DTW managed to open its new terminal today without any sort of the shambolism we saw during what's bound to be 2008's most notorious airport meltdown.

So what's the early word on the new facility? Overall, people posting stuff on the web are pretty impressed--though it's not hard to top the old Smith Terminal.

Related Stories:
· "I'm glad they had their game on for Day One" [Detroit F-P]
· "I am thrilled the new DTW terminal is here...the old part of the airport has been around forever and is such a dump." [Twitter]
· "I didn't even know about the dumpy part of DTW until we took American last year. What a sad terminal." [Twitter]
· "Smith Terminal finally replaced at DTW - GO, DETROIT, GO!" [Twitter]
· "Power outlets don't seem especially plentiful" [USA Today]

[Photo: Wikimedia]]]> pbb 2008-09-17T17:45:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/17/124327/320

Spirit Air Flight 788 pulled up to Detroit Metro at 5:15 am this morning, making it the first flight to use the brand new North Terminal at DTW. And it's getting rave reviews already! Says one local:

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.

We were too! The new $431-million building has replaced the Berry and Smith Terminals nearby, so the change affects passengers not flying on Northwest or other SkyTeam carriers.

There have been rumors of fun activities today, but we're a little suspicious of how "fun" a new terminal can really be. At the very least, Southwest is handing out energy drinks, so, uh, there's that.

Related Stories:
· First Flight Greeted at Terminal [Detroit F-P]
· Ben Mutzabaugh Is Live Blogging from DTW [USA Today]
· Happy Hour in DTW [Jaunted]

[Photo: Southwest Airlines]]]> pbb 2008-09-17T12:45:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/5/114317/2990

You know how you can always tell the tourists headed to warmer climes when you walk through the airport? They're always the ones wearing goofy print shirts and short shorts even though it's bound to be frigid on the plane.

Jaunted member JetSetCD sent us this funny snapshot, along with a bit of an explanation:

I mean, it may be the Motor City and all, but really? Gotta love the guy in the tropical shirt at the bar; the flights around it were headed to various parts of Mexico.

Have your own travel snapshots? Drop 'em in our Flickr pool.

Related Stories:
· Travel Snapshots coverage [Jaunted]
· Tourists coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-08-05T11:46:17-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/