The huge security line at B can be avoided by using concourse A, and then walking through the tunnel to B.

Edit to show use concourse "C", not A to avoid the lines.

B is the Southwest Airlines ZOO, I don't know who is in C. It was pointed out to me that A is under construction, and not active.

Their are parallel tunnels inside and outside security. A large sign direct from C to B gates, but I did not see a sign at B directing to C gates. The tunnels inside security do not show on the BWI website map.

[This message has been edited by slawecki (edited 03-24-2003).]

Thanks for the pointer. I try to aviod BWI but out of curiosity, how do you access the tunnel and who flies out of terminals A & B?

Bump for some potentially very useful input and a request for more detail.

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View from the Wing (http://www.webflyer.com/blog): A blog about Free Miles and Free Markets

I think Concorse B is pretty much Southwest. I do not know who uses C. The Southwest ticket counter is between B&C. After I got my Boarding Pass, I was told to go to my right, to B. The line for security was close to half way to C, and about 6 people deep. An airport personel was at the end of the line telling people to pass through security at C, and then walk through the parallel tunnel just inside security back to B. There was no line at C, as no one else followed the advice.

This tunnel is not on the terminal map, but neither is much of anything else.

http://www.bwiairport.com/5custasi/in_tm.shtml

So leave the Southwest ticket counter to the left(North), pass through security at C, make an immediate right, and go through the tunnel to B. The tunnel is labeled at C for gates to B. It is not labeled at B for gates to C.

[This message has been edited by slawecki (edited 04-12-2003).]

The following airlines serve the following terminals at BWI:

Terminal A is closed for reconstruction but used to house United and Midwest Express.

Terminal B is all Southwest

Terminal C is American, Delta, Northwest and a few Southwest flights (using the old Continental gates).

Terminal D is AirTran, American (old TWA gate), Continental, Frontier, Midwest Express, United, USAirways and what is left of USAirways Express.

Terminal E is Air Jamaica, America West, Air Canada Jazz, British Airways, Icelandair, AMC, charters, and an African carrier.

I know way too much about my least favorite DC airport!

Thanks for the extra info. Great shortcut for those times when I get stuck flying SWA. Too bad there's not a shortcut to those nasty holiday lines at the counter.

Any shortcut into D, or is D generally no problem for security lines?

I flew out of Concourse D on Tues am, May 27. At 5:30 am the line for security snaked almost tinto the International Terminal. I took me just shy of an hour to get through security. They were pulling people out of the line and sending them to separate line if they had about 20-30 minutes before their flight left. I reached the front of the line just as they started to pull people out of line for my flight. Not a pleasant way to start a morning.

I went thru D security at 430PM last Sunday and the line was not very long. No more than five or so minutes altogether at a spot that I had been dreading after reading spokemd's post.

bump still a horror story

ON B/C - note that Southwest is now using the old Northwest gates at the end of C, and that a handful of B gates appear to be out of service due to construction. Accordingly, don't assume that C is always going to be better than B. On Saturday, we decided to go with B (even though we were flying out of C) when we saw the C lines stretched down towards the Starbucks.

What kind of line can one expect in the summer midweek evenings these days?

Does anybody have any updated information on the security situation at Concourse C? I haven't flown out of BWI in a while but am leaving on Delta June 7 for my honeymoon (yeah!). We are flying in first...is there a first/elite line for security at Concourse C? Or is it just like Concourse D with no separate line? Also, what is the feeling on the line situation for an 8:30am flight on Monday morning?

Any input would be greatly appreciated...thanks!

There is a First/Elite line at C. Saved me a couple months ago when I got trapped behind three large groups at Delta int'l check-in; they even let me through with my United Premier card (I have no status on DL).

Monday morning is a busy time at a lot of airports, but I can't give you anything more specific than that. I really wish they would add an elite line at D. If you are late, sometimes they will send you around to the right side of security to bypass the lines; ordinarily I think that side is for employees/crew.

There is a First/Elite line at C. Saved me a couple months ago when I got trapped behind three large groups at Delta int'l check-in; they even let me through with my United Premier card (I have no status on DL).

Monday morning is a busy time at a lot of airports, but I can't give you anything more specific than that. I really wish they would add an elite line at D. If you are late, sometimes they will send you around to the right side of security to bypass the lines; ordinarily I think that side is for employees/crew.

Thank you! That's great that there is a First/Elite line...hopefully that will save us some time although my new father-in-law is notorious about getting people to the airport way too early...although I guess it can't hurt on a Monday morning. Thanks again!

FWIW, I have gone through security gates in Concourses C, D, and E on the weekends and have never had a problem at all at BWI. We're talking less than 5 minute wait. The one time I did notice a long line in one of the other concourses I simply cut around to the next area and slid right through with little wait.

Last time I used BWI, and the last I WILL use BWI if I can help it, there was a huge line for E, all the concessions but Starbucks were closed, and Starbucks was out of coffee.

Is there any way to beat the line for E? Any tunnel? Any hope? If I am forced to BWI again it'll most likely be E, given my FT ID.