Nashville International Airport Development thread

[MidTenn1]

I once flew to Boston via DC once. We flew up the coast on a sparkling clear day and I had a perfect, close up view of DC, Baltimore, Philly, and New York. I could see every building and recognize all the landmarks. I did not have a camera.

 

Grrrr... angry duck.... as my Grand Daughter says!

[MidTenn1]

As long as we're on the subject. And again with the Google+ enhancement for detail and beauty.... the fog filled Sequatchie Valley between Nashville and Chattanooga.

 

Looking south from the northern end of the valley.

 

[MLBrumby]

One of my favorite drives at this time of year... or in the fall... the only time I might wish I had a motorcycle.  The sheer cliffs at the tops of the ridge are stunning at any time. 

[MidTenn1]

One of my favorite drives at this time of year... or in the fall... the only time I might wish I had a motorcycle.  The sheer cliffs at the tops of the ridge are stunning at any time. 

 

Over my career with TDOT, I had the wonderful privilege of driving across the state to project sites and toured every county but one. Hancock County! I loved my drives though Pikeville (Quinton Tarrantino's family roots go there) in the Valley. Grassy Cove just north of Sequatchie is another hidden gem. It is on the Plateau completely surrounded by mountains. No streams leave that valley. They all drain to the middle where they disappear underground. 

 

OK. I'll get back on topic....

[Lexy]

Southwest is wonderful and they more than fill a niche in Nashville, but I wouldn't hedge my bets on them for long-term growth unless all you want to do is fly domestically.

[MetroTN]

Thanks for all the tips! I wouldnt have checked in 24 hours before had yall not told me. 

[BNA]

Hello everyone! I've lurked here for years and am very glad to be officially joining you. I'm a Nashville native (Germantown before it was hot) and a United Airlines flight attendant based in New York. I'm thrilled that we are resuming mainline operations here and am also confident that there is much more to come. United employees were just told that we're leasing up to 25 Airbus 319 mainline jets in order to shift flying away from smaller regional jets between our hubs and "medium sized" cities. In addition to the previously announced Houston and Chicago upgauges, rumor has it here at United that SFO-BNA and EWR-BNA will be in the first round of this mainline expansion. Our airline is finally getting traction here and I think it's a testiment to Nashville. I can tell you that the most frequently asked question both amongst flight attendants and from passengers is always "where do you live?" When I say Nashville, peoples' eyes light up. Yesterday I flew from London to Newark and had a group of around 10 British passengers huddled around me asking question after question about our city. This is absolutely typical. The same happened last month on a flight to Zurich. People had heard from friends how fun and exciting our city is and especially our restaurant scene. Perhaps most encouraging is the response I get from my colleagues. We are in a unique position to talk up destinations to travellers and almost without exception, my fellow flight attendants are raving about Nashville. I'll keep doing my small part as an ambassador of sorts and I thank all of you for making this a must read forum for me and many others.

Edited May 17, 2015 by BNA

[rookzie]

Way to go, BNA.  So, of course, a hearty welcome to the forum.  (don't reckon you happen to like planes, do you?)

 

Apparently something added up that compelled you to come out from the curtains, and you're surely about to turn some heads.  I'm just a "rook" on this (chess) board, but I'm certain one or more of the moderators will jump in and roll out the carpet.

-==-

[titanhog]

Welcome to the board, BNA.  Really glad to hear about the SFO and EWR route possibilities.  Please feel free to share any and all info you have on the airport / airlines.

[BNA]

Thanks for the warm welcomes! I am passionate about aviation and also about urban living and architecture. Most of all I'm proud of my home town. As far as official announcements, I think we'll see some at the end of summer. The first of these new A319 jets come online in early 2016 and we'll have 2 dozen or so by Spring. We usually announce new routes at least 6 months out but there are exceptions. While I don't have "official" information, I can tell you that Nashville is one of our most oversold destinations and is just begging for larger planes on virtually every existing route (Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark, Washington). In addition, United dominates at San Francisco and is expanding rapidly. Given easy connections to all of Asia, 4 Hawaiian islands, Australia, and the Pacific Northwest, PLUS sizeable local demand on both sides, SFO is a no-brainer.

Edited May 17, 2015 by BNA

[Hey_Hey]

Where is (was) that, out of curiosity?  I've only been able to notice my house about 3 times (Ma, Va, and Nashville), and my job site once (Va.) since I first started flying, some 60 years ago.  I've not been as lucky as you guys, especially since some of my childhood homes were torn down.  Seems that I've only managed to peer at weird, off-the-wall things like Mt. Mitchell, NC and Cincinnati Union Terminal, on days when it's not been too hazy.

