BWI Airport News

[PeterSmith]

Originally Posted by rockin'.baltimorean

good for BWI!!

for a minute there, i thought our airport was fading off.....

It may seem that way cause we keep losing international flights, but overall BWI has consistently grown over the years. I am confident that BWI will gain a number of international flights in the next few years, however. BWI has smartly invested heavily in the airlines that have the most room to grow.

[Itus]

Midwest Airlines to end flights from BWI
By Laura McCandlish | Sun reporter
3:02 PM EDT, July 21, 2008

Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines said it would discontinue service out of Baltimore and 10 other airports starting Sept. 8.

As Midwest scrambles to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection, the fall schedule reductions announced Sunday follow the airline's recent decision to lay off 40 percent of its work force and ground its entire fleet of older, gas-guzzling Boeing MD-80 planes.

The cuts mean Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport will lose in September its three daily nonstop flights to Milwaukee on Midwest Connect, Midwest Airlines' regional jet. BWI will be left with no direct flights to Milwaukee until May when AirTran Airway's seasonal service also ends in September. AirTran's two daily flights to Milwaukee are scheduled to resume in the spring, BWI spokesman Jonathan Dean said.

"BWI will make the case to AirTran for continuing the route on a year-round basis," Dean said. "There is demand for service between the two markets."



Orlando-based AirTran, which is the No. 2 carrier at BWI, has struggled to bolster its Milwaukee presence. Its hostile-takeover bid to acquire Midwest Airlines to further access the market was rebuffed last year.

The September reductions will leave Midwest with service to 32 cities. Midwest Airlines is dropping all flights to San Diego and Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers in Florida. In addition to Baltimore, regional jet flights to Hartford, Conn.; Louisville, Ky.; Muskegon, Mich.; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; St. Louis; San Antonio; and Wausau/Stevens Point, Wis., have also been axed.

Midwest also slashed a nonstop route between Kansas City and Orlando and scaled Milwaukee-Orlando flights back to a seasonal basis.

Current direct flights from Milwaukee to Los Angeles and Seattle will now also make stops in Kansas City.

laura.mccandlish@baltsun.com

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business...,7864207.story

[PeterSmith]

Too bad. Although on the bright side, it looks like Airtran will be more than willing to pick up that slack. I am still wary about BWI putting all its eggs in the Southwest and Airtran baskets though.

[Itus]

I don't know if this was mentioned earlier, but both club/lounges for US Airways and United Airlines will be closing by the end of the year on Pier D. I don't have a date on the US one.

Four Red Carpet Club lounges to be closed
United has decided to close the Red Carpet Club lounges in Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas and Minneapolis. The decision was based on a number of factors, including high fuel costs, customer usage, operating costs and alignment with corporate strategy. The exact timing of each club's closing has not been finalized, but we plan to have all four clubs closed by October 10, 2008.

As always, Red Carpet Club members will continue to enjoy access to 34 Red Carpet Club lounges worldwide, along with over 500 Star Alliance lounges when traveling internationally on a Star Alliance carrier.

---
from united.com

[k25150]

Originally Posted by PeterSmith

Too bad. Although on the bright side, it looks like Airtran will be more than willing to pick up that slack. I am still wary about BWI putting all its eggs in the Southwest and Airtran baskets though.

I hear you but most airports have their eggs pretty much in one or 2 baskets. American owns DFW. United at Chicago and Denver. Delta and Air Tran in Atlanta. Continental in Houston.

[Itus]

Originally Posted by k25150

I hear you but most airports have their eggs pretty much in one or 2 baskets. American owns DFW. United at Chicago and Denver. Delta and Air Tran in Atlanta. Continental in Houston.

Yeah that's pretty true. A lot of cities hate it and love it. Cincinnati has some of the highest fares in the nation because Delta completely dominates it...but at least they have had more European service than BWI. Maybe we would've been better off being like Atlanta, where a major carrier has huge operations alongside a low cost carrier...and they both somehow coexist successfully.

