Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Airline terminal
IATA: BWI – ICAO: KBWI – FAA LID: BWI
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Maryland Aviation Administration
Serves		Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area
Location		Anne Arundel County, near Glen Burnie, Maryland
Hub for		AirTran Airways
Elevation AMSL		146 ft / 45 m
Coordinates		39°10′31″N 076°40′06″W
Website		www.bwiairport.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
BWI Location within Maryland
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
4/22	6,000	1,829	Asphalt
10/28	10,502	3,201	Asphalt
15L/33R	5,000	1,524	Asphalt
15R/33L	9,501	2,896	Asphalt
Helipads
Number	Length		Surface
	ft	m
H1	100	30	Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Passengers			21,936,461
Aircraft operations			276,457
Based aircraft			73 (2,010)
Source: Federal Aviation Administration and BWI Airport.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (IATA: BWI, ICAO: KBWI, FAA LID: BWI) is an international airport serving the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area in the United States. It is commonly referred to as BWI, BWI Airport or BWI Marshall, BWI being an initialism for "Baltimore/Washington International" and the facility's IATA Airport Code. Located adjacent to the Linthicum CDP in northern unincorporated Anne Arundel County, Maryland, the airport is about 10 miles (16 km) south of Baltimore and 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Washington, DC. It is named after Thurgood Marshall, a Baltimore native and the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.

BWI is a focus city for Southwest Airlines and Cape Air, and a hub for AirTran Airways. A record 21.9 million passengers traveled through BWI in 2010, an increase of 4.7% over the previous year, with July being the busiest month ever in the airport's history. This made BWI the 24th busiest airport of North America in 2010. The airport was also ranked 47th in the world in total aircraft movements in 2008.

In 2010, BWI was ranked as the best airport of its size (15–25 mil. passengers) in the world by the Airports Council International based on its 2009 Airport Service Quality survey. The airport also won second place for North American airports in the "Best Food and Beverage Program" of the 2010 Richard A. Griesbach Excellence in Airport Concessions Contest, sponsored by the Airports Council International.

History

Planning for a new airport on 3,200 acres (1,300 ha) to serve the Baltimore/Washington area began just after the end of World War II. Ground was broken in 1947. Located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland next to the site where Friendship Methodist Church stood until 1948, Friendship International Airport was dedicated on June 24, 1950, by President Harry Truman. The following month the airlines moved to the new airport from Harbor Field (southeast of Baltimore at 39.25°N 76.53°W / 39.25; -76.53). The Official Airline Guide for April 1957 shows 52 weekday departures: 19 Eastern, 12 Capital, 8 American, 4 National, 3 TWA, 3 United, 2 Delta and 1 Allegheny. Miami had a couple of nonstops, but westward nonstop flights didn't reach beyond Ohio; Baltimore's reach expanded when jet service started in 1958–59. The early Boeing 707s and Douglas DC-8s couldn't use Washington National, and Dulles didn't exist until 1962, so Baltimore became Washington's jet airport, with transcon flights.

The State of Maryland, through the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), purchased Friendship International Airport from the City of Baltimore for $36 million in 1972. Under MDOT, the Maryland State Aviation Administration took over airfield operations and grew from three employees to more than 200. Plans to upgrade, improve, and modernize all Maryland airport facilities were announced almost immediately by the Secretary of Transportation, Harry Hughes. To attract passengers from the Washington area, the airport was renamed Baltimore/Washington International Airport in 1973.

The first phase of BWI modernization was completed in 1974 at a cost of $30 million. Upgrades included improved instrument landing capabilities and runway systems, and construction of three new air cargo terminals, expanding the airport's freight capacity to 2.53 acres (1.02 ha).

The passenger terminal renovation program was complete in 1979, the most dramatic work of the airport's modernization. The BWI terminal more than doubled in size to 14.58 acres (59,000 m²); the number of gate positions increased from 20 to 27. The total cost of project was $70 million. To continue the work, the BWI Development Council was established to support initiatives for airport development.

