DTW is less noisy and less crowded than ATL. So, if you've brought a book, you can read it in a little more peace. The main World Club overlooks the intersection of the A concourse and is a fun place to watch people. Once upon a time, they had warm cookies there.

I really do like the Westin there. It's a great place to escape the crowds.

It is so much better than ATL.

Check out the clearance items at PGA store for some discontinued summer clothes and head to the Sky Club next door for next 3:00 hours for some drinks and snooze.

I had a 6+ hour layover there last year and it went by really quickly. As many have said, the Skyclubs are all quite good and there are numerous places to eat. I like Max & Irmas myself.

If I had a 4 hour layover, my first choice airport would be MSP. Not because of the airport itself, but because of its easy access to the Mall of America. 4 hours is just about the right layover time to get in a decent visit. Otherwise, DTW is probably the best in the US for a connection.

No US airport is in the same league as NRT, SIN, or ICN.

DTW is nice, and many say it is less crowed. Yes that's true, the place is dead. The only thing I hate about DTW is the ground crews are SLOW. They just simply don't care if you're aircraft sits on the tarmac feet from your gate for 30 minutes.

DTW is probably the closest hub in terms of capacity available next to ATL. Difference is, ATL has well over 1,000 daily departure, DTW has around 450. Huge difference there. DTW is either way overbuilt or way underutilized. It's too bad that MSP is really just a hop, skip, and a jump away because DTW could easily be a very sizable hub like ATL. Instead DTW and MSP draw from each other and are at roughly the same amount of flights with the very slight edge going to DTW.

I haven't read the entire thread...sorry if this was mentioned. If you have an iPhone, then one word: Grindr. The hours will melt away!

"My advice to you: is to start drinking heavily." - John "Bluto" Blutarsky, Animal House

Alternate theory... ATL is either way underbuilt or way overutilized.** :)

Airports don't have to be the travel experience from hell to be efficient.



(**Or, just poorly managed).

I just had a nearly four hour connection there yesterday and it was no problem at all. Visits to a few shops to pick up a gift, a stop at Borders to get a book, and a drop in at the SkyClub to catch up on the e-mail and FT covered it without any problem.

Add in a few drinks at the SC with some of the deluxe nut mix (since there was going to be food in first on my flight) and it went by at a nice pace.

I like DTW for the lack of crowds and its great open feel. I also like the fact that 10-12 minutes is all you really need for any connection. Try that at ATL.

The thing about 90% of the people on this forum fail to realize is that the current ATL facility was built in 1980. Of course it's going to be outdated! It's 20 years younger than DTW in design. There's been a lot of changes in style since then. Many of the people here expect ATL to be this great airport because big daddy Delta has built it up so much. It's older, get over it. I find ATL to be just fine. It's the busiest airport in the world, of course it's going to be crowded and louder.

I don't "get over it", I "get away from it" every chance I can avoid it and connect elsewhere... such as DTW.:D

Imagine what ATL is going to be like after it ages another 20 years.

Unless WN shapes the place up after it takes over. :D:D

+! ^^^

you know it's not gone...they just moved it to MSP......my vote though is if there isn't enough cash then fix JFK and not just the international flights ALL of them....MEM works just fine (but is tired)....JFK is a train wreck

Heck you'll easily spend twice that in line for the escalator trying to exit B these days

Why is DTW so much nicer than ATL...because NWA was tired of the issues and costs of having the old North Terminal and build a new one for the long term savings.....why is JFK and ATL in the condition they are? Because the folks at DL were worried about the up front costs....to say DL has nothing to do with either airports condition is just silly