Detroit Metropolitan Airport resumes Bring a Service Member Home program
DETROIT (Dec. 13, 2021) – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) will be the site of a special reunion on the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 17 when U.S. Army Specialist Kade Grannis returns to Michigan. The Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) launched the Bring a Service Member Home program in February 2020, inviting the community to nominate an active member of the U.S. Armed Forces to receive a trip home. Specialist Grannis, a Pinckney native, was selected as a finalist, but the pandemic brought the program to a halt until now.
“As a United States Army Veteran, I’m keenly aware of the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces and their families,” said Wayne County Airport Authority CEO Chad Newton. “It is an honor to bring Specialist Grannis home for some rest and relaxation with his family, especially during the holiday season.”
“Kade’s selfless sacrifice to serve our country to try to keep everyone safe is genuinely his passion,” said Kade’s father, Jerry Grannis, when nominating his son. “Kade is an inspiring individual and role model to his two brothers.”
Specialist Grannis is following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great grandfather who served in the military. Currently, he is based in Grafenwoehr, Germany with the 1-77 Field Artillery Battery. Grannis is enrolled in online classes at the University of Maryland and hopes to be an officer in the U.S. Army one day. The Grannis family recently moved from South Lyon to Fort Gratiot, Michigan.
WCAA is sponsoring Specialist Grannis’ air travel. Metro Cars, the luxury transportation provider at DTW, will provide roundtrip chauffeur service for the Grannis family.
Members of the media interested in attending the welcome home celebration at DTW should gather in the North Terminal Baggage Claim, near the International Arrivals area. Grannis’ flight is scheduled to arrive at 2:25 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17.
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) serviced more than 14 million passengers in 2020, amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, DTW welcomed more than 36 million passengers. As one of the world’s leading air transportation hubs, DTW offers service from 12 scheduled passenger airlines. Michigan’s largest airport offers approximately 650 flights per day to and from more than 105 nonstop destinations on three continents. With two award-winning passenger terminals, six jet runways, and an onsite AAA Four-Diamond Westin Hotel, DTW is among the world’s most efficient, customer friendly and operationally capable airports in North America. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport earned Airports Council International’s 2020 Airport Service Quality Award for Best Airport by Size and Region (25 to 40 million passengers per year in North America). DTW also received the highest score among mega airports in the J.D. Power 2019 North America Airport Satisfaction Study of customers’ satisfaction with the airport they traveled through and scored the highest in the security check and terminal facilities factors. Visit jdpower.com/awards for details. DTW is operated by the Wayne County Airport Authority, which also operates nearby Willow Run Airport – an important corporate, cargo and general aviation facility. The Airport Authority is entirely self-sustaining and does not receive tax dollars to support airport operations. Visit www.metroairport.com for more information.