BWI prepares for busy December despite slight decline in seat capacity

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BWI prepares for busy December despite slight decline in seat capacity

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Simple Flying | Simple Flying

By Sky Industry News

Dec 3, 2024

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is the busiest airport serving the Baltimore-Washington area, with over 26 million passengers last year. As it nears its 75th anniversary, BWI is set to manage nearly 8,300 flights in December, translating to more than 267 daily flights, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Low-cost carriers dominate at BWI, led by Southwest Airlines, followed by Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines. Major US airlines such as American, Delta, and United also maintain significant domestic operations at the airport. The top ten busiest routes account for almost 30% of all flights at BWI this month.

The busiest route from BWI is Atlanta (ATL), with Cirium reporting 535 departures and a total of 97,796 seats operated by Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines. "Delta is the dominant carrier on this route," offering almost half of the total seat capacity with its Boeing 757 fleet. Southwest plans up to seven daily departures using its Boeing 737 MAX and 737NG fleet.

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Orlando (MCO) follows as another busy route with up to 14 daily flights managed by three low-cost carriers. "Southwest will be responsible for more than two-thirds of frequencies," offering up to ten daily departures.

Boston (BOS) ranks third among busy routes with Southwest being the main operator providing over two-thirds of seat capacity. Spirit operates double-daily flights while Delta offers up to three daily flights before scaling back during Christmas.

Fort Lauderdale (FLL) benefits from 289 direct flights this month. "Southwest has 201 flights and up to seven daily departures scheduled," though there is a noted decline in flight numbers compared to last year.

Tampa (TPA) rounds out the top five destinations with a total of 261 flights this month. Southwest will offer most of these services while Spirit ceases its A320 service on December 3rd.

The remaining top ten destinations include Charlotte Douglas (CLT), Denver (DEN), Miami (MIA), Las Vegas (LAS), and Dallas Love Field (DAL). "Southwest will be the busiest carrier on four of these routes," whereas American leads in Charlotte.

Named after Thurgood Marshall, BWI features three runways and an integrated passenger terminal undergoing major upgrades expected by late 2026. The airport's largest carrier remains Southwest Airlines with over a thousand monthly departures serving numerous destinations year-round.