Above: Members of the Sea Funk Brass Band perform while passengers board the inaugural flight to Baltimore/Washington International Airport.
562.570.2679
Kate.Kuykendall@longbeach.gov
Airport Public Affairs Officer
Long Beach, CA – A new flight out of Long Beach Airport (LGB) offers daily nonstop service to Baltimore Washington International (BWI), marking a major milestone as Southwest Airlines expands its overnight flight offerings nationwide. The route, which is the air carrier's first red-eye offered at LGB, strengthens LGB’s connectivity to the Eastern U.S.
“This new route to the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area is a significant milestone for our City’s Airport. It is the first red-eye service from Southwest and an enhancement of our connectivity to the East Coast,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “With Long Beach City tourism still trending upward, we see this new route as a sign for a busy summer season.”
As of June 5, passengers can fly Southwest nonstop to Baltimore on a flight that departs at 8:45 p.m. and arrives the next day at BWI at 5 a.m. local time. The return flight departs BWI at 1:20 p.m. local time and arrives at LGB at 3:45 p.m. Passengers can book this exact itinerary until August 5, when Southwest plans to modify its departure and arrival times for the fall and winter seasons. The LGB-BWI flight is scheduled to switch to a seasonal service in 2026.
To celebrate the first flights to and from Maryland, travelers received a taste of local life at their destinations. Arriving Baltimore passengers were serenaded with performances through Long Beach Airport’s LGB Live! music series, as well as coupons to Long Beach tourist attractions and other memorabilia.Passengers headed to BWI received gift bags complete with sleep masks for their red-eye flight, Baltimore-made candies and other commemorative souvenirs, as well as the chance to try a free Orange Crush, which the Maryland legislature recently designated the official state cocktail.
“We pride ourselves in offering the easiest and most convenient travel experience in the country,” said Airport Director Cynthia Guidry. “That’s why our passengers enjoyed a taste of both Long Beach and Baltimore at the inaugural flight celebration hosted at america’s coolest airport.”
Now officially trademarked as america’s coolest airport™, LGB provides a distinctively stress-free journey and a first-class customer experience with service from Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest Airlines. LGB’s carriers offer nonstop flights to 22 airports nationwide, including Hawaii, with one-stop service to nearly 400 cities around the world.
Learn more at lgb.org/destinations.