of there in the late 70's it looked like hadn't been cleaned in a decade. A dozen year's ago Detroit built a new terminal for Northwest Airlines, and NW promptly merged with Delta. The main concourse in the new terminal is over a mile long, and has a people mover, actually a modern cable car to shuttle passengers from one end to the other. It is light bright and inspiring.
I was there last summer on my way to Germany, I get to go back this year on my way to Rome.
I rather like large terminals. When traveling walking the terminal is the only form of exercise I get that day. One will often find me walking at an excercise worthy clip all over a terminal even going to unnecessary concourse to add on some distance.
ReplyDeleteI do that too, Detroit is fun because the international flights all go out of the main concourse, it fun to see where people are going.
DeleteIsnt Detroit the city in the US that has gone bust?
ReplyDeleteYes, Detroit filed bankruptcy, the airport is actually run by the county.
DeleteHaving lived in Detroit area most of my life, I instantly recognized this terminal.
ReplyDeleteI had the experience of flying out of the old terminal only to return to the brave new world terrminal. Of course no one knew where anything was or how to get to the garages.