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AirportImprovement.com      July | August 2026
BAGGAGE 
BWI
The new system features extended delivery run lengths between 
these two critical points, enabling better bag spacing, increased 
throughput and more efficient sorting. It replaces the cramped 
previous design with a straighter, more efficient system without the 
twists and turns that commonly cause alarms. 
Each ticket counter can now feed any EDS machine, and the 
system includes provisions for future expansion, such as space 
for an additional EDS machine and flexible sortation paths. The 
technology was upgraded from legacy centralized controls to 
a modern Ethernet/IP-based system to improve scalability and 
reduce the physical footprint of power and controls infrastructure. 
The new outbound handling system nearly doubles the screening 
capacity of the old system. A third makeup carousel tug area was 
added, increasing capacity, reliability and redundancy of the overall 
bag handling operation. 
The outbound screening system is sized to accommodate eight 
EDS machines, but currently includes seven—five in active use and 
two in standby mode to prevent loss of capacity—all fed by dual 
main lines. “You can always just divert bags to the next one and 
always have five active EDS machines,” says AECOM Program 
Manager Rob Kleinman. With the previous system, six machines fed 
by one main line ran constantly. If one jammed or otherwise became 
inoperable, there was a substantial loss in capacity, he notes. 
To improve the delivery of arriving passengers’ checked bags, 
the project replaced five 20-year-old bag claim carousels and 
added another for a new total of six. “This allows people to spread 
out a little bit more,” Kleinman says. 
Reorienting the inbound baggage Southwest Airlines spaces 
allowed better efficiency for tug carts to deliver bags to carousels 
faster, thus enhancing the arrival experience for passengers. 
Operational Challenges	
Extensive phasing plans and temporary logistics 
helped ensure that operations in the terminal 
continued smoothly with minimal impact 
on passengers and critical systems, says 
Sean Fitzpatrick, project executive with Clark 
Construction.  
Kleinman points to baggage handling as one 
example: “While we built a new inline screening 
system, we had to keep the old system active.” 
Carefully sequencing work and leveraging available space 
in other concourses ensured operational continuity throughout 
construction, says Shank. For instance, separate bag makeup 
rooms in concourses A and B were supplemented with spillover 
capacity in Concourse C to help the overall baggage handling 
system keep pace. 
“Yes, we still stressed our baggage handling system,” Shank 
acknowledges. “But we kept it operating.” Remaining operational 
while the new system was being constructed saved valuable time 
and resources and is a direct result of the partnership among the 
team, he adds.
Fitzpatrick notes that baggage system redesign demonstrates 
the most notable value of Construction Manager at Risk delivery 
for the project. “[It] resulted in a solution that was excessively more 
constructable” because construction work was segregated from 
active operation areas, he explains. 
Temporary cooling and heating measures were used to protect 
temperature-sensitive screening equipment, and creative rerouting 
allowed for major flooring upgrades and system tie-ins to occur 
without disrupting passenger flow. “That took a pretty collaborative 
effort that required a lot of contractors, us and the client to come 
together to develop temporary plans with a focus on mitigating 
risk,” Fitzpatrick recalls. 
During pavement and structural steel work, access had to be 
maintained for Southwest’s inbound baggage handling tugs, and 
their usual route ran directly through the heart of the construction 
site. To create safe passage for the tugs, crews built temporary 
roadways and parallel tunnels, which required “a lot of different 
phases and some hopscotching.” In fact, crews had to move the 
tunnels multiple times to accommodate underground utilities, cast-
in-place concrete and structural steel operations.
Because the project involved renovated space as well as new 
construction, the team faced challenges posed by structural 
components in the facility. 
We’re with you from 
vision to stewardship.
SEAN FITZPATRICK

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