Several gates still unoccupied

Detroit Metropolitan Airport is scheduled to cut the ribbon September 17 on its new North Terminal, but planned schedule cutbacks by most airlines this fall will leave the facility with six of its 24 gates unused, according to the Detroit News. The paper said that United is cutting its Detroit capacity by 38 percent this fall; Spirit Airlines will trim 28 percent of its capacity there, and Southwest Airlines 17 percent. Airlines moving into the new North Terminal from the airport’s Smith and Berry terminals will be reducing the number of gates they use at DTW, the newspaper said – Spirit will cut back from six gates to two; US Airways from five to three; American from six to two; United from three to two; Southwest from four to three; and AirTran from two gates to one. The newspaper said that the Airport Authority will use three of the North Terminal’s gates, leasing them to USA 3000, Champion Air, Lufthansa and Royal Jordanian. The new terminal, under construction for the past four years, is due to add two more gates next year to handle wide-body aircraft.