Airplanes & Airports, Baltimore

The best aerial gateway in the local area. If you are travelling to the Washington DC area, you should consider this airport as well.

There are direct shuttle connections to Baltimore AND Washington DC Metro systems, and to the nearby Amtrak Train Station.

1 more image

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (or "BWI" for short -- also its Airport Code), is about 10 miles (16 km) south of Baltimore. A hub for the U.S. budget carriers Airtran Airways and Southwest Airlines, BWI also receives flights from 14 other airlines, including international carriers Air Canada, Air Jamaica, and British Airways. Daily direct service is available from Toronto and London-Heathrow to BWI. There is also weekly nonstop service from BWI to Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.

Be aware the rarely-used International terminal has very limited services, to include an absolutely awful food stand. The food court in the Domestic terminal is excellent, however.

(UPDATE: Icelandair and Air Greenland have discontinued their routes to BWI.)

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Light Rail service is available from BWI to Baltimore. Departures are approximately every 20 minutes Monday - Saturday from 6 AM - 11 PM. Note that Sunday service is significantly curtailed and only runs from 11 AM - 7 PM. Cost is $1.60 for a single-ride ticket, $3.50 for a day-long card. Tickets can be purchased at the touch-screen machines on or near the platform.

RAIL: From the terminal, you can take a free shuttle bus to the BWI Rail Station. From there, you can take either the MARC Commuter Train ($4, approximately every hour Monday-Friday only, 20 minutes) or the AMTRAK train (roughly every hour, variable fare $13-25 depending on train, 15 minutes) to Baltimore's Penn Station.

RENTAL CARS are at a separate facility. A free shuttle will get you there from the terminal in 10 minutes.

BWI is a very nice airport that I've only flown through twice, though both times were very fluid and efficient. I took AirTran, which I'll never do again, but asides from the airlines problems BWI was quite on-point. If you have to fly through here, I'd recommend it instead of Dulles or Reagan, or even a drive down from Pennsylvania to avoid Philadelphia.

1 more image

BWI opened in 1950 and is one of three major airports serving the Washington, DC, area. It hosts 27 commercial airlines operating about 730 flights each day. Its 55,000 daily passengers make it the 24th busiest airport in the US.

It is located 30 miles north of Washington, 10 miles south of Baltimore and about 20 miles northwest of Annapolis.

This is my first posting and I;m sorry that its anger driving my passion. BWI is undergoing major construction of the terminal... I mean MAJOR! CAR RENTAL? If you are renting a car, be prepared to walk a very long distance with your luggage, not all of it along smooth paths, you'll be jumping curbs and dodging vehicles as you make it to one of two pickup points. Unlike most airports, each car rental service does not have its own van to pickup and drop off at airport. You wait for the van that picks everyone up to transport them in 15 minutes to a new offisite car rental terminal. But getting on the van is the problem... these pickup points are also where they drop people off so -- you're in line(s) without any type of roping or control, when the van pulls up you and dozens of others with their bags, children, etc crush to the van's doors. Invariably the bus is loaded when it arrives... pushed to the door when it opens, you're greeted with more people and their bags trying to get out... after you finally sling your bags into the van, they're stacked up like bales of hay, some in the aisle, if there's even a spot. This is like six friends in a volkswagon after a day of Christmas shopping. ... and of course, you must look forward to your departure... where when you finally fall out of the van with bags in tow, you are on the Arrival level and have to drag the bags a very long distance over curbs and people and find a way to get them upstairs where the ticking and departure gates are. Drive, Train or Bicycle to Baltimore... don't mess with BWI.

BWI is the cheapest and easiest airport in the Washington/ Baltimore area, halfway between the two. You can take a train to Union Stations in Washington or Baltimore from here, which is very easy and fast.

AA flights , one way to O'Hare , good till 7-15

Travel Dates & Times for Weekend Getaway Fares

Depart 7:00 p.m. or after, Friday, July 22, 2005, or anytime Saturday, July 23, 2005.
Return anytime the following Monday, July 25, 2005, or Tuesday, July 26, 2005.
Friday evening travel may not be available in all markets.
Tickets must be purchased by this Friday, July 15, 2005, 11:59 p.m. (CT).
Fares displayed are for round-trip coach class travel.

Airport: Please choose BWI, I am tired of driving for hours to Dulles or National to pick up friends. BWI is ten times more convenient.
Don't rely on public transportation. It simply sucks! - If you are rich, you can take a taxi anywhere you want, otherwise either rent a car or hook up with someone who has one.

When we returned from a short vacation to Phoenix, the truck was buried under 30 inches of snow from the most recent 'storm of the century.'

Thankfully, BWI airport had a fleet of helpers to dig out our cars as we returned.

BWI-Baltimore/Washington International Airport has easy access to Baltimore and connections to many cities. I flew from Portland, OR to Denver to BWI and back again for right around $200 on Frontier Airlines.
Walk and take the water taxis.