More European flights expected at BWI
By Meredith Cohn
Sun reporter
Originally published May 23, 2007
A new accord between the United States and the European Union could help bolster BWI's fledgling international business, with low-cost carriers providing much of the service, a panel of government and industry officials and consultants said yesterday.
The officials were commenting on the latest "open skies" agreement at a symposium yesterday in Annapolis sponsored by Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
As evidence, they pointed to Ryanair, Europe's largest discount carrier, which announced it would launch service to U.S. cities including Baltimore around the time the latest open skies accord was signed.
The agreement will allow flights between any U.S. city and European country for the first time next year.
Before the accord, foreign airlines could only fly between their home countries and U.S. cities.
And U.S. carriers didn't have unfettered access in popular countries such as England, Spain and Ireland.
The goal is to encourage more service, choices and lower fares on all kinds of airlines.
"This allows airports like BWI to pursue new carriers," said John R. Byerly, the State Department's chief negotiator of the pact.
For BWI, whose international travelers complain they are chronically under served, the challenge has become how to capitalize on the new freedoms.
Airport officials and consultants point to Ryanair and other discount airlines.
European discounters could target the like-minded BWI with its large domestic low-fare business that can connect passengers to the rest of the United States as well as feed outgoing planes.