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BWI

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

AMC's Baltimore-Washington International Gateway sits inside Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, a civilian-airport counter for Space-A flights rather than an on-base aerial port. Official AMC pages describe Patriot Express processing here, operated as Detachment 1 of the 305th Aerial Port Squadron. This Maryland commercial gateway is distinct from the Joint Base Andrews passenger terminal nearby. Check current AMC pages for destinations and where to check in inside the airport.

Terminal contact

Address
AMC Baltimore Washington International Airport Passenger Terminal 7050 Friendship Rd Baltimore, MD 21240
Hours
0800 - 1600 daily, and evenings on nights of departures.
Commercial
(609) 253-8825
DSN
568-8825
Recording
(609) 253-8825
Sign-up email
305APS.DET1.BWIPAX@US.AF.MIL
Official webpage
https://www.amc.af.mil/AMC-Travel-Site/Terminals/CONUS-Terminals/Baltimore-Washington-International-Airport-Passenger-Terminal/

Departing Space-A Flights

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Terminal FAQ

Last verified 27 August 2026. Hours, fees, and presence rules change. Confirm with this terminal’s official page before you travel. Pop’s is unofficial.

Where is the passenger terminal?

AMC Baltimore Washington International Airport Passenger Terminal, 7050 Friendship Rd, Baltimore, MD 21240.

Duty/Space-A check-in is at the AMC counters on the ticketing level of the main terminal, across from British Airways. Roll call is at that AMC ticket counter. This is a civilian airport — no installation gate.

The AMC page does not print “Terminal E” as a name; unofficial writeups use that label. Follow ticketing level / British Airways and airport signage. If you arrive commercial in another concourse, you must claim bags (see below) and re-clear to the AMC counters.

How do I get on base / which gate should I use?

There is no base. BWI is a public commercial airport. No CAC gate, no VCC, no DBIDS.

Use public airport access, MARC/Amtrak + shuttle, or paid airport parking. AMC links BWI’s own pages: https://www.bwiairport.com/to-from-bwi/transportation and https://www.bwiairport.com/to-from-bwi/hotels-near-bwi

What are hours, phone, DSN, and email?

Hours (AMC page): 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and evenings on nights of departures.

24-hour flight recording: Comm (609) 253-8825, option 1 · DSN 568-8825

Service counter: Comm (609) 253-8825, option 2 · DSN 568-8825

Fax: (609) 253-8823 · DSN fax 312-568-8823 (DSN, not a commercial 312 number)

Lost & found: (609) 253-8815

Email: 305APS.DET1.BWIPAX@US.AF.MIL

The 609 numbers are the 305 APS Det 1 lines (McGuire-area commercial), not a Baltimore 410 AMC desk. Do not publish (312) as a commercial phone.

How do I sign up for Space-A?

Email 305APS.DET1.BWIPAX@US.AF.MIL or use the HQ AMC Space-A form — not both. Duplicate requests reset your date/time to the newest request.

If you get no confirmation, keep dated proof and show it when you mark present. Do not resend. Do not send SSN/PII.

Required items on the Aug 2026 page: email, rank/grade, full name, service branch, military status, dependent names, total seats, eligibility status, leave dates, overseas travel-ready (docs in hand?), up to five destinations. Optional: COMM phone or personal email to opt in for notifications.

CAT III (active duty): sign up on the first day of chargeable leave; provide leave dates or attach the leave form.

CAT VI retirees: remain in the system 60 days or until travel, whichever first.

CAT V command-sponsored letter: letter valid 90 days from issue; BWI system registration max 60 days (resubmit for +30, new date/time). Non-command-sponsored: duration on the letter.

Deployment dependents: sample letter on the page; sign up no earlier than 10 days before sponsor deployment; travel may start the first day of deployment (CAT III if 365+ consecutive days; CAT IV if 30–364).

How and when do I mark present?

Day of flight only (as of the AMC page). Processing hours are on the 72-hour schedule. You must be marked present NLT 1 hour prior to roll call.

Be travel ready: documents, all luggage, personal vehicle parked, rental returned, hotel checked out. Selection is by category and sign-up date/time, not by how early you marked present.

AMC recommends arriving 5 hours prior to roll call to allow processing.

When is roll call?

At the AMC ticket counter, at least 4 hours prior to departure, unless the 72-hour PDF says otherwise.

