DTW Car Rental: Shuttle to the Lucas Drive Rental Campus

There are no rental desks inside the terminals. Every on-airport company works from the rental car campus, which sits at the northeast corner of the airport along Lucas Drive. You get there by courtesy shuttle.

The airport says to make a reservation with your rental company ahead of time. The airport also posts phones for each company in baggage claim and in the Ground Transportation Center of each terminal, and the Visitor Information Centers in both terminals can help you reach a rental company.

• Collect your bags first.
• Follow the signs for Ground Transportation, then for Rental Car Shuttles.
• McNamara Terminal: the shuttle stop is in the Ground Transportation Center of the McNamara Terminal Parking Garage.
• Evans Terminal: the shuttle stop is in the Ground Transportation Center of the Big Blue Deck.

Each rental company runs its own courtesy shuttle. DTW does not publish a shuttle frequency or a ride time. Enterprise says on its DTW page that the ride to its facility takes about 5 to 10 minutes and that shuttles run 24/7. Allow extra time on a busy day and ask your company how often its shuttle runs.

Flying in from abroad? You clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection first. At McNamara the arrivals hall is on the Lower Level, one level below domestic baggage claim. At Evans it is on Level 1 near domestic Carousel 2. Then you collect your bags and head for the shuttle.

DTW lists these companies in its rental car directory. Use the street address in your GPS or maps app, because every company sits on the campus along Lucas Drive.

• Alamo: (800) 327-9633, 338 Lucas Dr, Detroit, MI 48242
• American RAC: 734-494-2444, 29111 Wick Rd, Romulus MI 48174
• Avis: (800) 331-1212, 295 Lucas Dr, Detroit, MI 48242
• Budget: (800) 527-0700, 295 Lucas Dr, Detroit, MI 48242
• Dollar: (800) 421-6878, 334 Lucas Dr, Detroit, MI 48242
• Enterprise: (800) 325-8007, 330 Lucas Dr, Detroit, MI 48242
• Hertz: (800) 654-3131, 289 Lucas Dr, Detroit, MI 48242
• National: (800) 227-7368, 338 Lucas Dr, Detroit, MI 48242
• Payless: (800) 729-5377, 295 Lucas Dr, Detroit, MI 48242
• Thrifty: (800) 367-2277, 334 Lucas Dr, Detroit, MI 48242

The airport lists American RAC with the on-airport agencies, but its address is in Romulus, not on Lucas Drive. Confirm with American RAC where its shuttle picks you up before you book.

Enterprise's own DTW page lists counter hours of 5:30 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. daily and the phone number (844) 934-1085, which differs from the airport's listing. Check hours with your company, especially for a late arrival or an early flight.

If you book a company that is not on the campus, its shuttle may pick you up at a different spot. Follow the signs for Off-Airport Rental Car Shuttles in the Ground Transportation Center. You return the car to the same place where you picked it up.

DTW does not publish a list of off-airport companies. Ask your company for the exact pickup spot and its phone number before you land.

Drive to the rental car lots at the northeast corner of the airport along Lucas Drive and find your company. Hand over the keys, and a shuttle bus takes you straight to your terminal's Ground Transportation Center.

Leave enough time before your flight. DTW says to be at the airport no later than 90 minutes before a domestic flight and 120 minutes before an international flight, and to add time for parking and security. DTW's check-in page says 2 hours domestic and 3 hours international, and its FAQ says 90 minutes to 2 hours domestic, so plan on the longer time. Your return time counts too.

Turo has a deal with the Wayne County Airport Authority. The authority voted for it on June 15, 2022, and Turo started airport handoffs at DTW on July 1, 2022.

Turo's host page lists these approved spots: the Big Blue Deck short term and long term parking, the McNamara Garage short term and long term parking, and Green Lots 1 and 2, where only credit cards are accepted. Curbside handoffs anywhere on airport property are prohibited. The host pays the parking costs. Ask your host which of these spots they use before you land.

DTW's pages do not mention rental cars with hand controls or other adaptations. Call your company's DTW number before you book and ask whether it can supply one and how much notice it needs. Ask whether its shuttle can carry a wheelchair or mobility device.

DTW publishes no rental rates, airport fees or surcharges. All of that comes from the rental company, so read the fee lines in your quote before you pay.

The airport is easy to reach by I-94 and I-275. The airport posts a map where you can type your address for directions. For live traffic, use Mi Drive from the Michigan Department of Transportation. Road work at the airport sometimes changes the roads and lots, so check the airport's construction page before you leave.