Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
22 Reviews for Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
BWI gets 4 stars for having the cheapest flights to the area from Boston, a lot of different public transportation options that get you into the DC area without a lot of problems, and the amusing hot dog vending machine near the exit on the first floor.
Do they inject the rolls with stuff to make them not get moldy? It was a fascinating thing to look at and ponder for the rest of our bus ride.
We always fly in here when we visit my wife's parents because the flights are cheapest to this airport. Sure, it's the farthest from their house in the DC suburbs, but flying in here gives me the chance to stick my tongue out at the city of Baltimore and express my anger over the fact that they stole our Cleveland Browns from us during the mid-90's! (I'm still not over it yet!)
BWI has a killer food court and shopping area--when I travel, I make a point to sample the local specialties and stuff that you can't get anywhere else, and BWI has options that are local to the area like California Tortilla. I *heart* CalTor and lemme tell ya, scarfing down one of their killer burritos before flying home is a great way to bid adieu to the DC area. They also have a store at which one can pick up regionally made wine and grab a few tins of good ole' Maryland crab to bring to the folks at home. Also, they have a Mayorga Coffee stand too, which is a nice local alternative to Starbucks.
One thing I don't like about this place is the marathon walk from the terminal to the confusing parking garage. Maybe it was designed to enable travelers to work off the unhealthy airplane food, but in any case, it stinks. Also, what's up with the giant disparity in terminal quality? One of them is awesome, with plenty of food options and nice furnishings, and the other one is antiquated. People can say what they want about Cleveland, but at least the quality of the airport is uniformly outstanding throughout...
BWI is a decently nice airport and the flights are usually the cheapest of the three Washington, DC-area airports. Unfortunately, for DC or Northern Virginia residents, it's also the least conveniently located. So, from my perspective as an Arlington resident, it gets one star off. The parking near the terminal is convenient and plentiful. Also the electronic parking system makes finding spaces easy, although the maximim daily rate is kind of expensive at $20. The satellite lots are much less convenient, since you have to take a shuttle, but they're much cheaper. The terminals are in good condition and they've recently re-done some of the retail shops past the security checkpoint. The checkpoint lines can get really long, but they move quickly.
So, to sum up the pros: cheap fares, most major airlines (including Southwest, if that's your preferred cattle carrier), nice terminals, convenient paking, renovated retail in terminal.
Cons: too far from NoVA/DC, parking next to terminal is expensive.
I lost my party at this here airport and found another party of my own. My luggage was the last to come out of the chute and after I retrieved it, I turned around and could not find any of my coworkers. I assumed that they must have taken a shuttle to the rent-a-car place and so I hitched a ride on the next shuttle. On the shuttle I met a bunch of people going to Baltimore and we hit it off immediately. They were already boozed up and the girls were cute and seemed to enjoy my charm and wit. I was upset when we finally got to my destination as my coworkers were cranky prudes. The rest of the trip was as fun as a trip to the dentist.
Good airport that isn't the easiest to get to or out of but I only have fond memories of the actual airport.
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I am proud to give BWI four stars. I am more than happy to take car or light rail to this DC suburb.
I usually fly Southwest. I have not had any kind of issue or problem with BWI or Southwest. My luggage has never been lost, nor my flight delayed.
When I fly, I do not shop at airports. I guess that is part of my gay conservative upbringing.
If I remember right, BWI is two levels, not too spread apart. Easy to get around.
As the Terminator says: "I'll be back!"
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I have mixed feelings about BWI and thus the final review is right down the middle.
Pros:
Plane tickets out of here are usually cheaper.
Lines are short(er).
People are usually not totally horrible to you.
Flights (tend to) be more on time than at other airports.
Cons:
Getting to BWI is an adventure in itself.
If it snows just a little bit, your flight will be no more.
We, in DC are lucky that we have 3 airports to chose from. Sure, they might not be the greatest choices out there, but come on, we could be much much much worse off!
I don't like flying out of BWI because it's just so far away, but once you are there, it's usually low hassle.
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I've flown in and out of here a couple of times. It's obviously convenient for Maryland, but not too bad for Washington, DC either. If you're trying to save money, there's a 30-min $3 shuttle that picks up outside of baggage claim and drops you off at the Greenbelt Metro, the last stop on the Green Line. It was very easy and cheap for me to fly in here and get to my friend's apt off the Chinatown/Gallery Place stop. And then you can take the cheap Chinatown buses to Philly and NYC because they also are conveniently just off the previously mentioned stop, instead of Greyhound which is not accessible by Metro subway, just buses.