The BWI Rail Station opened in 1980, providing a rail connection to passengers on the busy Northeast Corridor though Amtrak. BWI became the first airport in the U.S. to be served by a dedicated intercity rail station. In particular, the station provided relatively easy transit access to Washington, D.C., something Washington Dulles International Airport currently lacks. In 1997, a new international terminal (Concourse E) was added, though Dulles continues to hold the lion's share of the region's international flights, and BWI has not attracted many long-haul international carriers. British Airways has had a presence at BWI for many years. AerLingus, Air Jamaica, Air Aruba, Air Greenland, El Al, Ghana Airways, Icelandair, KLM, Ladeco, and Mexicana previously flew to BWI. Military flights, operated by the U.S. Air Force's Air Mobility Command, continue to have a significant presence at BWI.^{[citation needed]}

Beginning in the 1980s, and later for much of the 1990s, BWI was a major hub for Piedmont Airlines and successor US Airways, but that airline's financial difficulties in the wake of the dot-com bust, the September 11 attacks, and intense low fare competition forced it to significantly reduce its presence at the airport. The airport has been a major haven for low-cost flights in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan Area since Southwest Airlines' arrival in September 1993 and subsequent expansion in the early 2000s. Southwest is now the airport's largest carrier, accounting for 56.76% of passengers carried in 2008. With the recent acquisition of AirTran, Southwest Holdings currently serves on average 214 daily departures to destinations in the US, Mexico and the Caribbean. BWI is now Southwest's 3th most-served destination and might soon be the airlines 2nd due to the airline's fast increasing presence. BWI has International flights to London, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean and domestic flights throughout the United States.

View at sunset from Concourse A with Southwest 737s parked. Southwest operates at A and B.

To accommodate Southwest's extensive presence at the airport, in 2005 Concourses A and B were expanded, renovated, and integrated with one another to house all of that airline's operations there. This new facility opened on May 22, 2005. On October 1 of that year, the airport was renamed again, to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, to honor the former US Supreme Court justice, who grew up in Baltimore.

The airport has been a backdrop in numerous films, including The Silence of the Lambs, Goldfinger, Broadcast News, and Twelve Monkeys.

In late 2008, Health magazine named BWI the second healthiest airport in the United States. In 2009 the airport had a six percent increase in air travelers due to the proliferation of discount flights. In a 2009 survey of airport service quality by Airports Council International, BWI was the world's top ranking airport in the 15-to-25-million-passenger category. BWI also ranked seventh, in medium sized airports, based on customer satisfaction conducted by J.D Power and Associates.

In September 2010, Southwest Airlines announced it was acquiring AirTran Airways,^{[citation needed]} both of which have large presences at BWI. Through the merger, Southwest will be even larger and will still be the largest carrier at the airport.

Terminals

New Southwest Airlines ticket counter in the Concourse A-B expansion

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport has five concourses, though Concourses A and B were essentially merged into a single concourse in the renovations completed in 2005. The Maryland Aviation Administration has its headquarters on the third floor of the terminal building.

Passengers wait in Terminal C for a storm to pass

Passenger concourses

Concourses A and B have 26 gates: A1 to A11 and B1 to B15.
AirTran Airways and Southwest Airlines are the primary users of Concourses A and B.

Concourse C has 14 gates: C1 to C14.
The only current tenants of the concourse are American Airlines and American Eagle.

Concourse D has 38 gates: D1 to D5, D7 to D8, D10 to D16, D21 to D42 and D46 to D47.
It serves Cape Air, Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, JetBlue, US Airways, US Airways Express, United Airlines and United Express. The far end of Concourse D is built at ground level to serve small regional planes.

International terminal (Pier E)

Concourse E has 6 gates: E1 to E4, E6 and E8.
Officially known as the Governor William Donald Schaefer International Terminal, it serves serves Air Canada Express, AirTran Airways (international arrivals that are not pre-cleared), British Airways, Condor Flugdienst and Vision Airlines. All international arrivals from non pre-cleared destinations and all charter airlines are handled at Concourse E. The Air Mobility Command has a post in Concourse E flying active service troops out to worldwide destinations.

Cargo concourse

The airport's cargo concourse covers a 395,000 sq ft (36,700 m²) area. Its facilities include a 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m²) cargo building in the Midfield Cargo Complex, a foreign trade zone, a 17 acres (6.9 ha) air cargo ramp, and ramp parking for 17 aircraft with direct nose-in access for 8 freighters.

Airline lounges

• British Airways operates a British Airways Club Lounge in Concourse E, near entrance to the concourse. This facility, while operated by British Airways, is a common-use facility available to passengers of all international concourse airlines.
• The USO operates a lounge on the lower level of the Terminal between Concourses D and E for United States military personnel and their families.
• Airspace Lounge opened on May 7, 2011.

