Car Rental at Baltimore/Washington International Airport

Airport travel guide

Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) is a large airport serving two major cities in the United States: Baltimore, the largest city in the state of Maryland and Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States and a major tourist draw for both domestic and international visitors. Some fantastic sites to see in Washington, D.C. are the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall, the Capitol building, the Smithsonian museums, and the National Gallery of Art, but there is so much more to explore beyond these few things! Don’t miss out on some of Baltimore’s interesting things to do, such as catching a game at Oriole Park, visiting the Fort McHenry National Monument, or seeing the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum.

Though BWI is slightly farther from Washington than Dulles and much farther from the city than Ronald Reagan National Airport, many travelers still choose to fly into it. This is due both to it being considered a nicer airport and because it is a focus city for Southwest Airlines, a low-cost airline. In fact, BWI has more passenger traffic than the other Washington airports. 

Top international routes

• Atlanta
• Orlando
• Boston
• Chicago
• Charlotte
• Tampa
• Miami
• Fort Lauderdale
• Denver
• Detroit

Main airlines

Southwest Airlines is by far the largest carrier serving BWI as the airport is a focus city for the airline. Spirit, Delta, American, and United are the other major airlines that fly to and from the airport.

Air Canada Express, British Airways, and Condor are the airlines that fly to international destinations, though Spirit and Southwest both have flights to and from locations in the Caribbean and Central America.

Terminals

There is one terminal at BWI, though it has five separate concourses, only some of which are connected post-security. Concourses A and B are exclusive to Southwest. Southwest also uses Concourse C along with American Airlines. These concourses are all securely connected.

Concourses D and E are the main international concourses, with concourse E handling all international arrivals that are not pre-cleared. They, too, are securely connected.

Unfortunately, the two sides of the airport are not connected after security. The major effect of this is that passengers wishing to use the Club BWI lounge but flying from Concourse A, B, or C must leave time to go through security again before reaching their gate.

Location

BWI is located roughly 10 miles (16km) south of downtown Baltimore via the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

Though it seems like the airport is farther away from Washington than Dulles Airport, it is, in fact, just a few miles farther away. The 30-mile (48km) drive takes roughly 45 minutes in good traffic conditions. Washington is notorious for its traffic congestion, though, so it may take twice as long or more during rush hour.

Most popular types of rental car

• Small cars - from $48 per day
• Medium cars - from $47 per day
• Large cars - from $51 per day
• SUVs - from $50 per day
• Convertibles - from $133 per day
• Premium cars - from $77 per day
• Vans - from $89 per day

Car rental desks

BWI has a large car rental facility where all of the major companies that serve the airport are located. It is located beside the airport. From the terminal, renters must take one of the frequent free shuttles to the center. And unlike at some other airports, the shuttle is run by the airport and you do not need to wait for a shuttle that is specifically for the company you are renting from. The ride takes roughly ten minutes, so budget your time when returning to the airport to account for this.

Services and facilities

BWI has all of the facilities that one would expect of a major international airport.

A unique amenity to the airport is the Roam Fitness Club located in Concourse E. Though the company plans to expand to other airports, BWI is currently its only location. You can get a workout and then a shower all while waiting for your flight.

Pretty much all national hotel chains have a hotel just outside the airport along Nursery Road. Most will have a free shuttle service, so you can drop your car off the night before if you have an early flight.

Currency exchanges can be found in the main terminal near Concourses C and E. As usual, you are best served exchanging money before flying, using one of the airports many ATMs or exchanging money in the city as any of these options will provide you with a better rate. There are many restaurants of all types and shopping opportunities at the airport, though the selection of such depends on the Concourse from which you are flying.

Nearest gas station

There are two stations located on Dorsey Road, which is right off of New Ridge Road, on which the Rental Center is located. One is a Shell station, the other a Citgo. Both of them have prices that are above normal for the area.

If you have a Costco membership, you can fill up at Costco south of Maryland Route 100, which is only three miles from the Rental Center (unfortunately, you must have a Costco Membership to purchase gas at a Costco).

Another solution is to fill up farther from the airport and use the more expensive stations to top up before returning your rental car.

Popular one-way rentals

• Washington, D.C. (33 miles / 53 km)
• Philadelphia (112 miles / 180 km)
• New York City (197 miles / 317 km)
• Richmond (147 miles / 237 km)
• Charlotte (438 miles / 704 km)
• Pittsburgh (249 miles / 401 km)