Detroit Metro Airport official cancels plans for lounge with cigar-smoking area

A request for proposals for a lounge at Detroit Metro Airport with an enclosed cigar-smoking section has been canceled by the CEO of the Wayne County Airport Authority, officials said.

According to the agency, which manages and operates the Romulus-based airport, CEO Chad Newton announced the cancellation during a board of directors meeting on Wednesday. 

Newton said in a written statement that recommendations from "key executives" led to the cancellation.

"After extensive analysis, they concluded that in light of the temporary financial and economic uncertainty caused by the closure of Spirit Airlines, now is not the time to promote novel or untested concessions at DTW," he said.

The proposed facility faced pushback from several Michigan groups, including the Detroit Wayne Oakland Tobacco-Free Coalition, which funded billboards near the airport last year calling for the agency to say no to indoor smoking.

The American Heart Association said the cancellation protects "employees and travelers from secondhand smoke" and "upholds Michigan's decades of progress toward smoke-free spaces."

The agency issued the request for proposals on Oct. 1, 2025. The request required bidders 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 officials. 

NOTE: The attached video first aired on July 16, 2025.