Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Another airport adds a gate pass program

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A growing number of airports make it easy for the non-traveling public to get visitor passes to the secure side of the passenger terminal.

That makes it possible to meet arriving friends and family at the gate or to spend more time with someone before they board a flight.

It also means that you don’t need to be flying somewhere to check out a new terminal, tap your toes to the live music at the airport, see some great art, do a little shopping, or spend time watching planes take off and land.

Each airport has its own name for the service and its own rules regarding how many non-ticketed visitors are allowed to be issued a pass each day they are offered. And at each airport that offers the service, passengers must still go through the security checkpoint.

The list of airports offering this great airport amenity includes:

Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA): SEA Visitor Pass Program

The MSY Guest Pass Program at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY),

Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW),

Capital Region International Airport (LAN) in Lansing, MI: the LAN Visitor Pass,

the OC Air Pass at John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, CA,

and the ONT+ Visitor Pass Program at California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT).

New to the list: Washington’s Tri-Cities Airport

Now more – and smaller – airports are joining the list.

The latest is the Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) in Pasco, WA.

For now, only 10 visitors are able to get a PSC Pass each day. And each visitor may request just one visit per month. But, as with the other airport gate pass programs, it allows non-travelers to surprise an arriving passenger at the gate or send someone off at the gate with a last-minute hug.

Did we miss an airport with a gate pass program? Let us know and we’ll add it to the list.

Airports not giving up on Twitter just yet

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Hundreds of airports around the world use Twitter as one of their tools to share news and updates with the public.

The social media site is in flux (to say the least) at the moment. But for now, it’s still a great way to find out at a glance what some of our favorite airports are up to.

On Monday, for example, we learned:

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) has installed a cool, new eyeglass-cleaning machine;

Miami International Airport (MIA) has a new art exhibit;

Santa is scheduled to stop in at Indianapolis International Airport (IND) on November 26;

Tampa Executive Airport (VDF) hosted a cool fly-in;

Two former Detroit Red Wings spent time at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) signing hockey pucks and meeting fans;

An oh-so-cute member airport therapy dog posed for harvest-time photos at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX);

And, as part of its 60th anniversary year, Dulles International Airport (IAD), reminded us of the mobile lounges that were used to transport passengers between the terminals and their planes.

Travel Tidbits from an airport near you

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Newest Minute Suites opens at DTW Airport

Minute Suites -which rents short-stay napping and workspaces in airports around the country – has opened a new location in Detroit Metropolitan Airport in the McNamara Terminal. This new location features five suites and has an on-site bathroom with a shower. This brings the number of airports with Minute Suites locations to 8: ATLANTA (ATL), Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Charlotte Douglas (CLT), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), New York LaGuardia (LGA), Nashville (BNA), Philadelphia (PHL), and Detroit (DTW). More are on the way.

The suites include an AppleTV, Netflix , and Wi-Fi, plus a daybed with a pull-out trundle that can sleep two. Up to four people can relax in a room. Pricing starts at $45 for the first hour (the minimum). The company has adopted the slogan “Clean and Serene” and these suites have become quite popular during the pandemic with travelers who really want to avoid the crowds during a layover.

Dallas Love Field celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Fresh Art at PHX Airport

And this – spotted in Seattle today

Detroit Metro Airport gate pass program permanent

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Courtesy Detroit Metro Airport

Gate pass programs expanding

The pilot DTW Destination Pass program at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) which allows non-ticketed passengers past the security checkpoint began in October and was supposed to end this week.

But so many non-ticketed visitors are interested in visiting DTW airport to shop, dine, check out airplanes and spend more time with friends and family starting or ending their travels that airport officials have decided to keep the program going indefinitely.

“We understand that our facility is more than just an airport—it is a place where memories are made,” said WCAA CEO Chad Newton, “One participant of the program shared with us that she was able to bring her 3-year-old nephew to the airport to greet his parents and see airplanes for the first time.”

The DTW Destination Pass program is limited to 75 visitor passes per day. Passes can be used from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Check the DTW website for details about applying for a pass.

Where else can you get an airport gate pass?

DTW is just the latest airport to welcome non-ticketed passengers past the security checkpoint.

Art at SEA airport

In December, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) brought back and made permanent the SEA Visitor Pass program, which gives non-ticketed guests access to the secure side of the airport.

Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) started the trend by introducing the myPITPass program in August 2017. That program operates Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) began offering its All Access pass in April, 2019, welcoming guests on Saturdays.

Photo La Gourmetreise, Courtesy New Orleans & Company

And Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) began welcoming non-ticketed guests into the new terminal on December 4.

The MSY Guest Pass is offered seven days a week, with a limit of 50 visitors Monday through Friday and 100 visitors on Saturdays and Sundays.

Atlanta International Airport shows off lighted canopy

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Hatsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport recently tested the lighting on the first three sections of its North Terminal canopy.

ATL Airport - green canopy

This canopy is one of a half dozen major construction projects under way at ATL as part of a major 20-year long development program, dubbed ATL Next, that the airport says is designed to boost capacity, renew and replace existing facilities and “enhance ATL’s aesthetic appeal.”

There will be canopies in front of the North and South passenger terminals and the full length of each canopy will be covered in a plastic material that will be able to be illuminated in different colors and patterns by thousands of embedded LED lights.

Work on the ATL’s North Canopy should be done by the fall. The South canopy is expected to be completed in Fall 2019.

The airport did a test run on the lights on part of the North Canopy last week. Neutral white light is expected to be the default color but on special occasions the canopies will be illuminated to mark specific events such as red, white and blue to honor Independence Day.

Other options already under consideration: red and black to celebrate a Falcons Super Bowl victory, or green to mark Earth Day.

Of course, ATL isn’t the first to get a cool lighted architectural feature.

Chicago’s O’Hare Airport has the “Sky’s the Limit” underground neon walkway.

OHARE NEON TUNNEL courtesy ORD

Detroit Metropolitan Airport has a lighted tunnel.

 

And Los Angeles International Airport has lighted pylons at it entrance that are often lit up in different color patterns to honor a holiday or special event.

What other cool lighted architectural features at airports should we add to this list?