-==-

I grew up in a little town called Calvert City which is near Paducah and Kentucky Lake. The rivers and waterways were what let me find it pretty easily.

Reading PHofKS's comment reminded me of another cool fly-by. In January, 2009, I was flying from Norfolk to Detroit on Inauguration Day and was able to see the Washington Monument in the distance as we flew northwest while all of the festivities were going on.

[Nathan_in_DC]

Welcome BNA! Certainly glad to see an industry insider here. I'm a huge aviation buff (and I know there are a few others around here), so it's great getting the sorts of insights you have, such as the news of the addition of the 319s.

 

Can't wait to hear more!

[smeagolsfree]

Awesome BNA. Welcome to the forum. Hopefully you can add a lot of insight into the airline industry as well.

Germantown is turning to one of the best neighborhoods in town.

To all first posters and lurkers, please consider joining us for the forum meet first Saturday of the month at Provence in the downtown library.

[jmtunafish]

Hello everyone! I've lurked here for years and am very glad to be officially joining you. I'm a Nashville native (Germantown before it was hot) and a United Airlines flight attendant based in New York. I'm thrilled that we are resuming mainline operations here and am also confident that there is much more to come. United employees were just told that we're leasing up to 25 Airbus 319 mainline jets in order to shift flying away from smaller regional jets between our hubs and "medium sized" cities. In addition to the previously announced Houston and Chicago upgauges, rumor has it here at United that SFO-BNA and EWR-BNA will be in the first round of this mainline expansion. Our airline is finally getting traction here and I think it's a testiment to Nashville. I can tell you that the most frequently asked question both amongst flight attendants and from passengers is always "where do you live?" When I say Nashville, peoples' eyes light up. Yesterday I flew from London to Newark and had a group of around 10 British passengers huddled around me asking question after question about our city. This is absolutely typical. The same happened last month on a flight to Zurich. People had heard from friends how fun and exciting our city is and especially our restaurant scene. Perhaps most encouraging is the response I get from my colleagues. We are in a unique position to talk up destinations to travellers and almost without exception, my fellow flight attendants are raving about Nashville. I'll keep doing my small part as an ambassador of sorts and I thank all of you for making this a must read forum for me and many others.

 

I love posts like this.  I don't know that many native Nashvillians realize just how attractive and desirable Nashville is.  I'm half French, and every time I go to France I meet people who have not only heard of Nashville but would love to come here.  French singer/actor Eddie Mitchell said that Nashville is his favorite city on the planet, and supposedly the legendary French singer Johnny Hallyday has a condo somewhere out on West End (or so I've heard).  I have a French guide book for America, and the only Southern cities it highlights outside of Florida are New Orleans, Atlanta, and Nashville.  When I lived in Knoxville I had some French friends come visit, and they wanted to make a bee line straight to Nashville.  They ate it up.  Grand Ole Opry, the General Jackson, honky tonks, Wildhorse Saloon, BBQ, cowboy boots.  They couldn't care less about Nashville's skyline ("On ne vient pas à Nashville pour voir ses gratte-ciels." "You don't come to Nashville to see its skyscrapers.") but they had the time of their lives and can't wait to bring their friends with them on future visits.  In fact, the parents were having such a good time on the trip, particularly at the Grand Ole Opry, their teenaged son hid out in the foyer becauase he was so embarrassed by his parents' whooping and hollering and clapping and stomping their feet, a very un-French thing to do (but they LOVED it).

 

Anyway, even though I'm a loyal Delta flyer and former Delta employee, I am giddy that United is going to expand its Nashville service, particularly nonstop to SFO.  The first time I flew to Hong Kong as a kid was out of SFO, but we had to change planes in DEN to get to SFO from BNA.

Edited May 18, 2015 by jmtunafish

[NashRugger]

I will say, I flew out of DFW earlier this month and the renovations to the terminals, namely interior, are mostly geared towards allowing more light in where possible and brightening them up with white tiles and walls and bold blue signage, the latter of which I wish BNA would've done with terminal renovations.

 

Now, DFW's Terminal D is a sight to behold. Ceilings nearly, if not over, 100ft high, floor to ceiling glass windows, and a sleek/ultra modern look. 

[rookzie]

I will say, I flew out of DFW earlier this month and the renovations to the terminals, namely interior, are mostly geared towards allowing more light in where possible and brightening them up with white tiles and walls and bold blue signage, the latter of which I wish BNA would've done with terminal renovations.

 

Now, DFW's Terminal D is a sight to behold. Ceilings nearly, if not over, 100ft high, floor to ceiling glass windows, and a sleek/ultra modern look. 