If you've got the time and not the money, flying here is great to get into DC.
Last night, my sister and I were randomly searched going through security. First, a woman used an electronic device that reminded me of the paddle Ben Affleck used in Dazed and Confused to ensure we weren't carrying weapons. Then, we were separated and agents went through our entire bags (mortifying items and all) as they casually asked us questions and distracted us with random conversation. My sister told me later that we were picked because we looked like we weren't carrying anything (logic there?).
In a few minutes we were on our way. We were impressed by how smoothly and relatively painlessly they handled the situation. Shortly thereafter, however, we learned that our flight was delayed an hour (NOTE: our last three flights back to Boston have been delayed) so we were stuck at their airport bar. I recommend avoiding the food.
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When the hell did it change the name to something longer than supercalifragilisticespicalidocious?
The only godsend? Southwest flies here.
Nuff said.
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I can't say this enough, if you're traveling through BWI, please please please make sure you pack a single carry-on. I don't care if you're going somewhere for a week or two. If you want to stay sane, take a carry-on and that's it.
I've never had a problem with BWI until my wife decided to start checking baggage. The flights are normally on time and the staff is usually pretty friendly when you're asking questions. The baggage claim workers (mainly the guys who unload a plane) use pretty much all of my patience.
Anecdote: We arrived 25 minutes early to BWI (go figure!) and we were heading to the baggage claim. Our flight was marked for baggage carosel five so everyone was stationed around the carosel. All of a sudden, we're transferred to baggage carosel three. Some of our bags come out then we're told that carosel three has jammed and we're moving to carosel one. We all move to one and then we're told that carosel three has been unjammed and all of our luggage will be coming out there. Then it takes 20 minutes for it to start coming out. Ridiculous.
If you want to avoid many of the hassles that come with flying, fly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. These days are statistically the least traveled on days so there aren't usually that many lines. The security line on other days is rrreaaaaallllly long. I can't believe how long it is even though they have every security lane open.
Just save yourself the hassle and follow these three steps:
1. Fly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
2. Only bring a carry-on.
3. Don't bring any liquids weigh more than three ounces. If you do, you'll cause a back up at security that will have everyone wanting to curse at you. Don't be that guy.
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For such a small airport, it is too far spread out. Rental car drop off is 10 minutes away. And they have 1 full terminal for Southworst airlines!
3 stars for being clean and relatively new.
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BWI is my favorite of the WAS (BWI/DCA/IAD) airports, but it is still far from perfect.
If you arrive late at night, have your ride pick you up from the departures level. Very few flights leave after 9pm, and its deserted. One can usually sit waiting for 20-30 minutes at night before the state tropper on the Segway comes over to suggest that you loop...
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Of the three airports available to somebody living in Washington, this is the one I use most often. Here's why:
Good: Usually quite a bit cheaper than Reagan. It is MUCH easier to get to than Dulles via public transportation, at least from where I live on Capitol Hill. I can usually get a MARC train out pretty easily, unless it's a weekend, then it's a little more tricky with the stupid metro bus from Greenbelt. For some reason the people working here seem friendlier than at most airports. Maybe it's a Charm City thing, but I cant remember airport security people being pleasant to me at any other airport I've ever been to.
Bad: It is still far and taking the train out takes time, especially the damn shuttle from BWI rail station to the terminal. They should run another bus or two to speed things up. You also have to be careful when you schedule your flights if you want to take public transportation, or you might be stuck taking a taxi back or having to get and Acela ticket for $35 to get to Union Station.
It's still shocking to me that public transportation to the two biggest of the three airports serving our nation's capitol is so crappy. Seems in a city that has really good public transportation generally this wouldn't be the case. My only city for comparison is Chicago, where you can get to either Dulles or Midway directly on the El. Why didn't that kind of planning happen around here?
Let's consider this a 'Work in Progress' review because right now the airport is going through a major renovation adding an AirMall exactly like the one in Pittsburgh. Indeed, I would see listings for restaurants and bars in the directory and then go it only to find a Coming Soon once I got there. So why isn't that explained in the directory? Eventually, there will be places like the Greene Turtle and Ram's Head Inn but now?
Another thing I hate. If I want to go to a restaurant located in another gate, I have to leave my gate and then go through the security check all over again to go to the gate that has the establishment I want. Or at least I think I want since it probably isn't ready yet. They really need to do something in regards to this because by doing this, especially when you're stuck waiting for a delayed flight (as was my case) it really becomes a major drag to keep pulling out my laptop and taking off my shoes just to get some Roy Rogers Fried Chicken.
