Passengers at BWI airport have 7 new direct flight options coming in 2026

Seven new non-stop routes are coming to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) in 2026, including flights within the continental U.S. and flights to the Caribbean.

Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Frontier Airlines are all expanding their service from Baltimore, the airport announced Tuesday.

Starting in February, Frontier will fly directly to New Orleans and Alaksa Airlines will launch direct service to Portland in May.

Southwest is expanding its already dominant footprint at BWI with direct service to St. Thomas in February, Knoxville in March, St. Maarten in April, Oklahoma City and Pensacola, Florida in June. Baltimore is Southwest's largest hub on the east coast, with nearly 70% of passengers at BWI flying the airline.

More than 27 million passengers traveled through the airport in 2024, the most recent full year of reporting. Passengers can reach approximately 90 U.S. and international cities on 300 daily nonstop departures from BWI.

Just last week the airport unveiled a $520 million makeover, 3 years in the making. It's the largest capital project in the airport's history. The new A/B Connector links the A and B concourses and created space to allow for expanded gate capacity. The project also upgraded BWI's baggage handling system, increasing capacity by more than 60%, the airport announced.

"By modernizing our airport, we're showing the world that we are making this Maryland's Decade and are committed to providing an outstanding travel experience for residents, businesses, and visitors," Gov. Wes Moore said at the unveiling.