 

Thank you.  Bold, simple, and clear labeling, with attention-commanding contrasting colors but without serif typefaces, can go far to contemporize a terminal, and when done in a manner which complements an interior upgrade, it does not have to be tacky or institutional looking.  Additionally, signs which provide key hints and those which can assist visitors or passengers in managing their expectations (such as walking time and direction to food vendors and to central concourses) can attenuate anxiety during pre-boarding intervals, when such signage is mounted within primary and secondary fields of view.  Then too, user perception is not uniform or always predictable.

 

Of course, this does not mean designing and arranging signs, vying for separate attention in a carnival midway style or as if they were along Las Vegas Boulevard.  Unfortunately and sadly, those authorities who are commissioned or who delegate others to manage terminal signage design, also are not necessarily the forces who have been the most objective beyond "standard" best practices.

-==-

[NashRugger]

 

 

 

[UTgrad09]

^^^

Maybe it's just me, but I don't find that to be the least bit inviting. Take away the signage, and that could be a hospital.

[MetropolitanNashville]

I do wish our airport had terrazzo. Although I think BNA is great and I realize carpet is more comfortable under foot, I love me some durable surfaces - especially in something like an airport.

[franktown]

As a Nashville native but Dallas resident, glad to hear you enjoy one of our airports' renovations. I really think they're doing a great job with TRIP on the old terminals, and I agree my breath still gets taken away when I walk through security into Terminal D. If you haven't been through Love Field lately you're in for a pleasant surprise as it's one of the finest small airports I've travelled through. 

 

Honestly, I love BNA and get sentimental every time I pass through it. That said it doesn't "feel" big because for an airport of its size it is incredibly spread out. I think the last renovation did a fairly good job fixing the few problems.  The swing gates that are on the airport's website as part of the plan will be huge. They'll allow Southwest to use gates for domestic flights during non-Intl banks and to accept international arrivals if they need to. I would put money on a reno to Terminal A allowing Southwest near-Intl flights and moving United and Frontier to B. 

[NashRugger]

Just an update to United's upsizing of planes, tomorrow begins regular United Airlines, not Express, to O'Hare and Friday to Houston-Intercontinental. 

 

Also, Alaska Airlines has been assigned space in Concourse B and a new charter service, Sunwing Airlines, runs out of Concourse A. 

 

It's only a matter of time before these charter flights to Mexico and the Caribbean become permanent flights, one would hope.

Edited June 3, 2015 by NashRugger

[bnaflyer]

I will say, I flew out of DFW earlier this month and the renovations to the terminals, namely interior, are mostly geared towards allowing more light in where possible and brightening them up with white tiles and walls and bold blue signage, the latter of which I wish BNA would've done with terminal renovations.

 

Now, DFW's Terminal D is a sight to behold. Ceilings nearly, if not over, 100ft high, floor to ceiling glass windows, and a sleek/ultra modern look.

I'm no expert on graphic design, but the signage at BNA looks extremely dated. As in 1980s.

[volsfanwill]

Didn't they update it about 10 years ago? I think it used to be more square

[jmtunafish]

I just flew out of BNA yesterday for my annual pilgrimage to Paris, and I have to say that I was impressed with the amount of people there were.  I'm sure there was added traffic because of CMA and maybe even Bonnaroo, but still the place was packed.  This was at about noon.  I got there early enough to walk around the place and was also impressed by just how many empty gates there are.  That may sound weird, but what I mean is there is still room for our airport to grow without having to fund an expansion project.  I was also impressed with the eating establishments at the airport.  I'd forgotten that there's a Neely's BBQ, Tootsie's, and Noshville in addition to the standard airport fare.  I also thought it was pretty cool that country music celebrities were the ones making the public service announcements.  I honestly don't think that BNA looks as old as she is.  But I do have to wonder:  why were many of the signs in Chinese?  I can understand English (duh) and Spanish, but are there really that many Chinese people coming through BNA?  I would've thought there'd be more Japanese visitors than Chinese.

 

At any rate, after years of flying out of Knoxville's little toy airport, BNA felt like a behemoth in comparison.  (Until I got to ATL which is a whole different beast.)

[MidTenn1]

I just flew out of BNA yesterday for my annual pilgrimage to Paris, and I have to say that I was impressed with the amount of people there were.  I'm sure there was added traffic because of CMA and maybe even Bonnaroo, but still the place was packed.  

 

You should see it next Monday morning. Black Monday; when CMA Fest meets Bonnaroo leaving through the airport. And every one is wearing boots that have to be removed in security.

 

I had to take my daughter to the airport on black Monday last year. What was funny was the how the taxis would drop off someone and hightail it back to downtown to pick up more fares. They must have made a fortune that day.