Icelandair

A surge in trans-Atlantic travel is boosting international traffic at BWI this summer with double-digit growth prompting major carriers and charter services to add flights.Much of the increased traffic is coming from Europe as the weak dollar makes travel in the United States a bargain. And, despite the unfavorable exchange rate, more American passengers are traveling to Europe as well, according to BWI officials and travel agents."It's a better bargain for Europeans coming here but Americans are also traveling more to Europe," said Jay Hierholzer, associate administrator of marketing and development for the Maryland Aviation Administration, which operates Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

I recently tuned in a television show about Scotland in which the narrator was discussing the largest "military tattoo."Can you give me information about this event?The program was probably showcasing the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which is held every August in Edinburgh as part of the annual International Festival of the Arts. An extravagant combination of music and ceremony, it takes place on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the city's Old Town.The term "tattoo" supposedly derives from the cries of 17th-and 18th-century Low Country innkeepers, who, as the fifes and drums of the local regiment signaled a return to quarters, would cry, "Doe den tap toe!"

An article Saturday about KLM Royal Dutch Airlines leaving Baltimore-Washington International Airport for Dulles International Airport reported incorrectly the number of airlines still providing international service from BWI. Nine airlines and three chartered carriers continue international flights from BWI.The Sun regrets the errors.KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced yesterday that it will leave the Baltimore-Washington International Airport in mid-May and, instead, begin offering flights from Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is considering ending its service at Baltimore-Washington International Airport and shifting its flights to BWI's chief international competitor, Dulles International Airport, near Washington in Northern Virginia.The move would be a significant setback for BWI, which is relying heavily on growth in international traffic as its volume of domestic passengers declines. The Dutch airline now offers three nonstop flights each week to Amsterdam but no service out of Dulles.

Here we are smack in the midst of a prolonged recession and wouldn't you know it? The state wants to spend $100 million to enlarge Baltimore-Washington International Airport. On the face of it, this sounds preposterous.But it isn't. Expanding BWI is a smart move, one that seems certain to pay for itself as the airport gains additional international flights and travelers revel at the ease and convenience of using BWI compared to the badly congested airports south of the Potomac River.International trade is going to be big business for the United States in the next few decades.

If Baltimore-Washington International Airport is to compete with its regional rivals in Washington and Philadelphia, bringing in Southwest Airlines is a vital move. But even more important is a bigger international terminal. A strong show of support from General Assembly leaders is critical.Southwest's apparent decision to start East Coast service through BWI should give the airport a boost. This is a much-praised, low-fare airline sure to draw business. At the moment, though, BWI's biggest shortcoming is lack of a full-scale area for overseas arrivals and departures.

OFFICIALS AT Baltimore-Washington International Airport know there may be bad news coming. USAir, the dominant carrier at BWI, has to cut costs and could eliminate marginally profitable flights here while shifting business to its other hubs at Philadelphia and Dulles airports.But that might not slow BWI's growth for long. The airport is no longer so dependent on USAir, which once had a lock on air flights here. Low-cost carriers have discovered BWI and others are anxiously eyeing routes that they view as underserved.

1.3 million travelers provide airport with a February record More than 1.3 million people traveled through Baltimore-Washington International Airport in February, the highest total ever recorded for that month at BWI. Domestic traffic grew 19.7 percent over February 1999 figures, and international traffic increased by 7.4 percent. Frontier Airlines added a second daily flight to Denver in mid-February and posted the largest increase, at 49.3 percent. America West climbed by 48.8 percent and BWI's largest carrier, Southwest, grew by 41.3 percent.

Now that the Baltimore Metropolitan Council has launched a long overdue campaign to lure national and international businesses to the Baltimore-Washington corridor, look for Howard County to be a key selling point and a main beneficiary of the effort. To be sure, companies looking to settle hereabouts will be told of the entire region and its sundry attractions, but Howard might be the area's easiest sell.For starters, prospective settlers could read the recent issue of American Demographics magazine that ranked Howard fourth among mid-sized U.S. localities with the highest concentrations of affluence.

Most racing sailors in this area by now have received mailing from the Leukemia Society for this year's third annual Leukemia Cup Regatta, set for June 24.Organizers and sponsors of this event, which includes a CBYRA-sanctioned race as well as the fund-raising aspects, have been at work for nearly a year.They are hoping that as the word of previous years' success has spread more sailors will want to take part by getting pledge sheets filled up to benefit the Leukemia Society.The first-place winner raising the most money will win an eight-day, seven-night bareboat BVI charter with The Moorings, complete with airfare and one night's shoreside lodgings.