Passenger Traffic

The number of passengers who flew last year through Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport increased 2.3 percent compared to the previous year — one of only two airports among the 25 largest in the continental United States that showed growth, according to Gov. Martin O'Malley. The airport saw 20.9 million airline passengers last year despite the impact of the recession on travel. In the past six months, the airport has seen passenger numbers climb 8.4 percent, the administration reported.

With the BWI Marshall Airport terminal as a backdrop, Democratic members of Maryland's congressional delegation took turns Friday bashing mandatory federal budget cuts they said could harm not only air travel but local businesses that rely on passenger traffic. "Sequestration is no way to run a country," thundered Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore, his words echoing off shiny floors and windows as people with suitcases scurried by. "I told my staff this morning, 'I didn't come to Washington to throw my constituents under the bus.' " The U.S. Department of Transportation is facing a $7 billion cut, with $600 million of that money coming from the Federal Aviation Administration.

A record 2.22 million passengers flew through Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in July, a 0.8 percent increase to break the mark set in July 2011. Southwest Airlines, BWI's largest carrier, served 1.29 million passengers in July, 6.8 percent more than a year earlier. International passenger traffic rose 17.3 percent in July to 70,376 passengers and cargo shipments grew to 9,972 tons, an increase of 2.1 percent. This summer, the airport began two major projects: a $100 million upgrade of the oldest part of the terminal and a $40.3 million renovation of the longest runway.

A record 2.22 million passengers flew through Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in July, a 0.8 percent increase to break the mark set in July 2011. Southwest Airlines, BWI's largest carrier, served 1.29 million passengers in July, 6.8 percent more than a year earlier. International passenger traffic rose 17.3 percent in July to 70,376 passengers and cargo shipments grew to 9,972 tons, an increase of 2.1 percent. This summer, the airport began two major projects: a $100 million upgrade of the oldest part of the terminal and a $40.3 million renovation of the longest runway.

CHICAGO -- United Airlines and USAir have announced double-digit increases in June passenger traffic, reflecting the boost from half-price summer fares.United Airlines says traffic rose to 8.6 billion revenue passenger miles last month from 7.7 billion miles in June 1991.USAir says passenger traffic rose 18.7 percent to 3.3 billion revenue passenger miles from 2.8 billion miles in June 1991.But United President J. C. Pope says the strong June traffic may not do much for the parent UAL Corp.

Southwest Airlines, the company that made Cleveland a household name in Baltimore, also helped make 1993 a banner year for the Baltimore-Washington International Airport.Passenger traffic at the airport climbed 6.7 percent last year to 9.4 million people, the first net gain since 1989. It was inspired in part by the arrival in September of the Dallas-based Southwest, which began offering dirt cheap rates to cities such as Cleveland and Chicago, as low as $19 round-trip."We're guilty," said Southwest spokeswoman Ginger Hardage.

Passenger traffic is not soaring at BWI anymore, but the airport nevertheless finished 1995 with a record-setting 13.2 million passengers.Despite a reduction in flights and a downturn in the economy, Baltimore-Washington International Airport managed to increase traffic slightly last year, moving upward from 12.8 million in 1994 to 13.2 million passengers.The 2.7 percent growth rate looked skimpy beside the whopping 34 percent increase for 1994, when an explosion of low fares lured thousands of new travelers.

Baltimore-Washington International Airport wishes it could live 1999 all over again. Maryland's international gateway will set a record for passenger traffic for the sixth straight year in 1999. When the numbers are tallied, BWI will likely have handled more than 17 million passengers last year -- up at least 14 percent. It has become the second-fastest-growing airport in the country. BWI is claiming more than 16 million passengers handled last year, a million more than in 1998. And the passengers who flew in December have not been counted.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Southwest Airlines, the biggest commercial carrier at BWI, does not sit atop the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index. The top spot was claimed by JetBlue Airways, with a satisfaction score of 81 on a 100-point scale. Southwest scored 77, its lowest mark in five years. The index has been tracking American consumer satisfaction since 1994. It is compiled after interviews with about 80,000 people on a range of products and services.

Satellite parking lots to be renamed for easier recognition To help motorists find long-term parking more easily, Baltimore-Washington International Airport will rename Blue and Green satellite parking lots Long Term A and Long Term B on Wednesday. The long-term parking lots are off Route 170 (Aviation Boulevard). The parking fee is $1 an hour, up to a maximum of $7 a day. Information: www.bwiairport. com. BWI passenger traffic in April up 0.6% over '02 As commercial air travel nationwide continues to decline, Baltimore-Washington International Airport saw an increase in passenger traffic in April, up 0.6 percent over April last year.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Southwest Airlines, the biggest commercial carrier at BWI, does not sit atop the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index. The top spot was claimed by JetBlue Airways, with a satisfaction score of 81 on a 100-point scale. Southwest scored 77, its lowest mark in five years. The index has been tracking American consumer satisfaction since 1994. It is compiled after interviews with about 80,000 people on a range of products and services.

More than 4.9 million commercial passengers flew through Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in the first three months of the year, a first-quarter record, the airport said Thursday. The number of passengers increased 2.6 percent compared with a year earlier. Traffic increased 5.6 percent for Southwest Airlines, the carrier that accounts for more than half the commercial passengers flying through BWI, according to the airport. Cargo shipments also increased during the first quarter, up 3.2 percent from a year earlier.

After two years of comfort-testing its new jets on human bodies of all shapes and sizes, Southwest Airlines was ready to let 153 of its most important bodies — paying customers — aboard Wednesday morning at BWI Marshall Airport. The maiden flight of the Boeing 737-800 series jet touched off a noisy celebration for the folks bound for Fort Myers, Fla. The ground crew was giddy with excitement at 7 a.m. as it laid out a spread of doughnuts and coffee for the first passengers, most of whom had no clue they were making Southwest history.

For the second year in a row, passenger traffic set records at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, with 22.39 million ticket holders passing through the gates in 2011. The 2.1 percent increase came as airport officials launched a $100 million renovation designed to streamline security check-ins, eliminate a major passenger bottleneck and give Southwest Airlines, the airport's No. 1 carrier, room to grow. BWI handled 2.2 million passengers in July, a record, while cargo shipments in 2011 grew by 5.3 percent to 237.6 million pounds, state officials said Wednesday.

Passenger traffic at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport rose in April, setting a record, airport officials said Thursday. Some 1.9 million passengers flew from or to BWI, setting an all-time record for the month with a 3.1 percent increase over April 2010. It was the 14th straight month that the number of passengers has increased on a year-over-year basis. Traffic has increased 22 out of the past 23 months, with the exception of February 2010 when snow blizzards hit the region.

The number of passengers who flew last year through Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport increased 2.3 percent compared to the previous year — one of only two airports among the 25 largest in the continental United States that showed growth, according to Gov. Martin O'Malley. The airport saw 20.9 million airline passengers last year despite the impact of the recession on travel. In the past six months, the airport has seen passenger numbers climb 8.4 percent, the administration reported.

BWI Marshall Airport reported this week that passenger traffic grew six straight months last year to post a 13 percent gain in November over the same month a year earlier. According to BWI officials, the airport served 1.7 million commercial passengers in November alone. Southwest Airlines led the airlines serving BWI with more than 896,000 passengers in November - a 17 percent increase over the previous year. AirTran Airways brought 270,000 passengers through BWI that month to post a 20.1 percent increase.