Baltimore Washington Airport

I flew to BWI from LHR to take the train to Washington DC being fed up with the long immigration lines at Dulles. BWI is a modern airport which benefits from not being a main international point of entry. I was outside waiting for the shuttle to the train station about 35 minutes after getting off the plane - unheard of at IAD. But that's where the good news stops... too long to wait for the shuttle bus and the airport Amtrak station is a mess - confusing not good information and a slow slow elevator to get over to the southbound track. But DC's Union Station is a great place to arrive!

Great airport with easy access to Baltimore. Interstate 195 spurs off I-95 and takes you straight to the terminal. Everything here is bright modern and flashy looking including the parking garages which are linked to the main terminal with shuttle buses that come very regularly. I flew Southwest out of BWI twice and its been great experiences a lot less crowded than other airports I've been in. There's a small aviation museum in the terminal and also an observation deck near the control tower which is good for waiting for flights. The food selection is very good and I would definitely recommend Philip's Seafood which has a location near the Southwest gates this serves authentic Baltimore crabcakes/seafood. My only real complaint about this airport is that it's actually too modern and flashy giving people false impressions of the area. Once they pass through the airport and drive into Baltimore there's in for a pretty unpleasant surprise. Besides the Aquarium no architecture in Baltimore can compare with BWI. I won't even get into why the Dominos sugar sign set on top of an abandoned factory could be considered a major landmark.

We flew in and out of BWI this summer using the international terminal - how easy and quick. Very nice facility. Even we travelled with kids - checking in and the wait untill the flight was no problem. People were very friendly and helpful. BWI is a true alternative to IAD.

I really like this airport. It is a good size and things move quickly. My experience of the staff tat BWI is that they have always been friendly and helpful. It feels manageable.

I flew out of BWI recently to go to ORD. I like BWI because it is a managable airport. The new Southwest terminal is great. This time I flew on AA to ORD. The airport is undergoing a major refurbishment and so there are not many options when it comes to food at the moment but new restaurants should open soon. BWI is one of the most modern convenient airports in the US. It does not look tired and dated like most airports I have visited. I would recommend this airport is you live in the DC/Baltimore area.

BWI and Dulles are roughly equal in the number of passengers served they differ by under 2% and I am not sure which is busier. BWI is great to fly out of. Traffic in the BAlt/Wash area is pretty bad in general so it can be a chore getting to it from NoVa. However from my place in Baltimore I can get to Philly faster than I can get to Dulles in even moderate traffic - but I am 10 minutes from BWI so that pretty much sums up my airport choice! Easy departures is BWI's strong point. The terminal is pretty well laid out and very accesible Light Rail and train to Baltimore train to Washington. Baggage claim at BWI is a nightmare - perhaps the slowest in the US. However Dulles has those crappy trams between terminals this alone makes BWI superior - even if it takes you 30 minutes extra to get to BWI v Dulles you can make up the time right there. Of the three airports it is hard to say which is best as I said before traffic can be horrendous skewing the equation. One thing is for sure if Baltimore is your destination Dulles is out.

I find BWI to be a great alternative to IAD. I've flown in here internationally a number of times and consider it the best starting point for US travels. The airport has gone through a number of renovations and there was still construction going on near the International terminal last time I was there in Jan 06. The airport is very well-kept and the bathrooms are immaculate. One thing that could be improved at BWI would be to extend the hours of some of the kiosks past security. I had a late night flight to Germany and nothing was open - it made for a very long night doing nothing.