Detroit Metro
The counters are not in the airport.
Detroit Metro has no rental desk inside either terminal. Every company works out of a rental car campus at the northeast corner of the airport, on Lucas Drive, and the way you reach it is a courtesy shuttle from the Ground Transportation Center. This page sets out what that involves, who is out there, and when it is still the right choice.
What the trip out there involves
Following the airport's own instructions: land, claim your bags, follow the signs for Ground Transportation rather than the exit, and wait at the shuttle stand. From McNamara that stand is in the parking garage; from the Warren Cleage Evans Terminal it is at the Big Blue Deck. The shuttle takes you out to Lucas Drive, where the counters are grouped together. You queue at yours, complete the paperwork, and then walk out to the ready rows to find the car.
None of those steps is unreasonable and none of them is anybody's fault. They are what an off-airport rental campus costs, and every company out there pays the same one, because the layout belongs to the airport and not to any of them.
Who is out on Lucas Drive
The campus holds the companies you would expect: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and National among them. Their counters sit together in one lobby, which is why the airport can serve all of them with a single shuttle. Choosing between them changes the daily rate and the car you end up in. It does not change the shuttle, the queue or the walk to the ready row.
We are not one of them, and we are not on that campus. We bring the car to the door you walk out of instead.
Two ways to leave DTW with a car
Both columns matter, and on a narrow screen the second one starts off the edge of the table. Scroll it sideways to see what delivery does differently.
| At the rental car campus | Delivered to your terminal | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the handover happens | Lucas Drive, off the airport | The arrivals curb at your terminal |
| Getting there | Courtesy shuttle from Ground Transportation | You walk out of the doors |
| A counter queue | Yes | No |
| Choosing the car | At the counter, from what is left | Online, before you fly |
| The full price | Quoted by the company you booked | Shown in full before you pay |
| If the flight is late | You arrive whenever you arrive | The delivery is re-timed, at no charge |
| Giving it back | Drive to Lucas Drive, shuttle back | Handed over at your departure terminal |
| One way to another city | Offered by the national companies | Not offered |
| Drivers under 25 | Usually available with a surcharge | Not available, our minimum is 25 |
When the counter is the better choice
Four cases, and in all of them we would send you to Lucas Drive rather than take the booking.
- You need a one way
- Picking up at DTW and dropping in another city is something the national companies do and we do not. Our cars come back to Metro Detroit.
- The driver is under 25
- Our minimum is 25, with no exceptions. Most of the counters will rent to a younger driver with a surcharge, so if that is who is driving, they can help and we cannot.
- You have a corporate rate or status
- A negotiated company rate or a loyalty tier that skips the queue can be worth more than anything we offer. Check what you already have before you book with us.
- You would rather not book a time
- Delivery is a handover arranged for a moment, so it needs your flight number and terminal in advance. If you want to land, decide later and walk up to a desk whenever you are ready, a counter suits that better.
Everywhere else, and particularly on an arrival where you would rather be driving than queueing, the curb is the faster of the two.
FAQ
- Are the rental car counters inside the DTW terminals?
- No. Detroit Metro has no rental counters inside McNamara or Evans. Every company operates from a rental car campus at the northeast corner of the airport, on Lucas Drive, and the airport's own instructions are to claim your bags, follow the signs to Ground Transportation and take a courtesy shuttle out to it.
- Where does the DTW rental car shuttle leave from?
- From the Ground Transportation Center in the McNamara Terminal parking garage, and from the Big Blue Deck if you land at the Warren Cleage Evans Terminal. Follow the Ground Transportation signs after baggage claim rather than the exit signs.
- Which rental companies are at the Detroit Metro rental car center?
- The ones you would expect, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and National among them. They all sit on the same campus and are all reached the same way, so which one you book changes the price and the car but not the shuttle or the counter.
- Do I still need the rental car shuttle if the car is delivered?
- No. That is the whole point of delivery. The car meets you at the arrivals curb at your own terminal, so you never enter the Ground Transportation Center and never go out to Lucas Drive at all.
- Does Rochester Car Rental have a counter at the rental car center?
- No, and we never have. We are delivery only, with no counter anywhere and no lot for anyone to visit. If you want a desk to walk up to on arrival, one of the companies on Lucas Drive is the right choice and we would rather say so.
- When is renting at the counter the better choice?
- When you need a one-way rental, which we do not offer and the majors do. When the driver is under 25, because our minimum is 25 and most counters will rent younger with a surcharge. When you have a corporate rate or loyalty status worth more than the convenience. And when you would rather land and decide later, since a delivery is a booked handover that needs your flight and terminal in advance.
Skip the shuttle. We will meet you outside.
Pick a car and your dates, send us your flight number and terminal, and it is at the curb when you walk out.