Some Pics of the Detroit Airport

Firstly, let me set things straight. The Detroit airport isn't in Detroit. As a matter of fact, it is closer to Ann Arbor than Detroit. Furthermore it isn't all that much further to Toledo than downtown Detroit, but they call it the Detroit Metro Airport to get around it. The airport is actually in Romulus which will supply a giggle to anyone that is a fan of Star Trek. Since I am NOT a fan of Star Trek it invokes a yawn.

The pictures here are from the McNamara Northwest WordGateway Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport. The Northwest WorldGateway Terminal opened in February 2002. It really is a spectacular facility which means it has no excuse to be associated with either Detroit or Northwest. I think that

This is the famous Red Bullet Train. The train runs the length of the terminal and makes three stops. This is the stop at the center of the terminal right above the water feature.















This is another shot of the Big Red Train. The train is pulling into the center station. Off to the left is a nice seating area with some very nice leather seats and the ubiquitous ficus trees. The terminal has very high ceilings...as you can see from the Big Red Train and is mainly glass allowing for a nice open airy feel throughout.
















This is a nose-on shot of a 747-400 aircraft parked at the gate. Currently, this model is the largest commercial aircraft flying. The nwa configuration holds 403 passengers. It will lose that title to the Airbus A330 when it begins flying next year. The dots are in the glass and really are only visible when taking pictures. For some size relation, the main part of the terminal where this picture was taken is actually on the second floor. So the nose of the aircraft is more than two stories off the ground and the top of the aircraft nears four stories tall. For some more understanding of the size of the aircraft, take a look at the truck to the side that fits underneath the wings.