jules39

Is there any opinions out there on MSP or Detroit DTW for transiting through. We will be travelling from the west coast to Amsterdam on NWA and will need to transit though one of these each direction. For either case there will be a 3 hr layover. It will be Feb.
Thanks
J

Seamus

You must be fling NWA. DTW is a nicer facility, I think, and easier to get around. It is essentially one long terminal with a train running from one end to the other. I'd choose it over MSP.

rkkwan

I am thinking about snow, and I don't think either is more or less likely to be hit by a big storm in Feb.

andrews98682

I haven't been in the new Detroit terminal, but the Minneapolis airport has tons of restaurants and shops. Not a bad place to spend a layover.

LoveItaly

Hello jules, I haven't been to either but my daughter loves the NWA terminal at Detroit and has spoken highly of it.

travelgourmet

DTW is probably nicer/better/easier than MSP. This is not an indictment of MSP, as it is a very nice airport. Both have a pretty decent number of shops and facilities. Indeed, they are two of the best hub airports, in my opinion.

Since I think both airports are very good, I would actually pay more attention to the schedule and the plane I was going to be on.

All of the flights from MSP are on an Airbus A330, which I think is one of the most comfortable planes across the Atlantic in coach. I try to fly this plane whenever I can. It has AVOD, power ports in the front half of the cabin, and a decent amount of room (an exceptional amount in the exit rows, if you have SkyTeam Elite status).

Looking at the schedule for February, there are a few more types thrown into the mix when flying from DTW. NW Flights 40 and 68 are on an A330 (the return flights are 39 & 67), but both leave relatively early, so I am not sure about how that will work with connections. Flight 8618 (8617 on the return) is actually on a KLM 777, which is not as comfortable, IMHO.

And flight 36 (35 on the return) is on a single-aisle 757. I don't know how comfortable this is; I normally hate the 757 and find it incredibly uncomfortable, but the NW plane has some extra legroom. I have never flown on it, so I can't tell you if the legroom makes up for all the other negatives, such as the single aisle, narrow-feeling cabin and lack of entertainment options. My guess is that it is not overly comfortable.

jules39

Thanks for all this great information. I think in the back of my head I was wondering if one would be more likely to suffer from delays in Feb than another??!!
I had not looked at the type of aircraft so thanks for that great info travelgormet.
J

dfr4848

I agree that I'd concentrate on the schedule and the type of plane, especially if one of your choices is a 757 which, like travelgourmet, I really don't like on a long flight. We fly into MSP a lot, much less so DTW. The "new" DTW terminal gets some good reviews but both MSP and DTW are nice facilities. While I think you're more likely to get nastier weather in Feb at MSP than DTW, those Minnesotans are very use to it and we've never had weather related problems there [I probably just jinxed our next trip!].

jules39

Thought about starting another post but will see if any of you see this first. As a second part to my question one of the itins that NWA come up with for the return trip is AMS-MSP-onwards. I assume we will clear customs & immigration in MSP but this itin only has 1&1/2 hrs between the incoming from AMS & the outbound to the west coast. Sounds like not enough time to me? Yes ? No?
Thanks again
J

Seamus

You won't have time to stop and shop but should be OK as long as you arrive on time at MSP. Take a look to see if there is a later connecting flight you might be able to catch if you are delayed. If there is you could change to that connection, tough there may not be seats available in the same fare class and it might cost more.