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BAGGAGE    
July | August 2026      AirportImprovement.com
BWI
When the Concourse A/B Connector at Baltimore/
Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) 
officially opened this January, a new baggage handling 
system with improved capacity, efficiency and inline screening was 
already humming along steadily. 
The baggage system portion of the 
combined $520 million project was prompted 
by longstanding operational challenges with 
the former system, which was hampered by 
space constraints and a design dating back to 
the early 2000s, explains Paul Shank, BWI’s 
chief of Planning and Engineering.
“The first-generation post-9/11 inline 
baggage handling system was not designed 
for current passenger volume,” agrees Kris 
Koch, project manager for prime designer 
Jacobs. In short, the system was cramped, 
outdated and frequently experienced jams.
In 2009, Southwest Airlines contracted VTC 
to optimize the system because the carrier 
was struggling with capacity constraints of its 
six-machine format, says Chris Norton, chief 
executive and principal in charge with VTC. 
However, an effort to optimize and recapitalize 
the system in 2011 provided only incremental 
improvements, and continued growth in 
passenger volume, the use of larger aircraft 
and the introduction of new services like self-
service bag drop further strained the system’s 
capacity. 
When planning and design for the A/B Connector and Baggage 
Handling System Project started in 2019, VTC and Studdiford 
Technical Solutions proposed a solution that included constructing 
a basement under the concourse to house a new baggage 
handling system. This approach was intended to provide the 
necessary run length and space for efficient bag delivery and 
sorting. However, industrywide effects of the COVID-19 pandemic 
in early 2020 led to a pause in the project at approximately 60% 
design completion, primarily due to funding uncertainties. 
New Baggage System Increases Handling 
Capacity at Baltimore/Washington Int’l BY JODI RICHARDS
PAUL SHANK
CHRIS NORTON
KRIS KOCH

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