Duty standby (no confirmed seat) is processed ahead of Space-A. Near-full missions plus paperwork failures plus no-shows (page cites a typical 10–15% duty no-show) all affect the leftover pool — none of that is knowable until roll call.

When should duty / PE passengers check in?

Counters open 6 hours prior to departure. Duty passengers must be in line NLT 3 hours 20 minutes prior. After NLT you may not be processed; coordinate with the losing unit for the next flight.

Physical paper orders — AMC keeps a copy. Not movement-ready (orders, passport/visa, FCG) can mean denied travel.

The page also posts mission-specific early-check-in / NLT clocks (example on 5 Aug 2026: JHX1 early 0300L / NLT 0630L; 1LR3 early 0830L / NLT 1450L). Always read the live banner.

Official travel: book through your TMO, not Space-A email.

Does this terminal operate Patriot Express flights? If yes, to where?

Yes. BWI is a PE / commercial-gateway terminal and publishes a 30-day schedule (BWI_30DAY_AUG26.pdf in the Aug 2026 capture).

The AMC page’s standing line: “Our normally scheduled flights serve Germany, Qatar, Greenland and Kuwait.” Duty-document blocks on the 5 Aug 2026 page name:

  • Ramstein AB, Germany
  • Kuwait Int
  • Al Udeid AB, Qatar
  • Pituffik SB, Greenland

Incirlik AB, Turkey duty-document block appeared on the 14 Jun 2026 capture and is absent from the 5 Aug 2026 capture. Do not treat Incirlik as a current BWI PE city without a live 30-day/72-hour row.

That city list is scheduled duty service, not a promise Space-A is accepted to every destination every week. Category limits still apply (e.g. some CAT VI overseas rules). Check the live 30-day and 72-hour PDFs. This FAQ does not quote seats.

Where is short-term and long-term parking, max days, and pass rules?

Not published as an AMC lot on the AMC HTML page. There is no on-airport AF Inn lot and no printed “Space-A 30/60-day pass.”

Park in BWI commercial parking (fees and max-stay are on the airport site, not on the AMC page). AMC links https://www.bwiairport.com/to-from-bwi/transportation Do not invent a daily rate or a military long-term exemption.

Mark-present instruction: personal vehicles must already be parked (and rentals returned) when you mark present.

What lodging is nearby on-base and off-base?

No Air Force Inn on the airport — BWI is civilian. Not published / no on-airport AF Inn.

Nearest official military lodging (not on the AMC page; listed so you do not invent an airport inn):

Off-airport commercial: AMC links https://www.bwiairport.com/to-from-bwi/hotels-near-bwi (hotel kiosk also noted by BWI near baggage claims 16 & 17). No rates here. No endorsement.

Is there a USO, food, Wi-Fi, showers, lockers?

USO International Gateway Lounge — AMC page: lower level of the international pier, beside baggage claim 14; 6:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. daily; stays open with advance notice of a delayed/canceled military flight. Phone (410) 859-4425.

Location conflict: USO Mid-Atlantic (https://midatlantic.uso.org/bwi) prints baggage claim 17, door 14. BWI Airport’s USO page also uses claim 17. AMC still says claim 14. Follow airport “USO” signs and call (410) 859-4425.

AMC does not itemize showers/lockers/Wi-Fi. Airport food is whatever BWI is selling that day (not published on the AMC page). Unofficial “lockers in USO / sleeping room” lines are not verified here — ask USO.

What documents are required?

Duty: Physical current travel orders (AMC keeps a copy), plus destination docs:

  • Germany (as of 11 Oct 2025): Eligible DoW military and civilian dependents on PCS need a Special Issuance – No-Fee Regular (Blue) passport. AD: orders, CAC, NATO orders (sample on page). DoD civ: orders and no-fee/official passport. Non-US passport: FCG visa/SOFA.
  • Kuwait Int: AD and DoD civ: travel order and CAC.
  • Al Udeid: AD/DoD civ: orders and CAC. DoD contractor: LOA, CAC, tourist passport with Qatar multiple-entry visa.
  • Pituffik SB: AD: orders, CAC, NATO orders (Greenland sample). DoD civ: orders, CAC, official passport. Contractor: TA, CAC, blue tourist passport.

