Tell Me About BWI...

[kristenrice]

Mom and I have a layover in October. I have only flown non-stop since 2009 and I have never been to BWI. We are flying SWA and we land at 7:40pm, change planes and take off again at 8:35pm. What kind of challenges might we be looking at, assuming we are running on schedule? I did purchase EBCI for this leg of the trip so that is all set. We probably won't need food but a bathroom break will be a must. I am working on the assumption that we will get off one plane, hit the bathroom and by then, it will be time to line up and board the next plane. Is there anything in particular that I am missing in my planning?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

BWI is easy to navigate; you will be fine as long as your originating flight is on time. Southwest uses Concourse A and B.

http://www.bwiairport.com/files/pdfs/bwi_maps/tmg_0309.pdf

http://www.bwiairport.com/en/maps/gatemap

 

[rwdavis2]

It's a great airport. Southwest has 2 terminals right next to each other. If you land on time there should be no problems. Keep in mind if your second flight has arrived from somewhere else it may be more difficult to get the seat of your choice if it has people already on it.

 

[barbliny]

We've done Southwest BWI transfers multiple times - they're pretty easy. My daughter has also done it by herself without issues - one time the first leg was late coming into BWI and because so many passengers were making the same connection, the plane was held in BWI until everyone needing to make the connection boarded (of course, that did mean last shot at seats though).

You can get an idea of what gates your arriving and connecting flights will use by looking at the status of that flight on a few days - it will show you the gates that were used - they will not be guaranteed to be the same, but should be similar at least.

 

[Doodlebug25413]

BWI & Southwest are super easy. No stresses & problems, you'll be fine.

 

[anneboleyn]

I have massive anxiety when it comes to airports, but BWI is the exception. Such a nice airport and it feels so calm compared to others I have been to.

 

[Sandi]

BWI is a great airport. We've had SWA connections there and things went swimmingly. You don't say if your mom has mobility issues, but if walking any distance is a challenge, you can request a wheelchair. I had to do that when I flew with my mom a couple of weeks ago and we had a connection in DTW to Reagan. (DTW is worse than BWI.)

 

[kristenrice]

BWI is a great airport. We've had SWA connections there and things went swimmingly. You don't say if your mom has mobility issues, but if walking any distance is a challenge, you can request a wheelchair. I had to do that when I flew with my mom a couple of weeks ago and we had a connection in DTW to Reagan. (DTW is worse than BWI.)

No, actually I'm the one with more potential for mobility issues. I'm currently getting PT for my knee and my therapist feels that in addition to mis-alignment, there may be meniscus involvement now too. She is confident that it will all be under control by October so I'm not worried.

 

[Sandi]

No, actually I'm the one with more potential for mobility issues. I'm currently getting PT for my knee and my therapist feels that in addition to mis-alignment, there may be meniscus involvement now too. She is confident that it will all be under control by October so I'm not worried.

Bummer! Hope you're much better by the time of your trip.