UA Experiences at Baltimore (BWI)
 

I moved to the dark side last night and instead of booking a flight out of DCA or IAD I did BWI (personal trip and it was $140 cheaper for each ticket). So my question is what can a 1P expect departing at 10am on a Tuesday at the end of August?

I'll probably do the daily garage since its a little cheaper than ESP. Do the daily garage shuttles run frequently?

I will be checking my bike so braving the check-in lines will be required. How long should I expect UA check-in to take? How long should the TSA lines be? I'm just trying to judge when to head for the airport.

Do the F cabins usually fill on flights out of BWI. I've got some 500's to burn by the end of August and only two other trips before this (one a Y fare and a short flight) so I was hoping to save the 500's for this trip.

Daily shuttles run pretty frequently. Every 5-10 minutes I would say. You have to take the elevator down to the first level as thats the only level they circulate on.

TSA line can be pretty nasty at BWI (despite BWI being the pilot airport where Disney was asked to consult on improving the line). The solution: the standard single file line... pfft... I would allow 30 minutes for the line but could be less if off-peak.

I haven't done UA check-in there for awhile I don't think, but I have stood in some very very long check-in lines. They tend to backup quickly as each large flight checks in. Consider curbside if the line is long... if they will help you with the odd-size item.

I think upgrades are quite doable. Make sure you put in for your upgrade online before your window and as a 1P you should have no problem. May have a little trouble with Denver or Chicago flights but should definately clear by gate time.

The TSA at BWI is the most efficient bunch of staffers I have ever experienced. I routinely show up with the security line stretching back to the next terminal, yet 15 mins later I am through and heading to my gate. ^

I have yet to visit the RCC there (I time it too close to departure), but it looks nice from peeks through the door. The staff have always been pleasant and professional.

agreed...BWI is quite manageable. the security lines aren't bad, and i think the terminal is better than C/D at IAD. depending on the flight you are on will depend on whether your U/G will clear. flights to LAX and SFO i've experienced as harder to U/G as opposed to DEN and ORD. otherwise, enjoy BWI!

Parking
 

I would park at http://www.econoparkexpress.com/

Its 5.75/day if you print the coupon at the website.

MUCH better than airport service-they even have a Valet Option.

Water and newspapers on the shuttle bus and they pick you up and drop you right at your vehicle.

I use them frequently and love the service.

I'm a big fan of http://www.airportfastpark.com/main/baltimore.aspx. (Thanks to superguy for the original recommendation.) As low as $6/day with internet coupon. They pick you up and drop you off right at your car and run shuttles very frequently; they will also help you with your luggage. Much better than the airport's operation.

Also agree that TSA at BWI is very efficient.

Fast park and Econopark express are basically the same service for the same price. The one I would not recommend is Preflight Parking. They are more expensive.

However, all of these beat BWI's airport parking. One time at a sattelite lot, three buses came by full before we could fit on one. Very frustrating.

Where Preflight wins is on the frequent parking benefits.

To steer this back to UA, you should expect a much saner check-in experience than at IAD. I never have to wait that long for EZ Checkin, and while the Premier line seems to be a crapshoot everywhere, I've never waited the 1/2 hour that I've seen at IAD.

The u/g situation really depends on the type of aircraft. If you're lucky enough to be on one of the 757 flights, you will almost certainly get the upgrade; they often need elites to u/g esp when flights are oversold. I have been op-uped twice - as only a 2P!

I found it annoying that there was no elite line at BWI, but agree that the long line moved fairly fast. It's great fun when they "hide" the line by sending it down the hallway to the left of the screening area. I loved watching the faces of people as they rounded the corner and realize just how long the line really was.

The looks on those folks' faces are priceless. Free entertainment. :D

I fly on mostly refunable fares as well A fares out of all ofthe WAS airports. However, I choose BWI not because of price (I dont get the 140 RTs anyway)because it seems to be the least busy. Dulles is horriable. I would rather stop in DEN on my way west than brave dulles at 4p. DCA is easy to get to but I have ALWAYS had to wait 10-15 min to check in with a real person.

BWI on the other hand is quick and laid back - and its only a 25 minute train ride from Union Station.