Terminal improvements

Current plans for airport improvements involve a $100 million expansion in the 60-year-old central section of the terminal. This involves a widening of Concourse C to accommodate new security screening equipment, adding a connecting corridor with moving sidewalks between the secure zones of Concourses B and C, and more security checkpoints for Concourses A and B. Completion of the project is expected in the summer of 2013.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger airlines

Destinations with direct service from BWI

Baggage claim area at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport.

Airlines	Destinations	Concourse
Air Canada Express operated by Jazz Air	Toronto-Pearson	E
AirTran Airways	Aruba, Atlanta, Boston, Branson, Cancún, Charlotte, Dayton, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers [ends August 12, 2012], Grand Rapids, Huntsville [ends August 12, 2012], Jacksonville, Miami [ends June 3, 2012], Montego Bay, Milwaukee, Nassau, New Orleans [ends August 12, 2012], Orlando, Portland (ME), Rochester (NY), San Juan, Sarasota/Bradenton [ends August 12, 2012], Tampa Seasonal: Bermuda, San Antonio, San Francisco [ends August 12, 2012], Seattle/Tacoma [ends August 12, 2012], West Palm Beach	B
Apple Vacations operated by Frontier Airlines	Seasonal: Punta Cana	E
American Airlines	Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami	C
American Eagle	Chicago-O'Hare, New York-JFK	C
British Airways	London-Heathrow	E
Cape Air	Hagerstown, Lancaster	D
Condor Flugdienst	Seasonal: Frankfurt [begins July 2, 2012]	E
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City	D
Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Raleigh/Durham	D
Delta Connection operated by ExpressJet	Raleigh/Durham	D
Delta Connection operated by Comair	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, New York-JFK	D
Delta Connection operated by Compass Airlines	Minneapolis/St. Paul	D
Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, New York-JFK	D
JetBlue Airways	Boston	D
Southwest Airlines	Albany, Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham (AL), Boston, Buffalo, Charleston (SC), Chicago-Midway, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Greenville/Spartanburg, Hartford, Houston-Hobby, Indianapolis, Jackson, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Long Island/Islip, Los Angeles, Louisville, Manchester (NH), Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, New York–LaGuardia, Newark, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Panama City (FL), Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh/Durham, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle/Tacoma [resumes April 10, 2012], Tampa, West Palm Beach Seasonal: Tucson	A/B
United Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Houston-Intercontinental, Los Angeles, San Francisco	D
United Express operated by Colgan Air	Newark	D
United Express operated by ExpressJet	Chicago-O'Hare, Cleveland, Newark	D
United Express operated by GoJet Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare	D
US Airways	Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix	D
US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin	Charlotte, Philadelphia	D
US Airways Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines	Philadelphia	D
US Airways Express operated by Piedmont Airlines	Charlotte, New York-LaGuardia [ends March 24, 2012], Philadelphia	D
US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines	Philadelphia	D
US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines	Charlotte, Philadelphia	D
Vision Airlines	Seasonal: Freeport	E

Charter airlines

Airlines	Destinations	Concourse
North American Airlines	Charters (Domestic and International)	E
Omni Air International	Charters (Domestic and International)	E
Ryan International Airlines	Charters (Domestic and International)	E
Sky King	Havana [begins fall 2012]	E
World Airways	Charters (Domestic and International)	E

Cargo airlines

Airlines	Destinations	Concourse
ABX Air	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Greensboro	Cargo
Air Transport International	Charlotte, Toledo	Cargo
FedEx Express	Indianapolis, Memphis	Cargo
FedEx Feeder operated by Mountain Air Cargo	Newark, Salisbury	Cargo
UPS Airlines	Louisville, New York-JFK	Cargo
World Airways Cargo	Chicago-O'Hare, Los Angeles, Milan	Cargo

Other services

Airlines	Destinations
Pet Airways	New York/Long Island (FRG), Atlanta (PDK)

Operations and statistics

With winds from the north or west, aircraft will generally land on runway 33L and depart on runway 28. When the winds are from the south or east, arrivals are on runway 10 and departures are on runway 15R. Use of the smaller parallel runway (33R/15L) is restricted to smaller propeller-driven aircraft and small corporate jets. Runway 4/22 is closed for landings and takeoffs however it is used for taxing and turnoffs. The largest planes that land at BWI regularly are Boeing 757's, McDonnell-Douglas MD-11's, and British Airways' Boeing 767. With diversions and charter operations constantly going on, it is possible that other large aircraft, like the Boeing 747 or Airbus 340, will be seen around BWI.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2009, the airport had 268,005 aircraft operations, an average of 734 per day: 91% air carrier, 8% general aviation and less than 1% military operations. There were 75 aircraft based at the airport: 45 single engine, 19 multi-engine, and 11 jets.

