Car Rental at Detroit Airport

Airport travel guide

A cautionary tale of economic rise and fall, Detroit has returned to growing as a cultural and tourist hub over the last decade. Home to a fascinating industrial heritage, the city has also never been short of creativity, making it one of the most interesting cities in the country. These are four of its most interesting attractions:

• Detroit International Riverfront. Home to both the Renaissance Center with its stunning highrises and many landmark buildings that have been restored to their former glory, the Riverfront is perhaps the most important symbol of the revival that Detroit is trying to achieve. Totaling about 5.5 miles (8.8 km) long, the area is also home to a number of parks and entertainment venues and frequently hosts various festivals and events.
• Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. The Black community has a long and central role in the history of Detroit and in the development of many forms of the modern culture and music that the city is famous for. From collections on historical subjects like the Underground Railroad and the Civil Rights Movement to a focus on art, the museum offers a wonderfully diverse experience. Visit its official website to learn more about the collections and hours.
• Michigan Science Center. Another famous culture and science institute of Detroit, the MiSci is a fun place for a whole family to enjoy. In addition to expositions on various scientific topics, this museum also boasts a planetarium, an IMAX dome, and an engineering theater. The science center is located right next to the aforementioned Museum of African American History. Visit its website to learn more or buy tickets in advance.
• Ann Arbor. Known for its walkable city center, quality cultural institutions, and large university, Ann Arbor is one of the quaintest destinations in Michigan. The city has a strong performance arts scene – there is always a show or another you can catch during your visit – as well as lots of interesting public arts, not least the Cube and Wave Field statues that always catch the eye of visitors. A car trip west of Detroit takes only an hour. 

Top international routes

• Chicago
• Atlanta
• New York City
• Dallas
• Charlotte
• Denver
• Washington, D.C.
• Toronto
• Houston
• Boston

Main airlines

The largest airline at Detroit Metro is Delta Air Lines. The airport serves as Delta’s second major hub. The airline thus provides connections to many destinations, including destinations in Asia.

The airport’s other main airlines are American and United along with the low-cost airlines Southwest, Spirit, JetBlue, and Frontier. Of these, Spirit serves the most passengers as the airport is a major focus city for the airline.

International Airlines serving the airport include Air France, Air Canada Express, Lufthansa, Aeromexico Connect, and Royal Jordanian.

Terminals

There are two terminals at Detroit Metro with a total of four concourses. The McNamara Terminal, which opened in 2012, is the larger of them with three concourses and a total of 103 gates. The terminal’s Concourse A is over a mile long and has a people mover (the ExpressTram) that takes passengers from one end to the other after secuirity. A shuttle bus runs between the terminals.

Location

Detroit Metro is located in the suburb of Romulus around 20 miles west of downtown Detroit. The drive takes around 25 minutes in normal traffic. DTW is also convenient for reaching Ann Arbor, home to the University Of Michigan. The college town is just 25 miles from the airport along I-94, a drive that takes between 30 and 50 minutes.

Most popular types of rental car

• Small cars - from $49 per day
• Medium cars - from $49 per day
• Large cars - from $50 per day
• SUVs - from $70 per day
• Vans - from $123 per day
• Convertibles - from $155 per day
• Premium cars - from $92 per day

Car rental desks

All of the rental companies serving the airport are located at the airport along Lucas Drive. As there are no desks in the terminals, renters must follow the signs marked Ground Transportation. From there, they must take a shuttle to the rental companies’ facilities which should only take a few minutes. A shuttle also takes renters back to the Ground Transportation sections of the terminals after they drop off their rental cars.

Services and facilities

Detroit Metro has all of the services and facilities one would expect of a major international airport. This includes kids play areas and plenty of bottle filling stations. Plenty of ATMs can be found in both terminals along with currency exchanges, though as usual, you are better served to bring US Dollars with you, using an ATM, or just using your bank card as the exchanges inevitably offer rates significantly worse than that of what your bank would give you.

A Westin Hotel can be found in the McNamara Terminal. If you want a more affordable place to spend the night before an early flight, a cluster of hotels can also be found just on the other side of I-94 from the airport. Most offer free parking and many also offer a free airport shuttle if you need to drop off your rental the night before your flight.

Finally, you won’t go hungry at Detroit Metro. Plenty of dining options are available in each terminal. You can find fast food, sit down restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.

Nearest gas station

The most convenient gas station when returning a rental car to the airport is a BP station located at the corner of Middlebelt Rd. and Wick Rd; however, the prices at this station are consistently one dollar per gallon more than others in the area.

A better option is a Speedway on Merriman Road north of I-94. Filling up at this station requires a circle, but the prices and service are more than worth it. When looking at a map, it may seem confusing to figure out how to reach the rental car returns when entering the airport this way, but signs along the way make it incredibly easy.

Top one-way drives

• Cleveland (161 miles / 259 km)
• Chicago (266 miles / 428 km)
• Ann Arbor (29 miles / 47 km)
• Toledo (50 miles / 80 km)
• Toronto (252 miles / 419 km)
• Grand Rapids (156 miles / 251 km)