Yeah BWI is great overall... IAD is a pit as we all know. I hate that I drive to/from IAD from downtown Baltimore but have to to get a nonstop to SEA. I have debated whether the DEN connection would be worth it. I would get 1hr more of work in, less hassle, for a 2.5 hr extra time to destination. But I have to come into IAD on the redeye. Otherwise I can do SEA-SFO-BWI redeye but would have to leave home at 4p I think.... so I am stuck with IAD....pfft.

TSA at BWI gets a :td: in my book.
Retaliatory secondary for non-profile shoes. :td: :mad:

I fly out of BWI twice a week and with the exception of no elite security line and a lack of food in pier D (which is slowly changing) it is an awesome airport! The agents and RCC agents are the best ^ The RCC is small however it has t-Mobile and is very nice. As for your upgrade what route are you flying and is it an airbus, 737 or 757? I have had full F flights. I purchase quaups generally but have watched the ug game. My A320 5pm BWI-DEN yesterday had 16 people on the ug list and 1 seat. My A319 1014am BWI-DEN on 7/19 had 2 opups. I have also not had a flight with more than 5 open seats in a long time. If you give the route and flight number I'd be better able to tell you your chances of an upgrade and security wait time (it varies greatly and I think I have it down pretty well!) based on my past experiences.

I'm on an Airbus 319 BWI-DEN at 10:14am on 8/29. It shows F4 right now. economy is wide open.

Returning 9/5 from DEN at 6:30pm on a Boeing 757. That's at F9 as of now. More likely a chance there given 24 F seats.

I average about 2 flights out of BWI a month. TSA is quick, I've waited no more than 15 minutes at most-but then I always remove my shoes. Just not worth my time to "fight the man" as some do.
Checkin is another story. If at all possible, I checkin online from home and then use the curbside baggage. RCC club is small, has never had wine or anything other than sodas when I'm there, but the "hostess" is nice and helpful. There is Tmobile, but of course you have to pay for it.
Over all, it's ok for a smaller airport. Scott in Brookstone is a nice fellow and they've recently opened up a Palm Store.

See - for me - I can get into BWI faster and with less hassle than IAD and can then work in the RCC - whereas at Dulles the entire pre-departure expirence is a pain. I generally do the BWI-SEA route also and up until recently I have just taken the SEA-IAD redeye. HOWEVER, this summer it is scheduled VERY late (11:20 or something like that) which means arrival at IAD is past 7am. This leads to a very long cab ride to DC. So, I have done SEA-SFO-BWI a couple times in order to get to DC earlier.

Yes, the non-stop is easier, but I hate Dulles so much that I would rather stop in DEN, download e-mail, and head on to Seattle than screw arround with the 5p IAD intl bank chaos.

Not a bad experience at BWI
 

I agree with other posters that the parking and security experience and RCC at BWI are generally good.
Last Sunday, I had to check a bag and went into the premier/IK check in and was frustrated that it moved much slower than Mr. Chicken.
While I know the long lines at security move fast, they still do frustrate me.

I am a big fan of airport fast park--cheap prices and frequent parker program as well as instant (almost) pickup at both ends. All beats the IAD parking situation.

Fares are usually cheaper at BWI than other WAS airports. The only negative I am finding is the frequency of direct flights to BWI. With flight delays and cancellations we have been seeing recently, flights to/frolm Dulles offersmore options when things go awry.

Even though the red-eye runs late in the summer, I still manage to get to downtown Baltimore by 9:30am. The summer traffic is better than the rest of the year. It will go downhill fast after Labor Day.

I leave Baltimore for IAD at 1:30p to catch the 5:25p flight. Thats a lot of wasted time since I have to allow at least a one hour buffer in case of an accident on the way or somethings. Its not that bad getting in... the worst part is the gas wait at the Exxon station. With the new security line that is a breeze (but wasn't bad before at 3p on a Friday, gets really bad at 4p). I take refuge in Terminal B and then take the B-C/D shuttle over to the chaos before boarding. Its really not too bad...

I second that. The few times I have used BWI on personal travel then that's been my choice. On business trips I pay the $30/day but I think it may have dropped to $20 for the close-in garage?

I think any of these private companies are probably better. They follow you to the car and provide immediate service to the terminal. Pick-up has been decent.

TSA is awful at BWI. Long lines and slow. I prefer IAD if that's a good reference.

