'Stop the cigar lounge at DTW' billboards placed along I-94, I-275
A public health group is ramping up pressure on the Wayne County Airport Authority to scrap a proposed cigar lounge at the Detroit Metro Airport, launching billboards that warn of secondhand smoke risks.
The Detroit Wayne Oakland Tobacco Free Coalition unveiled the billboards this week along Interstates 94 and 275 near the airport. Featuring an image of a coughing child in an airport terminal, the signs urge passersby to 'Stop the cigar lounge at DTW' and call on the public to oppose indoor smoking at one of the state's busiest transportation hubs, according to a news release from the coalition.
More than 31 million travelers passed through DTW in 2023. Health advocates say the risks extend beyond individual choice.
'The science is clear. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke,' said the chairman of the Detroit Cancer Screening Initiative, Dr. Lawrence MacDonald, in the release. 'Permitting a cigar lounge at DTW would not only put travelers at risk but also jeopardize the health and safety of the 18,000 employees who work there. This proposal flies in the face of Michigan's progress in creating smoke-free public environments.'
In late 2024, the Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) said its proposed Cigar Lounge and Restaurant Concessions Opportunity could bring a cigar bar lounge and restaurant, food hall and other new developments to the McNamara Terminal at DTW.
"We developed the Cigar Lounge and Restaurant Concessions Opportunity in response to interest from the community and local businesses, especially as it relates to the international nature of the airport," a WCAA spokesperson told the Free Press.
Michigan's Smoke-Free Indoor Air Law went into effect in 2010, banning indoor smoking in most public places. While cigar bars and tobacco shops are exempt under the law, critics of the DTW cigar lounge argue the WCAA plan stretches those exemptions and threatens to undermine smoke-free protections statewide.
Members of the coalition say the proposal also lacks transparency and public engagement. Several have submitted comments and emails to the airport authority but report little response, according to the news release. Coalition leaders have also published opinion pieces and spoken out at monthly WCAA meetings.'As a parent and frequent traveler, I'm appalled by the idea of exposing my children to secondhand smoke while navigating the airport,' a Michigan resident and parent, Teferi Brent, said in the release. 'This proposal sends the wrong message to our youth. Many kids today have never even seen indoor smoking in public places, and we must not allow a backward slide into that past.'
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In response to public concern, the airport authority said a cigar lounge at DTW would include measures to reduce smoke exposure and emphasized that it prioritizes the health and safety of all its employees, customers and visitors.
"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 WCAA.
But according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, 'The only way to eliminate indoor tobacco smoke exposure is to prohibit all smoking activity inside and near buildings.'
The proposed cigar lounge at DTW has also drawn criticism from the American Nonsmokers Rights Foundation, the Keep MI Kids Tobacco Free Alliance and many Michigan travelers.
Most of the comments on a DTW Facebook post from early January —which featured photos of the airport in the 1930s — expressed opposition to the proposed cigar lounge.
"It must be the 1930s, if we're considering to allow indoor smoking again!" one user commented.
"Second-hand smoke is extremely harmful to human health, and even the THIRD-HAND smoke that comes off of smokers' clothing is harmful as well," another person wrote. "I am a senior citizen who cannot afford to breathe second-hand smoke"
The coalition plans to keep its billboards up for at least four weeks and hopes the campaign sparks broader public opposition.
A final plan has not yet been announced. WCAA said it values community input as it prepares to "begin the solicitation process" for the concessions opportunity.
Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Billboard campaign warns against proposed DTW cigar lounge
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