Baltimore/Washington International Airport

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Airline terminal
IATA: BWI ICAO: KBWI FAA LID: BWI
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	State of Maryland (Maryland Aviation Administration)
Serves	Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area
Location	Linthicum, Maryland
Hub for	AirTran Airways Southwest Airlines
Elevation AMSL	146 ft / 45 m
Coordinates	39°10′31″N 076°40′06″W
Website	www.bwiairport.com
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 (2008)
Passengers 20,488,881 Aircraft operations 277,662 Based aircraft 86 (2008)
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (IATA: BWI, ICAO: KBWI, FAA LID: BWI) is an international commercial airport serving the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area in the United States. It is commonly called BWI, BWI Airport or BWI Marshall, BWI being an initialism for "Baltimore/Washington International" and the facility's IATA Airport Code. The airport is located in Linthicum, Maryland, a census-designated place in northern unincorporated Anne Arundel County, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Baltimore and 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Washington, D.C. 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 a secondary hub for AirTran Airways. 20.49 million passengers passed through BWI in 2008, down 2.6% from 2007's record 21.04 million, making it the United States' 24th busiest airport.

History

Planning for a new airport on 3,200 acres (13 km²) to serve the Baltimore/Washington area began just after the end of World War II, and ground was broken in 1947. Located near Friendship Church in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Friendship International Airport was dedicated on June 24, 1950, by President Harry Truman. Regular commercial service started the following month. Jet service started in 1957 when the first Boeing 707s were placed in service.

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.

Runway diagram for Baltimore-Washington Airport

The airport was renamed Baltimore/Washington International Airport in 1973. However, the IATA code remained as "BAL" because "BWI" was already used by another airport until 1982 when it was changed to "BWI". The new name was part of an effort to attract passengers from the Washington-area travel market.

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.

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; 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 the late 1990s, 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. Air Jamaica and British Airways have had a presence at BWI for many years. AerLingus, Air Aruba, Air Greenland, El Al, Ghana Airways, Icelandair, KLM, 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.

For much of the 1990s, BWI was a major hub for US Airways, but that airline's financial difficulties in the wake of the dot-com bust and the September 11 attacks 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 51.90% of passengers carried in 2008. In terms of daily departures BWI is now Southwest's 4th most-served destination. Other major airlines with a significant presence at the airport are AirTran (13.98%), Delta Air Lines (7.12%), US Airways (6.48%) and United Airlines (5.74%).

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 more recent renaming has not resulted in a change to the IATA and ICAO locater codes.

Destinations with direct service from BWI

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.

Terminals

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.

Concourses A/B

Concourse C

Concourse D

• Note: All international arrivals from non pre-cleared destinations are handled at Concourse E.

Concourse E

• Officially called the Governor William Donald Schaefer International Terminal.
• The Air Mobility Command also has a post in Concourse E flying active service troops out to worldwide destinations.

Airlines and destinations

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

Passengers wait in Terminal C for a storm to pass

International terminal (Pier E)

Baggage claim area at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport.

Airlines	Destinations	Concourse
Air Canada Jazz	Toronto-Pearson	E
Air Jamaica	Montego Bay	E
AirTran Airways	Atlanta, Boston, Burlington (VT) [seasonal], Cancún, Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth [seasonal], Dayton, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Montego Bay [begins February 11], Nassau, New Orleans, Orlando, Portland (ME), Rochester (NY), San Juan, Sarasota/Bradenton, Seattle/Tacoma [seasonal], Tampa, West Palm Beach	D
American Airlines	Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, San Juan	C
American Eagle	Chicago-O'Hare, New York–JFK	C
British Airways	London-Heathrow	E
Cape Air	Hagerstown, Lancaster	D
Continental Airlines	Houston-Intercontinental	D
Continental Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines	Cleveland	D
Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines	Cleveland, Newark	D
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Salt Lake City	C
Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, New York-JFK	C
Delta Connection operated by Comair	New York–JFK	C
Delta Connection operated by Compass Airlines	Minneapolis/St. Paul	C
Delta Connection operated by Freedom Airlines	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky	C
Delta Connection operated by Mesaba Airlines	Memphis	C
JetBlue Airways	Boston	C
Locair	Somerset (KY), Beckley (WV)	Signature GA Facility
Northwest Airlines	Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul	C
Southwest Airlines	Albany (NY), Albuquerque, Austin, Birmingham (AL), Boston, Buffalo, Chicago-Midway, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Hartford/Springfield, Houston-Hobby, Indianapolis, Jackson, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Long Island/Islip, Los Angeles [resumes May 9], Louisville, Manchester (NH), Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, New York–LaGuardia, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Panama City (FL) [begins May 23], Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh/Durham, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle/Tacoma [begins May 9], Tampa, West Palm Beach	A/B
United Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco	D
US Airways	Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix	D
US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin	Philadelphia	D
US Airways Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines	Philadelphia	D
US Airways Express operated by Piedmont Airlines	New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia	D
US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines	Charlotte, Philadelphia	D
US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines	Charlotte	D

Airline lounges

• British Airways operates a British Airways Chesapeake 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.
• USO operates a lounge on the lower level of the Terminal between Concourses D and E for United States Military personnel and their families.

Operations

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2008, the airport had 277,662 aircraft operations, an average of 761 per day: 90% air carrier, 10% general aviation and less than 1% military operations. There were 86 aircraft based at the airport: 58 single engine, 16 multi-engine, and 12 jets.

Access

BWI was ranked one of the "Top 10 Easiest U.S. Airports to Get to" by Aviation.com in 2007 and is one of a small number of airports with a light rail station in the main terminal.

Rail

Light rail train at BWI station

BWI Rail Station is located about a mile from the airport terminal; a free shuttle bus brings passengers to and from the train station and airport terminal. 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.

Buses

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.

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.

External links

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport - Maintained by the Maryland Aviation Administration
• BWI Business Partnership
• BWI Development Council
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective July 11, 2024
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KBWI
  • ASN accident history for BWI
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBWI
  • FAA current BWI delay information