In my case, my flight was American and the only places open in my area were a Wendy's and Potbelly Sandwich Works along with a lame attempt at a bar. Another gate had a tacky Coors Light branded bar that looked like it was decorated by Party City. Lame.
In a year or two from now, this place could be as great as Pittsburgh's or Dallas' or San Francisco's airports but for now, it's a Work In Progress to be sure.
Whoa. BWI has improved since the last time I was there. Well, at least in the Southwest Airlines area. It's nice that there's a small walk from the ticket/check-in counter/lugguage drop-off to the gates. The security checkpoints were running efficiently.
However, despite the renovation, I found that BWI is limited with their selection of stores and restaurants. I mean, not everyone wants to eat at McDonald's or Cinnabon. C'mon, I'm sure there are quite a few businesses that would love to set up shop there.
I agree with Mia K. that pick-ups are a bitch. Of course, it didn't help that there were recent bombing attempts overseas. So, these cops are like hawks. However, I think these cops should be placed at the departing sections, not the arrival. I mean, these people are just driving up to pick up people. Sit idle for 5 seconds and you'll get a rap on your window, with a cop telling you to move it.
Baltimore, keep improving with the airport.
My feelings for BWI are mixed. Sure, the rent-a-cops are bitches. One time, I was picking up a friend and some cop or rather, bitch pulled me over b/c he thought the tinting for my window was too dark. What the freak? To this day, I have to roll them down when driving through here, even in the dead of winter.
What makes BWI somewhat decent is the women. I don't know but every time I come here I see a lot of nice ones. Maybe it's airports in general? Forget about bars and clubs, I should be coming HERE on the weekends.
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This is such a nice airport. So many services, so much parking, and it's beautiful. Plus, it's close to Harrisburg and really easy to get to.
However, picking people up is a bitch. The rent-a-cops are the WORST! You can sit for about 15 seconds to wait for someone to come out before you're forced to drive the whole way around again.
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The main floor was immaculate - clean, spacious and a pleasant place to check in. The airline counters were marked nicely and festive Halloween decorations gave character to each of the airline ticket counters. They had interesting things to read and look at as you walked to your respective gates too.
The staff at this airport were superb - from the luggage handlers, to the customs agents, to just anyone around. They left me with a smile on my face. Even the security lines were super short! Gotta love that!
The actual gates were less impressive. I would give it a three star. They looked old and worn out. Time for some refurbishing!
Update! 08/30/07 - Our ride waited for us at the drop off section and she wasn't hassled one bit at all. Then again, that's the trick - waiting the drop off and not the pick up section. Duh! It's a $27 dollar taxi ride to the airport from downtown Baltimore, flat rate. Shuttles from specific hotels in the downtown go for $15/pp. And the light rail does go from the airport to downtown too, so lots of ways to get into the city.
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One of the better airports I've arrived at and departed from and hands down my preference over dopey Dulles.
What really struck me was the convenience of this airport for folks who might have long layovers here - the light rail taking you to down to the harbor I knew nothing about previously, the eats didn't seem half bad, the art installation was nice, even the outdoor sculptures and the architecture of the parking complex were nice to look at through the glass.
They're expanding the shops so you'll have a bit more to do. The baggage claim was straightforward and the arrivals curbside was well laid out. Things didn't even start to go bad for me until I arrived at the rental car building to a line of about 100 people waiting for a Budget mobile.
Pleasant, pleasant, pleasant. I usually save this kind of praise for places that have earned it, like the improved Liberty International (Newark - what a hellhole that used to be...).
BWI isn't too shabby. The employees are really helpful and friendly. Since I live in the NW, I don't get called "baby" very often, especially by other women. It was nice, I didn't feel the need to go on some rant about violating my safe space by calling me by a diminuitive name.
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I don't know what genius decided to rename this airport. Yes, Thurgood Marhsall deserves to be honored, but "Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport?" Come on, no one is going to use that name. It'll always be known as BWI.
i remember seeing you from the window BWI, you looked quite lovely. it's a shame we never really met. instead i had to spend two hours sitting in a thunderstorm delayed plane on the tarmac behind a psychotic man screaming for his painkillers that were checked into his bags. especially fun was when the man was on his cell phone screaming at this girlfriend for a ride home, while denying that he was cheating on her and telling her how to navigate the cable box so she could TIVO his game. "it's channel 136! 136! are you stupid?! it's that channel! what's on the channel?!?"
good times.
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