Eh? IAD has close-in parking at a decent price ($15). I suppose that the long term private parking is better at BWI.

I admit that it has been a year (thankfully) since flying out of BWI but TSA wait was awful. Has it improved in the past 12 months??

p.s. It appears that people here are not aware of the new elite security lines at IAD. So guaranteed no wait security........ Of course if you live deep into Maryland then obviously use your local airport.

I was checking the BWI RCC hours and discovered that they close at 2:30pm on Saturdays.....why? :mad: I have a few flights out of BWI on Saturday afternoons. Do they extend access to other *A clubs like US on Sats? :rolleyes:

Not that I know of...If you have an RCC card you could try the US Airways club it isn't that far...

If you are planning to fly out of BWI check their website for parking coupons valid until 11/17. The coupons give you $5/day off the hourly garage or smaller savings off the ESP and Daily parking. With the coupon the hourly garage is $15/day which is nice since it is right at the terminal.

Bob

Do you need to have a US BP in order to get into the US Airways club with an RCC card??

A little late with this info but upgraders should be aware of a 767-300 flight to ORD each day at 5:35 p.m (UA469) - it's scheduled until 10/31. No worries snagging an upgrade, I'd guess, since there are 34 F seats.

You're supposed to, but you could always check the codeshare number
beforehand and arrive with the UA pass, citing the number (don't know if
that works, but it used to and should still).

I'm heading to BWI for a conference in the Marriott by the harbor in 2 weeks, and would like to public transportation (because I have time and always enjoyed trains & planes) - is it better to take the light rail or the amtrak/MARC service?

Light rail comes right into the airport... over by the international terminal, E I believe, on the ground floor.

Otherwise, you have to take a bus to the Amtrak station and it may cost you a couple bucks more to take the Marc in. Also it will drop you off at Penn Station which is up town and not near the harbor (its a 30 minute downhill walk if you like the adventure). Otherwise, Light Rail will take you in to Camden Yards right by the harbor and at the stadiums.

Definitely take the light rail. The station is directly connected to the E Pier (International terminal) and you won't need to transfer. The light rail follows Howard Street downtown; get off at the Convention Center and walk one block west to Eutaw Street, which runs parallel to Howard. The Marriott Inner Harbor is on Eutaw between Pratt (south side) and Lombard (north).

The heavy rail that serves BWI Rail Station is the MARC Penn Line/Amtrak Northeast Corridor, which can only take you to Baltimore Penn Station downtown, from which you'd have to backtrack by light rail or taxi. Should your plans take you to Washington, however, the MARC Camden Line can take you from Camden Yards to Union Station and back.

This topic has morphed from UA Experiences at BWI to a more general discussion of transportation alternatives, TSA issues and the greater Washington, DC area. This will be moved into the proper forum, Travel and Dining: Washington, DC (including Baltimore).

Thanks for your understanding

iluv2fly
Moderator, UA

Saw this at washingtonpost.com:

After Five Years, BWI Refurbishment and Inconveniences End

I have just taken a trip out of BWI. I usually fly out of DCA/IAD, but I must admit, it was a much better experience than at IAD. The daily garage was a breeze, and yeah, the TSA lines are really long but they move much faster than any other airport I've ever been in. And no moon buggies! Upgrades on UA seem easier since the planes are not full of 1Ks. :)

The one thing that really keeps most Washingtonians like myself from using BWI on a regular basis is the lack of dedicated rail service right to the terminal. The current situation where you have to take Amtrak/MARC and then get on a shuttle (that seemingly takes forever to arrive) to the airport is a real pain, especially during peak times. And MARC doesn't run on the weekends, so you have to ride the more expensive Amtrak service.

In the article they mention cutting the proposed monorail--This seems very short sighted. At least with Dulles, you have a dedicated road to get the airport (and someday, the Metrorail). Unless you are driving at 6 in the morning, the trek up the BW parkway or 95 can vary wildly with travel times.

Up bwi parkway to balt is part of my normal commute. the morning drive delays north on the parkway are usually limited only by accidents. A work zone just north of md 197 may be set up. there is an erosion control project.

there is a considerable presence of md state police on the airport concorse drives. they do not have much to do during the slow hours, so they set up speed traps. the speed limit is 15mph on the few signs I have seen.