Space-A: DoDI 4515.13; passport valid at least 3 months beyond planned departure; hard copies. Dependents under 14: travel with sponsor/eligible parent; federal/state/local/tribal ID, or passport + DD1172 from MilConnect. Dependents 14 and over: dependent CAC (Aug 2026 page).

100% DAV (not retired): CONUS and specified territories only (DoDI 4515.13 Table 3 #47) — not a Ramstein PE if you lack a Retired-status DoD ID.

Unaccompanied minors: Ages 10–18 space-required on PE charters only, with AMC Form 1004, adult to stay until departure, and adult to meet on arrival. Under 10: no. Space-A unaccompanied minors: no.

What are baggage limits and Space-A/PE fees if published?

Space-A bags: 2 checked, 70 lb / 62 linear inches; no Space-A excess. One carry-on + one personal item under the seat. Carry-on 45 linear inches in the general baggage section.

Duty/PCS bags (Aug 2026 page): 2 checked 70 lb / 62 linear; over-70 lb counts as 2 bags. PCS: over 62 linear not accepted (27-gal totes called out). One duffel/sea/B-4/flyers/divers bag over 62 linear but ≤100 lb may substitute for one checked piece. Excess $125.00 per excess bag; orders must state how many excess pieces. One bulky item (golf, bike, etc.) per person.

Space-A cost: $23.40 per passenger, card only.

Can I travel with pets from here?

Yes on missions that take pet reservations (typically PE). Two regimes on the AMC page:

  • In-cabin: one in-cabin pet space per ticketed traveler, max two pets per family. Carrier 18" L × 11" W × 10½" H, under the seat; soft-sided recommended.
  • Cargo: 2-piece kennels bolted with metal nuts/bolts (metal insert in plastic nut or wingnut OK). Plastic/nylon slides, clips, or screws/bolts not authorized. See AMC Pet Travel pamphlet (5 May 2026 PDF linked).

Call the counter before you count on a pet slot. Space-A pet space is limited.

Where are schedules posted?

On the official AMC BWI page:

  • 72-Hour Flight Schedule
  • Roll Call PDF
  • 30-day / PE schedule
  • BWI AMC Gram
  • Recording (609) 253-8825 option 1

All flights subject to change without notice. Processing hours for Space-A present-marking are on the 72-hour, not assumed 0800–1600.

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Do I go through a military gate?

No. Public airport. Bring REAL ID or passport for TSA like any airline passenger when you use the civilian checkpoint.

Why is the AMC phone a New Jersey 609 number?

305 APS Det 1 is the unit. Dial (609) 253-8825. Do not hunt a 410 AMC counter number on unofficial lists.

Can I mark present the day before?

No on the current AMC page — day of flight only, NLT 1 hour before roll call.

If I email and also use the web form, do I get an earlier stamp?

You get the newer stamp. That hurts you. Pick one method.

Did BWI drop Incirlik?

The June 2026 HTML had an Incirlik duty-document block; the 5 Aug 2026 HTML does not, and the standing sentence lists Germany, Qatar, Greenland, and Kuwait. Check the live 30-day PDF; do not build a Turkey itinerary on the June capture.

Germany dependents — tourist passport OK?

Not for PCS dependents as of 11 Oct 2025. AMC requires a no-fee regular (blue) special-issuance passport for eligible DoW military/civilian dependents on PCS to Germany.

Does AMC transfer my bags from United/Southwest to the PE?

No. Claim everything, then recheck with AMC (or the next airline).

Can unaccompanied 16-year-olds Space-A to Ramstein?

No. Unaccompanied minors are space-required PE only, Form 1004, ages 10–18. Space-A unaccompanied minors not authorized.

Is there an AF Inn in the terminal?

No. Fort Meade Candlewood and Andrews AF Inns are off-airport and need their own base access.

I’m 100% DAV. Can I PE to Ramstein?

Not if you lack Retired-status DoD ID — Table 3 #47 is CONUS/territories, not Germany.

In-cabin kennel bigger than 18×11×10½?

Not per the page. Soft-sided to fit under the seat. One in-cabin pet per ticketed traveler, two per family max.

What if the PE is delayed?

Contractor controllable delays: hot meals (if over a meal period), billeting, and transport to/from those. Uncontrollable delays: contractor has no passenger-care duty. Duty travelers: notify TMO/AO. Space-A: you own lodging.

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For general Space-A questions, see the Space-A FAQ.