With three major airports in the Baltimore-Washington area, Maryland offers a wide range of options for the air traveler, including Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C., and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in northern Virginia.
BWI Thurgood Marshall and Dulles are full-service international airports; Reagan National serves the eastern United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Maryland also has several regional airports in all corners of the state for private planes and jets.
BWI Thurgood Marshall connects to Amtrak's Northeast Corridor route for access to major east coast cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.. Reagan National connects with the Washington Metro subway system.
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI):
BWI is one of the fastest growing airports in North America, handling more than 20 million passengers annually. The State of Maryland is nearing completion of a $1.4 billion capital improvement program for BWI. This will mean improved road access and parking, new gates and walkways, faster rail service connections, and a new open look. Easy access at BWI offers travelers connections via Amtrak to other business centers along the U.S. East Coast.
Southwest Airlines currently handles more than half of the passengers in and out of BWI, with 10.6 million in 2008. Four other airlines handle more than one million passengers annually - Air Tran, Delta, United and U.S. Airways. BWI offers nonstop service to 64 U.S. destinations and five international destinations.
Some features of BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and its services include:
Over650 daily scheduled passenger flights and 16 daily scheduled international non-stop flights on40 air carriers (passenger, charter, and cargo);
Accommodates approximately one-third of the passenger traffic in the Baltimore-Washington metro area;
Handled 225 million pounds (102,000 metric tons) of air freight and mail in 2008;
Offers 24-hour air-cargo services with 414,000 square feet (38,500 square meters) of cargo warehouse space, 24,000 square feet (2,200 square meters) of cold storage space, and a 17 acre (7 hectare) air cargo ramp;
Cargo services include aForeign-Trade Zone, convenient customs clearance, international banking, more than 100 freight forwarding and handling firms, and seven cargo airlines including six air freight carriers.
Travel from BWI Thurgood Marshall to other east coast locations is facilitated by the following:
Passenger rail with easy access to more than 25 Amtrak trains operating between
Washington, D.C. and New York City;
A commuter rail system (MARC) with 39 trains serving the Baltimore-Washington area;
Light rail service from BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport offering access to downtown Baltimore, Camden Yards, Penn Station, and employment centers in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties;
An interstate highway link, I-195, connecting the airport to I-95.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA):
Situated along the Potomac River, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is Washington's downtown airport, offering easy access to the nation's capital and the surrounding suburbs of Maryland and Virginia. Reagan National is also conveniently located on Greater Washington's Metrorail system.
Commercial airlines fly more than 18 million passengers in and out of this historic airport each year. Serving as a "short-haul" facility, Reagan National primarily serves East Coast routes no further than 1,250 miles from Washington, D.C. Six cities are served beyond this perimeter with daily flights - Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Seattle. Thirteen passenger airlines serve the airport. Daily nonstop service is currently authorized to 72 cities including service to three Canadian and two Caribbean cities.
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD):
Washington Dulles Airport operates 24 hours a day, with nonstop service to 83 U.S. cities and direct service to 43 foreign cities. Thirty-four passenger airlines and four cargo integrators serve Washington Dulles. In 2008 the airport served more than 23 million passengers with over six million of those passengers on international flights.
Washington Dulles is situated in Fairfax and Loudon Counties in Virginia, approximately 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The 16-mile Dulles Airport Access Road provides two dedicated lanes in each direction and a direct connection to I-66 and the Capital Beltway (I-495).
Regional Airports
In addition to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Maryland offers seven regional airports with runways exceeding 5,000 feet that can handle corporate jets and prop-driven aircraft.
