TravelBuzz! - Change BWI to Justice Marshall Airport! Drop the "Int'l"

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-03-29-bwi-name_x.htm

Airports used to be named after aviators, like Fort Wayne's Baer Field, Milwaukee's General Mitchell Field, O'Hare, etc.

I only object to adding Justice Marshall's name if they do not shorten the name.

Justice Thurgood Marshall Airport - OK
Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International Airport - TOO long!

Big airports don't need "international". Heathrow and CDG don't lack self confidence and need to add "international".

I would support this tribute to Justice Marshall. I am surprised however it has not been re-named iflySWA Baltimore International by now :D .

What's wrong with BWI, DCA, MKE, LAX, etc

I think we should all call airports by their three letters :D

I must admit, I've never understood this thing (in some places) for naming airports after people.

I'm very thankful I don't have to fly out of London Princess Diana Memorial Airport (as was proposed during the bizarre outpourings back then). Liverpool John Lennon is tacky enough as it is... Even 'Charles de Gaulle' is only ever referred to, locally, as Roissy.

I must admit, I've never understood this thing (in some places) for naming airports after people.

I'm very thankful I don't have to fly out of London Princess Diana Memorial Airport (as was proposed during the bizarre outpourings back then). Liverpool John Lennon is tacky enough as it is... Even 'Charles de Gaulle' is only ever referred to, locally, as Roissy.

Here's an interesting jumping-off point. What do you say to cab drivers to take you to the following airports? My normal request for each of these is in parentheses.

John Wayne (Orange County airport, please).

Ronald Reagan (National, please).

Louis Armstrong (airport, please).

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-03-29-bwi-name_x.htm...Big airports don't need "international". Heathrow and CDG don't lack self confidence and need to add "international".

It's all about second-tier civic insecurity. "Why, of course we're a major world-class city! Don't you see that we have an international airport?!"

Yep, Milwaukee has those flights to Toronto all right. BWI can probably claim a few flights to Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas.

I say to such cities, lighten up and be proud of what you do well.

Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International Airport - TOO long!

They should take their cue from the Angels baseball team and call it the Thurgood Marshall Washington International Airport of Baltimore.

I don't think any airport that isn't already named after a person is safe.

Even ones that WERE named after a person, like Atlanta's, can get changed to be named after two people!

But at least it's not like sports stadiums (yet) with naming rights being sold.

...But at least it's not like sports stadiums (yet) with naming rights being sold.

What are you trying to do?! Give airport management some ideas?

Welcome to Dr. Pepper-Frito Lay Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport :(.

Yep, Milwaukee has those flights to Toronto all right. BWI can probably claim a few flights to Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas.


I do believe they can also lay claim to a flight to Iceland! :)

I do believe they can also lay claim to a flight to Iceland! :)

and the UK.

I think it is crazy to even think about changing the name. Yikes, how much tax dollars will it cost to make that change? How many signs, forms, etc have to be changed? Aren't our tax dollars better spent elsewhere?

And Jamaica. And sometimes Ireland.


and the UK.

They should take their cue from the Angels baseball team and call it the Thurgood Marshall Washington International Airport of Baltimore.

Now that WOULD be following the Angels lead because the airport is in Linthicum, not Baltimore. :p

I think it is crazy to even think about changing the name. Yikes, how much tax dollars will it cost to make that change? How many signs, forms, etc have to be changed? Aren't our tax dollars better spent elsewhere?

You're talking about Maryland. They tax too much and waste too much....similar to NY and NJ. :D

They know about change already. How long ago was BWI the new guy in town? Remember Friendship?

They know about change already. How long ago was BWI the new guy in town? Remember Friendship?

That's a great idea! Just like the retro Mini, Ford Thunderbird, VW New Beatle, bring back plain Friendship Airport. No "int'l" or "BWI".

My vote is, in the following order of preference:
1. Friendship Airport
2. Justice Marshall Airport, not just Marshall
3. Baltimore Washington International Airport
4. and lastly (yuk) Justice Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International Airport.

How about this as a mouthful:
Justice Thurgood Marshall Francis Scott Key Babe Ruth Greater Baltimore Washington International Airport

How about this as a mouthful:
Justice Thurgood Marshall Francis Scott Key Babe Ruth Greater Baltimore Washington International Airport

No Edgar Allan Poe? :p

Spiro T. Agnew Field

It's all about second-tier civic insecurity. "Why, of course we're a major world-class city! Don't you see that we have an international airport?!"



That explains why a certain city in Texas goes one level up, and calls its airport "intercontinental".... Even more insecure?

You're talking about Maryland. They tax too much and waste too much....similar to NY and NJ. :D

They know about change already. How long ago was BWI the new guy in town? Remember Friendship?

Of course I remember Friendship :) I have been a Marylander my whole life. My first field trip in the First Grade was to Friendship Airport :)

And as far back as I can remember there has been construction going on there!!!

That explains why a certain city in Texas goes one level up, and calls its airport "intercontinental".... Even more insecure?

Heh. I guess any flight to Caracas qualifies a USA airport as intercontinental.

Hmm...My local OAK is, of course, Oakland International (three Mexicana flights make that possible). Now, maybe we could upgrade to Oakland Intercontinental. We do have Aloha flights to HI, and that's definitely not part of the North America continent. Then again, it isn't really part of any continent.

How about Oakland's Super Important Airport for a City Just as Important -- Wait, More Important -- than San Francisco.

Spiro T. Agnew Field
Good God man! Do you have to give the current administration ideas? :D

It winds up being a lot of money for taxpayers, but it's a boon to the sign shops and printers we contract with. But here in Maryland, we seem to change our minds alot. A few years ago, there was the Department of Juvenile Services under Gov. Schaefer, which was changed to the Department of Juvenile Justice under Gov. Glendening, only to be changed back to the Department of Juvenile Services under Gov. Ehrlich. If only DJS had saved all its letterhead and signs from the early 90s...

There have been a bunch of others. The Mass Transit Administration was renamed the Maryland Transit Administration a few years ago.

On the upside, when the agency I work for changed names a few years ago, we did not waste money to reprint forms, etc. immediately. In fact, some of the older publications floating around still have the old name.


I think it is crazy to even think about changing the name. Yikes, how much tax dollars will it cost to make that change? How many signs, forms, etc have to be changed? Aren't our tax dollars better spent elsewhere?

No Edgar Allan Poe? :p

or Frederick Douglass

For the benefit of a non-US citizen, who is Justice Thurgood Marshall?

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761556389/Marshall_Thurgood.html
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurgood_Marshall

My first field trip in the First Grade was to Friendship Airport :)

Wow, can you imagine what a 1st grade field trip to BWI would be like today? :D