[TheGlobalizer]

I'm not sure I see how the Baltimore-Milwaukee route is super-critical. I'm not at all shocked to hear that an airline would shut that route down.

IMHO, the US routing system seems all jacked up, very inefficient, lots of redundancies.

[k25150]

Originally Posted by TheGlobalizer

I'm not sure I see how the Baltimore-Milwaukee route is super-critical. I'm not at all shocked to hear that an airline would shut that route down.

IMHO, the US routing system seems all jacked up, very inefficient, lots of redundancies.

Yeah me either. Might be good for football season in case someone wants to see a game in Green Bay. Actually, those games are sold out already.

[Itus]

If I remember correctly we didn't even have nonstop Milwaukee flights for most of the 90s until Midwest (Express) started the route a few years ago. I guess it's not too huge a loss.

[Itus]

So the expected has happened:

AirTran Airways to Add Flights in Milwaukee
- New Nonstop Service to Fort Lauderdale Added - - Current Routes to be Expanded Beginning in September -

ORLANDO, Fla., July 23, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ --

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), announced today that it will further expand service from General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee by enhancing current service options and adding new nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale.

As part of its expanded service, AirTran Airways will offer passengers daily nonstop flights from Milwaukee to the following destinations: Atlanta, Ga., Baltimore/Washington, Ft. Myers, Fla., Las Vegas, Nev., Los Angeles, Calif., New York (LaGuardia), Orlando, Fla., Phoenix, Ariz. and Tampa, Fla.

With the addition of these flights, AirTran Airways will provide new nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale; increase the number of flights to Orlando, Ft. Myers, Tampa and Las Vegas; and expand service to Baltimore from a seasonal route to a year round destination. The flights, which will begin between September 2008 and early 2009, will be operated with a combination of fuel-efficient Boeing 737 and 717 aircraft.

"We are excited to offer these additional flights for both leisure and business travelers in the Milwaukee area," said Kevin Healy, senior vice president of marketing and planning for AirTran Airways. "Milwaukee remains an important part of our long-term business strategy."



Sep04, Oct07, Nov20, Dec18, Feb12,
Daily Flights '08 '08 '08 '08 '08

Atlanta 4 4 4 4 4

Baltimore-
Washington 1 2 2 2 2

Fort Lauderdale 1 1 1

Fort Myers 1 / wk 1 / wk 1 2 2

Las Vegas 1.6 1.6 2 2 2

New York 2 2 2 2 2

Orlando 2 3 4 4 4

Tampa 1 1 1 1



AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc., a Fortune 1000 company, ranked number one in the 2008 Airline Quality Rating study. The airline offers more than 700 affordable, daily flights to 57 U.S. destinations, employs 8,900 friendly Crew Members and operates America's youngest all-Boeing fleet. AirTran Airways also provides XM Satellite Radio and Business Class seating on every flight. For more information and free online booking, visit http://www.airtran.com.

Media Contacts: AirTran Airways
Tad Hutcheson
Judy Graham-Weaver
Cynthia Tinsley-Douglas
Quinnie Jenkins
678.254.7442



SOURCE AirTran Airways

http://pressroom.airtran.com/phoenix...240&highlight=

[Itus]

Md. OKs subsidy to keep British Airways at BWI

September 11, 2008

The Maryland Board of Public Works approved a subsidy yesterday to British Airways of up to $5.5 million yearly for the next two years as an incentive to keep the carrier at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. State officials say the rising cost of fuel has made it difficult for British Airways to make money on flights from Baltimore to London's Heathrow Airport. Under a legal agreement with the state, the subsidy kicks in if British Airways' rate of return on sales falls below 8 percent.

Laura Smitherman

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/loc...,7188279.story

------
not much posting from me lately thanks to new workload and the start of classes, so my apologies

[rockin'.baltimorean]

this is good news indeed!!

