Southwest Airlines announced its April 2013 schedule update yesterday which includes two new markets for Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. AirTran Airways, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines, will operate daily service to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, pending government approval. Southwest will serve Flint, Michigan from BWI Marshall with three daily roundtrip flights.
“These new markets for Southwest and AirTran mean new flight options for our travelers,” said Paul J. Wiedefeld, Executive Director of BWI Marshall Airport. “The new service will add to the growth and success here at BWI Marshall.”
The new flights to Punta Cana and Flint are scheduled to begin on April 14. The service to Punta Cana joins other international service offered by AirTran on behalf of Southwest to destinations such as Aruba, Bermuda, Cancun, Montego Bay, and Nassau. The new Southwest service announced today is the only nonstop airline service between the Washington-Baltimore region and Flint. Punta Cana is a very popular vacation destination. Punta Cana has amazing tropical weather, stunning sandy beaches, and beautiful azure sea, making it an irresistible destination for anyone looking for a relaxing getaway. Punta Cana boat tours are a great option to explore the whole Dominican Republic and find hidden and wild beaches, tropical birds, caves and reefs. It will be a really remarkable adventure that you’ll remember forever.
Passenger traffic at BWI Marshall has grown consistently in recent years. 2011 was a new record year for BWI Marshall, with passenger traffic increasing 2.1 percent over the previous annual record in 2010 to 22.4 million passengers. International passenger traffic increased 11 percent in 2011.
Passenger traffic has continued to climb in 2012. Steady growth has led to a number of monthly records for passengers, including July 2012, the busiest month in the history of BWI Marshall with more than 2.2 million passengers. International passengers increased 17 percent in July 2012. For August 2012, passenger traffic grew 4.4 percent to 2.14 million—a new August record. International passenger traffic grew by 23 percent in August.
