The mall and hotel would enable the airport to tap into an international market of businesspersons flying in and out of Detroit for meetings on the same day.
"That is not a market that is open for us today because we don't have the facilities that are amenable for large numbers of people flying in for a meeting for a day and then flying out," Bob Braun, Wayne County's airports director, told the Detroit Free Press in a story for yesterday. "That would open a whole new market for us."
Both the new midfield terminal and a mile-long east concourse are being designed to allow another three to five stories, each up to 500,000 square feet. The hotel would be included in the additional stories.
Wayne County, which owns the airport, is expected to solicit bids from hotel chains in 1998 or early 1999. But two national chains already have asked about building and operating the hotel, Braun said.
The mall would be located beyond security checkpoints in a section of the terminal, allowing travelers to shop in the upscale stores.
More than 23.6 million travelers are expected to pass through the new terminal during its first year. It will be used by Northwest Airlines, the airport's principal carrier, and international flights.
The county is studying what kind of shopping and dining should be offered. Two national consulting firms, Booz Allen & Hamilton of San Francisco and Unison Consulting Group Inc. of Chicago, are expected to finish the study in May or June.
Detroit architect SH&G plans to use the results to complete its design of the terminal.
Booz Allen & Hamilton and Unison will decide which retailers and restaurants will work best by looking at passenger incomes, shopping and dining preferences, and time spent at the airport. They also are examining which of the airport's existing concessions makes the most money. The data will then be compared with that of other airports.
Braun said food and beverage concessions will get the most space because they are the most popular and profitable. Retail stores will have the second-largest amount of space; duty-free shopping will get the least.
Other airports that have opened shopping malls inside their facilities include Pittsburgh International Airport, Denver International Airport and Amsterdam's Schipol Airport.
John F. Kennedy International Airport's Terminal One will feature European and U.S. designer shops when it opens next spring in New York.
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