Baltimore/Washington Airport (BWI) Flights & Flight Status

Once known as “Friendship International Airport” (after a local church) and still on Friendship Road, Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is one of 3 airports in the Baltimore/ Washington metropolitan area. (The other 2 are Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport – DCA - and Washington Dulles International Airport – IAD). Airline allegiance and route may determine which area airport you choose, but BWI often wins out for me thanks to convenience and amenities. This guide will help you navigate BWI like a pro.

BWI serves more than 27 million passengers a year with over 300 non-stop flights to more than 90 domestic and international destinations. The top carriers at BWI are Southwest Airlines, which has more than 5,000 employees based here and occupies Concourses A, B, and C, and low-cost carrier, Spirit Airlines.

BWI’s namesake: Who was Thurgood Marshall?

BWI airport is named after Thurgood Marshall. In 1967, this Baltimore native became the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. You can learn about Marshall’s life and accomplishments from the pre-security tribute exhibit near the Concourse C checkpoint.

Getting to and from BWI Airport

BWI is 9 miles south of downtown Baltimore – which is known as Charm City – and 32 miles northeast of Washington, DC. It’s easy to get to and from BWI by car, taxi, rideshare and shuttle or van service. If you’re picking up or dropping off a rental car, you’ll need to take a free shuttle to or from a remote car rental facility, so be sure to build in time for that step of your journey.

It will often be less expensive to take public transportation to and from BWI airport.

Light rail runs between BWI and downtown Baltimore and there’s a station just outside the lower level of the terminal building, by Concourse E.

A free 24-hour shuttle runs between BWI and the Amtrak/MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) train station, with service to Union Station in Washington, DC, Baltimore’s Penn Station and other destinations in the region. There are various bus options to nearby towns as well.

I’ve taken both Amtrak and the MARC commuter line from BWI to DC and find that MARC trains run more often and are a bit less expensive than AMTRAK.

Getting around BWI Airport

BWI has 5 concourses. Concourses A, B, C are connected and accessed via the A, B, or C security checkpoints. The D/E security checkpoint serves Concourses D and E.

For now, there is no post-security connection between Concourses A, B and C and the D and E Concourses. That’s fine if you’re just headed to your gate, but there may be times when there’s a service or amenity you want to access in the other part of the terminal.

Official airport policy is that your same day boarding pass is good for access to either section of the terminal. However, my experience has been that some TSA officers will try to turn you away if you show up at the checkpoint with a boarding pass for the other section. If that happens to you, be polite, explain what you’re doing and, if necessary, ask to speak with a supervisor.

Eat, drink and shop at BWI

BWI has more than 50 dining options, including plenty of places to sample local craft brews and wine and regional specialties such as Maryland blue crab, crab cakes, steamed crabs, oysters and other Chesapeake area foods. Local startups and creative small businesses rotate through a vendor Launch Pad program, so be sure to stop at those kiosks for unique Baltimore and Washington-made products.

Concessions at BWI must comply with the airport’s street pricing policy, which means prices charged at the airport must match what you’d pay in town. Knowing that, I make a point to arrive at BWI early to shop, drink and dine.

Lounges at BWI

The Club BWI is a shared-use lounge on Concourse D, near Gate D10, with seating for about 50 people. Day passes are available. The Chesapeake Club on Concourse E (the international terminal) serves British Airways passengers and is open limited hours ahead of BA’s flights to London. Your airline status, credit card or lounge membership may also offer give complimentary access to either of these lounges.

Spas and other services at BWI

Minute Suites, which rents private suites for napping, relaxing or working, is located on Concourse C, near Gate C3. Their site says that to book here your flight must arrive or depart from Concourses A, B or C. However, if your flight departs from Concourses D or E and you’re willing to go back through security, you won’t be turned away.

BWI is home to Roam Fitness (Gate D1), a rare airport gym with cardio, weights and stretching space as well as lockers and shower rooms. You can buy workout apparel here, but your gym fee includes complimentary clothing and shoe rentals. Better yet, if you workout in your own gear, the gym will vacuum seal it before you leave so it doesn’t stink up your carry-on. Brilliant! Day passes are available.

Art at BWI

BWI has an extensive collection of permanent and temporary art and history exhibits pre- and post-security that I make a point to visit each time pass through.

“On This Site” (pre-security, near the Concourse C exit) tells the history of the airport site. But the giant, stained-glass Maryland Blue Crab (pre-security, overlooking Security Checkpoint A) is my favorite. It portrays one of the state’s iconic symbols and tasty delicacies, weighs in at about 550 pounds and is one of the world’s largest stained-glass sculptures.

BWI’s award-winning restrooms

BWI recently upgraded the restrooms in many parts of the airport and did such a good job that it won America’s Best Restroom contest in 2023.

BWI’s winning loos have murals at the entrances, seating areas where passengers may wait for their companions, and fully enclosed stalls for privacy. Restrooms have lactation, adult changing and family assist rooms and feature a helpful red light/green light stall occupancy system as well as digital signage at the entrances so you know before you head in how many stalls are available.

The Observation Gallery at BWI

If you’ve got time before your flight, head upstairs to the Observation Gallery, which is located pre-security, adjacent to Security Checkpoint C. Most people pass it by in their rush to get through security and to the gate, but this ‘secret’ BWI amenity offers aviation exhibits, a children’s play area, a student art gallery, comfortable seating and binocular viewers to assist with tracking airfield activity.

Displays in the Observation Gallery include a variety of real aircraft part and diagrams, airplane models, a 28-foot-tall research rocket from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and a half-sized model of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory’s Parker Solar Probe spacecraft.

BWI’s rocking chairs

BWI has rocking chairs in the Observation Gallery and in many spots throughout the terminal. The rocking chairs are great for relaxing, of course, but you’ll find most rockers pulled over by the windows offering perfect perches for plane spotting.

Traveling with kids at BWI

Kids will enjoy inspecting the airport’s giant stained-glass crab and the play area, the exhibits and the airfield views in the pre-security Observation Gallery. There’s also a post-security play area in the Concourse D/E connector.

BWI Airport Cardio Trail

BWI has marked out two 1K walking paths, or cardio trails, in the terminal to encourage travelers to get some exercise. One path is pre-security, the other is post-security, and each is designed to take about 20 minutes. I’ve walked them both and always notice something new along the way.

You can pick up a walking path map from one of the BWI information desks, follow the Cardio Trail logos on the airport walls or download a brochure with the walking path course from the airport’s website.

Friendship Park and BWI Hiker-Biker Trail

Friendship Park, officially the Thomas A. Dixon Observation Area, is on the south side of the airport, just at the end of one of BWI’s runways. The park has a playground and is a popular spot to watch planes take off and land. Friendship Park is along the 10-mile BWI Hiker-Biker Trail, which encircles the airport and is a popular spot for walkers and runners.