Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport BWI is a major airport primarily serving Baltimore, Maryland and in addition Washington D.C. BWI Airport is approximately 10 miles to the south of Downtown Baltimore. It currently ranks as the 24th busiest airport in the United States, 47th in the world and annually transports about 22 million passengers. BWI Airport opened in 1950 and was named Friendship International Airport after a nearby Methodist Church. In 1972 the airport was bought by Maryland and renamed the airport Baltimore/Washington International Airport in an effort to bring passengers from the Washington D.C. area. In 2005 the airport was renamed in honor of Thurgood Marshall the first African American Supreme Court justice.
Located at the end of I-195 Baltimore-Washington International Airport has a variety of parking options including hourly, daily, express, long-term, garage, economy and valet. These options include: Hourly Garage, Daily Garage, Express Parking, BWI Rail Garage, Long Term A and Long Term B.
BWI is comprised of five concourses (A, B, C, D, E) with 86 gates, all connected via walkway. There are 13 airlines flying to and from BWI Airport with Southwest Airlines using Baltimore as a focus city.
There is a variety of dining, retail and airport service for travelers at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Thurgood Marshall Airport can be reached by a variety of trains including Amtrak, MARC and Light Rail. Other modes of transportation include taxi, vans, shuttles, bus and car rental. There are 25 hotels and motels catering to any budget, many with courtesy shuttles at the airport.