Fanfare, new digs greet first flight at new Detroit terminal

ROMULUS, Mich. -- A few shocks greeted bleary-eyed revelers returning from Las Vegas at 5:15 a.m. today to Detroit Metro airport's North terminal.

Like TV cameras filming their arrival. Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano waiting at the gate to hand them a gift bag. And perhaps most surprising of all, a shiny new terminal that looked nothing like the building where they left Detroit.

The Spirit Air Flight 788 was the first arrival at the airport's new $431-million terminal, which officially opened for business in the wee hours this morning. On its first day of operation, the terminal avoided any significant turbulence — no major delays were reported and glitches were limited to slowdowns in computer systems or cash registers confusing new employees.

The mood was as buoyant as the giant balloon arch that stretched across the terminal walkway.

"We are ecstatic," said Lawrence Barber, station manager for Detroit's Southwest Airlines operation. Southwest's passengers could pose for pictures this morning with a staffer dressed in a plane costume and got a free T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Southwest Airlines New Digs in Detroit".

"For most of our employees … the Smith terminal is all they know," Barber said, referring to the aging building decommissioned today. "They didn't know they were working in a primitive operation.

"Today everybody is bubbly. We feel we have arrived."

At 3 p.m. there were no problems reported said Rita Vae Lobdell, station manager for Lufthansa. "It went very smooth, we are glad to be here," she said.

The long-awaited, 24-gate North Terminal replaces both the Smith and Berry terminals at the airport. Many not all of the 11 airlines now operating out of the North terminal had been in the Smith building, an aging structure with very few amenities and outdated equipment.

The North terminal opened with six gates that have not been leased by any airline. However, by mid-morning today, five of those six empty gates had already been used by airlines to handle overflow traffic, said Scott Wintner, public affairs specialist for the Wayne County Airport Authority.

The new North terminal is expected to handle, on average, about 184 flights each day, and Wintner said today was expected to a have a typical flight load.

Passengers couldn't help but notice the difference between the old Smith and the new North was like night and day.

"So far, so good," said Bennie Tucker, 63, of Ypsilanti Township. Tucker and his wife Donna were both on the first flight into the North terminal, and they had left Detroit from the Smith building.

He and his wife got gift bags that included Sanders fudge topping, a luggage gripper, an iPod holder and a pin with the North Terminal logo. In addition to Ficano, airport authority chief executive officer Lester Robinson was on hand to greet the terminal's first passengers.

"It looks like Detroit is finally coming into the 21st Century. I was tired of my friends flying in here and talking about how bad we are. I was kind of ashamed of our airport."

Rich Allanson, 46, of Commerce Township sampled the new Caribou Coffee shop near Gate D11. He said he flies weekly for business. He was pleased there were no glitches at the start of opening day for his trip to Myrtle Beach.

"Smith is just the Tiger Stadium of airports. It's way past its time," Allanson said.

"I'm glad they had their game on for Day One."

But can Detroit keep the enthusiasm going, said Trent Stuart, a Colorado Springs resident returning home on Frontier airlines this morning. Stuart has flown into the Smith terminal on Monday morning, and like many, was pleased with the change.

"Everything here is tip top," Stuart said. "The staff is alert and attentive … but I'd like to come back in six months and see if there is still the same amount of energy."

Janice Frazier of West Bloomfield is counting on that. She is a joint venture partner in the North terminal's Borders store. Wednesday morning, she was getting a manicure and some pampering at the terminal's XpresSpa.

"I really see a future for branded products at airports across the country," Frazier said. "And now we finally have something modern … the old terminal was functional, but it was an embarrassment."

The Detroit Free Press is owned by Gannett, parent company of USA TODAY.