Detroit Metro Airport is officially taking proposals for a potential cigar lounge in the McNamara terminal.
Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) issued the request for new food and beverage concessions, including a proposed bar lounge concept with food, retail cigars and an enclosed cigar smoking area on Oct. 1, with proposals due in January.
“The opportunity was developed in response to interest from the community and local businesses, especially as it relates to the international nature of the airport,” according to a statement from the airport authority.
A cigar bar in McNamera Terminal has been in discussion since at least late 2024, with several anti-tobacco community groups chiming in against the lounge since then.
In May, the Detroit Wayne Oakland Tobacco Free Coalition placed billboards in opposition to the potential lounge along Interstates 94 and 275 near the airport, which are still visible.
Coalition chair Minou Jones said the group worries about travelers being exposed to second- and third-hand smoke, as no amount of ventilation completely removes exposure when people are in the same building as smoke.
She said the coalition is disappointed that the airport authority moved forward with the request for proposals after the coalition’s poll of 600 Michiganders showed 77% of residents were against the cigar bar.
“Why are they pushing so hard and ignoring public health experts and voices of community?” Jones said.
The Wayne County Airport Authority “prioritizes the health and safety of all employees, customers and visitors at Detroit Metropolitan Airport,” according to a statement.
“Bidders will be required to provide a state-of-the-art air handling and ventilation system and facility design to reduce smoke exposure to the fullest extent possible,” according to the airport authority.
Not all feedback on the cigar lounge has been negative. Proponents of the lounge say it could make the airport money and give smokers a place to smoke when there is otherwise none.
“To suggest there is a real danger to anyone other than the smokers is absurd,” James Hulliberger of Reed City wrote in a letter to the editor on Oct. 11.
Every year in Michigan, about 1,740 non-smokers die as a result of second-hand smoke, according to Tobacco Free Kids data from 2011 cited by the state of Michigan in January. Cigarettes are the leading cause of preventable death in Michigan, with smoking killing more people each year than drug overdoses, auto accidents, alcohol and murder combined, according to the state.
More: DTW cigar bar has fans, foes among Freep readers | Letters
Michigan’s Smoke-Free Indoor Air Law went into effect in 2010, banning indoor smoking in most public places, with exemptions for cigar bars and tobacco shops.
There are at least three airports in the U.S. that allow smoking, though cigar lounges are more common at some international airports.
“We’re trending against what’s happening at the national level,” Jones said. “It’s a bad business decision … It’s not going to help the majority of travelers. It will negatively impact millions of travelers.”
More than 31 million travelers passed through DTW in 2023, according to the coalition.
The coalition and Keep Mi Kids Tobacco Free started an online petition to keep DTW smoke-free.
Jones said the coalition is continuing to educate the community about the impact of tobacco and smoking and is open to having conversations with the airport authority in hopes the cigar lounge does not move forward.
Contact Natalie Davies at ndavies@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Metro Airport opens bidding for new cigar lounge