[NorthaBmore]

Good news indeed, we have lost so many of our international flights, I would hate to loose this one too.

[PeterSmith]

http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/bal...056000^1702842

Friday, September 19, 2008
Airlines’ woes result in more flight cuts at BWI Airport
High fuel prices force carriers to eliminate some non-stop service
Baltimore Business Journal - by Scott Dance Staff

Direct service from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is down 6 percent — 18 percent for second-largest carrier AirTran Airways — just weeks after the end of the busy summer travel season.

Airport officials were predicting a slowdown in traffic of as much as 8 percent in traffic this year, and they expected it to hit in the fall, Maryland Aviation Administration Executive Director Timothy Campbell said in July. Cutbacks already taken include a loss of direct service to Seattle, Bermuda and Puerto Rico.

The latest BWI service cuts drop the number of domestic non-stop departures leaving the airport from 330 to 308. The number of non-stop destinations, both domestic and international, drops from 69 to 64.

While adjustments in airline schedules based on cost benefits are common, they are expected to be more drastic this year as airlines reel from steep fuel bills. After adding fees for everything from a single checked bag to a blanket and pillow, airlines are keeping schedules trim to save on fuel costs.

Among the service changes at BWI are:

• Eight fewer daily AirTran flights. Twice daily flights to Dallas, Los Angeles and Seattle have been cut altogether.

• Six fewer weekly international flights on USA 3000 Airlines. Flights to Cancun, Mexico, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, have been trimmed back and service to Bermuda has been suspended until the winter.

• An end to Midwest Airlines service at BWI. The airline had operated three daily flights to Milwaukee for the past six years but cut the service because of high fuel prices, airline spokesman Mike Brophy said.

AirTran’s schedule changes became effective by Sept. 4 and are part of a normal winter seasonal reduction, spokeswoman Cynthia Tinsley-Douglas said. Most of those flights will return in the spring, she said.

AirTran has been BWI’s fastest-growing airline in recent years, recording 15 percent growth in passenger volume in 2007, the highest at the airport. Earlier this year, growth went as high as 25 percent in March 2008 compared to March 2007. But its number of flights has gone from 51 during the summer to 42 this fall.

The airline did add a couple of flights at BWI — one each to Fort Myers, Fla., and Orlando, Fla.

Southwest Airlines, which carries more than half of passengers at BWI, said earlier this summer it would cut 190 flights nationwide, including 14 at BWI, in the winter. So far this fall, the carrier has dropped one daily flight each on its paths to Albany, N.Y., Orlando, Fla., and Tampa, Fla.

Mo Garfinkle, an airline consultant with GCW Consulting in Northern Virginia, said he doubts Southwest and AirTran will reinstate all of the flights cut from BWI because many of them aren’t profitable. Instead, when they are building back their schedules in the spring, the airlines will look to get more profits in markets that have more unmet demand for low fares — Philadelphia and Denver for Southwest, and Milwaukee for AirTran, he said.

[Silver Springer]

I know it's not BWI news but still significant.

Friday, September 26, 2008 - 2:56 PM EDT
Hagerstown Regional Airport to boost service with FAA waiver
Baltimore Business Journal - by Scott Dance Staff

Congress has extended a program that helps Hagerstown Regional Airport attract air carriers like Allegiant Air, which will start flying out of the airport in November.

The Senate has voted to approve a waiver that allows three airports, including Hagerstown’s, to be part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Essential Air Service Program, which subsidizes commercial air service in small communities.

The legislation extends Hagerstown’s participation in the program by a year, since its waiver was set to expire Sept. 30. Congress is expected to consider a four-year extension in 2009, giving the airport longer-term help in attracting service.

Allegiant announced last week it would start twice weekly service from Hagerstown to Orlando, Fla., for $79. It will be the first commercial service at the airport since Sept. 30, 2007, when Air Midwest flew its last US Airways Express flight to Pittsburgh, according to the airport.

Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, both D-Md., praised the passage of the extension and said they would work to ensure the four-year extension is also approved.

