One of Southwest Airlines' largest hubs is about to undergo significant alterations.
Maryland state officials revealed this week that Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport would be receiving significant improvements (BWI).
The adjustments should enhance the experience of travelers who are waiting for a flight, as well as those who are navigating the concourses and awaiting their bags.
A $332.5 million package of upgrades for BWI received the approval of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan on Wednesday. This will be the biggest terminal upgrade in the airport's history, according to officials.
The projects include a significant overhaul to Southwest's hub operations, which will feature a new baggage system that should improve the efficiency of passengers' experiences with baggage check and claim.
When you take into account Southwest's lax baggage policies and the fact that the airline accounts for about 70% of travel at BWI, that becomes somewhat important.
The enhancements made airside at the terminal will also be noticeable to a large number of travelers.
Southwest passengers should find it much simpler to move from one gate to the next thanks to the direct connection that the project will create between concourses A and B.
Remember that as a significant hub for the airline, BWI is an important airport for connections as well as for passenger arrivals and departures from and to the greater D.C./Baltimore area.
Along with improved commercial areas and refreshments, the deal also includes for upgrades to the gate areas on the concourses.
So, it should be a more pleasant experience whether you're traveling between gates, getting something to eat, or waiting for your flight.
Simply put, this will result in a significant overhaul of the airport concourses and, in the words of Governor Hogan, "enhance the passenger experience for decades to come."
The work is being done as Southwest prepares to expand its presence at its largest mid-Atlantic hub.
The airport and the airline are working together to build a new, $135 million maintenance facility that will be 27 acres large and have space for up to three of the carrier's distinctive Boeing 737 planes.
At an airline hub, having a sizable maintenance facility on-site is essential for streamlining operations in the event that a plane develops mechanical issues.
These projects ought to be finished by the time they benefit passengers in late 2025 or the summer of 2026.
According to data from the Federal Aviation Administration, BWI was the busiest airport in the greater D.C. metropolitan area and the 22nd busiest airport overall in terms of passenger enplanements in 2021. (FAA).
In comparison to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Dulles International Airport, the airport saw roughly 2.5 million and about two million more passengers, respectively (IAD).
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