Wayne County Airport Authority implements additional changes to address COVID-19

DETROIT (March 13, 2020) – The Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) is taking additional steps to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). For months, WCAA—which manages and operates Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Willow Run Airport—has advised employees, stakeholders and customers to protect themselves by following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. DTW janitorial staff also increased the frequency of cleaning in the McNamara Terminal and North Terminal, concentrating on “touch points,” such as door knobs, water fountains, handrails and toilet seats. Now, WCAA is going one step further by following the recommendation of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to implement a community mitigation strategy.

WCAA has decided to:

• Postpone all community engagement activities, including the DTW Destination Pass program
• Cancel all non-essential work-related travel for WCAA employees over the next 60 days
• Cancel all WCAA meetings with non-essential visitors and vendors
• Continue following a process to sanitize DTW’s terminals, similar to what occurs in a hospital
• Add hand sanitizing stations in areas that passengers and airport employees can easily access throughout the terminals
• Continue to provide checkpoint bins treated with antimicrobial technology that kills or slows the growth of bacteria and viruses
• Remind passengers and workers to stay healthy by following the CDC’s recommendations via signage and public address messages in the terminals

“As the operator of the largest airport in Michigan, we feel it’s our duty to take the necessary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Wayne County Airport Authority CEO Chad Newton. “With confirmed cases of the virus in our community, we knew it was time to increase our response. For example, we’ve decided to temporarily suspend the DTW Destination Pass out of an abundance of caution.”

The DTW Destination Pass is a popular program, which allows non-travelers to access the gate areas to spend time with loved ones, shop or enjoy the restaurants. The program will be suspended beginning March 16.

The Airport Authority will continue to take proactive steps to keep customers, stakeholders and employees safe. More information on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/about/prevention.html and https://www.michigan.gov/CORONAVIRUS.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) welcomed more than 36 million passengers in 2019 and is one of the world’s leading air transportation hubs. With service from 13 scheduled passenger airlines, Michigan’s largest airport offers approximately 1,100 flights per day to and from more than 140 nonstop destinations on four continents. With two award-winning passenger terminals, six jet runways, and an onsite AAA Four-Diamond Westin Hotel, DTW is among the world’s most efficient, customer friendly and operationally capable airports in North America. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport received the highest score among mega airports in the J.D. Power 2019 North America Airport Satisfaction Study of customers’ satisfaction with the airport they traveled through and scored the highest in the security check and terminal facilities factors. Visit jdpower.com/awards for details. DTW is operated by the Wayne County Airport Authority, which also operates nearby Willow Run Airport – an important corporate, cargo and general aviation facility.  The Airport Authority is entirely self-sustaining and does not receive tax dollars to support airport operations. Visit www.metroairport.com for more information.