“I continue to work for long-term reauthorization of the EAS waiver, but I am pleased that this one-year extension will help Hagerstown Airport officials in their efforts to attract a commercial carrier,” Cardin said in a statement. “The EAS program is important to the future economic growth of Hagerstown and Western Maryland.”

The waiver allowing Hagerstown to be part of the program allows states, rather than the federal government, certify mileage calculations that determine eligibility. To receive assistance through the EAS program, communities must be at least 70 miles from a large or medium-sized hub airport. Hagerstown is roughly 70 miles from both Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Ronald Reagan National Airport.

[Itus]

Olé! AirTran Airways Announces New Service To
Cancun, Mexico
Airline Goes South of the Border to Give Sun-Seekers Low Fares

ORLANDO, Fla. (October 2, 2008) —AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), today announced plans to expand its Caribbean services with new flights to Cancun, Mexico, effective February 25, 2009. The expanding low-fare carrier will offer roundtrip nonstop flights between Cancun International Airport and both Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

“Cancun is a premier vacation destination, and we will begin offering flights just in time to drive down fares and accommodate heavy passenger traffic for Winter and Spring Breaks,” said Kevin Healy, senior vice president of marketing and planning for AirTran Airways. “AirTran Airways is committed to providing our customers with high quality service and low fares to the destinations they prefer.”

Connections to Cancun will be available from throughout the AirTran Airways network. In addition to the nonstop flights, AirTran Airways will connect 55 destinations to Cancun through Atlanta, including Orlando, Fla.; Columbus, Ohio, and Philadelphia, PA. The airline connects to 7 destinations through Baltimore/Washington, including Boston, Milwaukee, and Burlington.

The following nonstop flights between Cancun and Atlanta will be available beginning February 25*:

Nonstop Service Between Cancun and Atlanta
From To Flight Departs Arrives Frequency
Atlanta Cancun 41 10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Daily
Cancun Atlanta 42 12:15 p.m. 3:50 p.m. Daily

* Subject to government approval (both U.S. & Mexico)

The following nonstop flights between Cancun and Baltimore/Washington will be available beginning March 7*:

Nonstop Service Between Cancun and Baltimore/Washington
From To Flight Departs Arrives Frequency
Baltimore /Washington Cancun 84 11:35 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Sat / Sun**
Cancun Baltimore /Washington 85 2:45 p.m. 7:10 p.m. Sat / Sun**

* Subject to government approval (both U.S. & Mexico)
** Does not operate on Sunday March 8, 2008

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), a Fortune 1000 company, is ranked number one in the 2008 Airline Quality Rating study. The airline offers coast-to-coast flights, North America’s newest all-Boeing fleet, friendly service and Business Class and complimentary XM Satellite Radio on every flight. To book a flight, visit www.airtran.com.

http://www.airtran.com/cancunmxpress.aspx

[micrip]

I wonder if BWI is able to accommodate the new Airbus A380 jumbo jet? I know it can handle 747's, but the Airbus is a whole different animal.

[PeterSmith]

I don't think BWI would be able to accommodate the Airbus. On several occasions, it has, however, successfully handled the magic school bus.

[Itus]

haha! i guess Southwest is close enough to the magic school bus...if you think they're a flying bus service...and their planes used to be yellow too.

I'm not sure if any BWI gates could handle the A380...maybe E1 or E3? If any A380 were ever diverted to BWI I suppose they would just use an airfield parking spot. A couple years ago they were talking about how the gates at a planned Pier F would accommodate the world's largest passenger aircraft, but at the time they were talking about the 777, and I'm assuming the 777-300 which was the longest at the time, but not really the "largest" I think.

[micrip]

777's are as long as a 747, just not as high, right?

They are making an air cargo version of the A380, I think. I could envision seeing one of those here someday.

BWI was an emergency landing spot for the Concorde back in the day. Reagan Nationals runways were too short for it, I believe.