Southwest is the airport's largest carrier, accounting for 56.97% of passengers carried from October 2010 through September 2011. Other major airlines with a significant presence at the airport are AirTran (14.63%), Delta Air Lines (8.23%), US Airways (5.00%), and United Airlines (4.12%).

Busiest domestic routes from BWI (November 2010 – October 2011)

Rank	City	Passengers	Airline(s)
1	Atlanta, Georgia	685,000	AirTran, Delta, Southwest
2	Boston, Massachusetts	560,000	AirTran, JetBlue, Southwest
3	Orlando, Florida	483,000	AirTran, Southwest
4	Charlotte, North Carolina	459,000	AirTran, US Airways
5	Detroit, Michigan	334,000	Delta, Southwest
6	Denver, Colorado	323,000	Southwest, United
7	Tampa, Florida	307,000	AirTran, Southwest
8	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	294,000	AirTran, Southwest
9	Providence, Rhode Island	290,000	Southwest
10	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas	264,000	American

Traffic by calendar year

	Passengers	Change from previous year	Aircraft operations	Cargo (pounds)
2006	20,698,967		266,790	252,413,171
2007	21,044,384	1.67%	265,424	254,701,295
2008	20,488,881	2.64%	249,456	225,275,286
2009	20,953,615	2.27%	245,522	221,302,348
2010	21,936,461	4.69%	253,165	225,706,183
2011	22,391,785	2.08%	258,475	237,568,354
Source: Maryland Aviation Administration

BWI is currently the 2nd busiest airport within the Baltimore-Washington area. It stands behind Dulles International Airport at 23,700,000 enplanements and in front of Ronald Reagan National Airport with 18,000,000 enplanements. However, BWI serves the most domestic passengers in the Baltimore-Washington area while Dulles serves more international passengers. With the rapid growth in BWI's service, officials hope to see the airport as #1 on the service charts in the years to come.

Ground transportation

BWI was ranked one of the "Top 10 Easiest U.S. Airports to Get to" by Aviation.com in 2007 and has a light rail station located in its main terminal.

Buses

Passenger van service for the Eastern Shore of Maryland is available through BayRunner Shuttle with services from BWI to Kent Island, Easton, Cambridge, Salisbury and Ocean City.

Route 17 at BWI Business Center Light Rail Stop

Bus service between BWI and the Greenbelt station of the Washington Metro and MARC Camden Line is provided by WMATA's Metrobus on Route B30 every 40 minutes 6am-10pm weekdays and 9am-10pm on weekends.

The Maryland Transit Administration's Bus Route 17 serves BWI 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. During the hours when the Light Rail operates, buses operate to the Patapsco Light Rail Stop. When the Light Rail is not in service, buses operate to Downtown Baltimore.

MTA Commuter Bus route 201 connects BWI with Norbeck, Shady Grove Metro Station, and Gaithersburg.

Howard Transit's Silver route operates between BWI and The Mall in Columbia hourly at most times except overnight.

Annapolis Transit's Route C-60 operates between BWI and Annapolis.

Highway

BWI is located at the southeast terminus of Interstate 195, a spur route providing connections to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and Interstate 95.

Rail

Light rail train at BWI station

BWI Rail Station is located about a mile from the airport terminal; a free shuttle bus connects the train station and airport terminals. The station is served by Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains and, on weekdays, by the MARC Penn Line. Travel time by train is about ten minutes to Baltimore's Penn Station and thirty-five minutes to Union Station in Washington, D.C. Trains depart at least once an hour seven days a week, with departure times during rush hours and business hours being significantly more frequent.

The Maryland Transit Administration's Light Rail line has a stop just outside the entrance to the airport's International Terminal. Passengers can take the Light Rail to a variety of destinations in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, and Baltimore County, and can transfer to the Metro Subway in Baltimore, or to either of MARC's Baltimore terminals. A ride downtown takes approximately 30 minutes. Trains run every 20 minutes during peak hours, and 30 minutes all other times.

External links

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
• BWI Business Partnership
• BWI Development Council
• BWI 60th anniv
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 9 Feb 2012
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KBWI
  • ASN accident history for BWI
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBWI
  • FAA current BWI delay information