Nuts About Southwest

I am one of those people who wish that the Baltimore Airport  had kept its BAL airport code and the original name, Friendship Airport.  That way, Southwest could serve both Love and Friendship, but I understand the airport’s wish to be associated with Washington D.C.  through the Baltimore/Washington International Airport title and BWI airport code.  Still, it is a nice thought.  Don’t worry, I hope to explore the Friendship days at BWI in a later Flashback Fridays post, but this week, I wanted to look at Southwest Airlines early history at BWI, which was significant for our Company.

On September 15, 1993, Southwest finally became a transcontinental carrier when we began service to BWI.  Although we didn’t have transcon nonstops at the time, the addition of BWI now allowed our route map to extend from San Francisco Bay on the Pacific to Chesapeake Bay on the Atlantic.  Given the airport’s importance to Southwest today, it’s hard to imagine that we began our BWI service with just eight daily flights, all to either Cleveland or Chicago Midway.  In the photo above, we see a large portion of the station’s entire “fleet” of ramp vehicles.  The Delta 757 across the ramp gives an idea of the competition we faced going into BWI.

Speaking of competition, we weren’t the only carrier beginning BWI service in the fall of 1993.  A few weeks later, Continental “Lite” would begin service using their  “peanut fare” monicker, and they had their posters on display in the terminal.

Folks passing through the airport already had this “coming soon” poster that the airport authority used to explain the remodeling.

As the birthplace of Babe Ruth, is it any wonder Baltimore is such a great baseball town?  America’s favorite pastime played a large role in our opening ceremonies.  In the photo above, we see former Orioles great Boog Powell with the Oriole mascot and BWI Station Leader Pat Edwards and his wife, Bethany. 

Baseball ruled BWI Opening Day, and it looks like there was some kind of contest bases on hitting a ball off of a tee (hopefully, a whiffle ball and not a real baseball!).  Looks like the woman above could have used some coaching from Boog on her t-ball stance.

School children wearing Southwest baseball caps were also a part of the opening ceremonies. 

Our gate podiums with their dark finish looked like they belonged in a five-star restaurant as a reception station (above).

And here is the waiting area at Gate C-8.  It’s hard to imagine any BWI gate area this empty today.

Finally, you know I had to have more airplane photos.  Here’s a couple of shots of Shamu (N334SW) taxing into the gate on what I assume is the first arrival.  Dean Cooney is the Ramp Agent.

Even back then, it appears we knew BWI was headed for great things.  The October/November 1993 issue of our Employee magazine, LUVLines was already calling our BWI Station, “the Beast of the East,” and it continues to anchor our East Coast operations.