Nashville International Airport Development thread

[Andrew_3289]

13 hours ago, AUNash said:

Looks like they have begun the realignment of the second level roadway, eliminating the timed pick-up spots.

thank god, the timed pick up spots were the worst, caused so much congestion 

[Nashtitans]

so they already started construction on the expansion?

[donNdonelson2]

I believe this is a part of the larger plan, but something in the pipeline for a while. They expanded the cell phone waiting lot and are now doing away with those "sit for ten min" parking spaces. 

Other updates will be somewhat  slow to gear up, I fear.

[NashRugger]

3 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

I believe this is a part of the larger plan, but something in the pipeline for a while. They expanded the cell phone waiting lot and are now doing away with those "sit for ten min" parking spaces. 

Other updates will be somewhat  slow to gear up, I fear.

Yes, the removal of these antiquated and needless spots was planned with the expansion of cell waiting lot options. They've not only been a point of congestion, but also a point of potential significant safety issues. 

[SoundScan]

Well, looks like we'll be waiting even longer for a direct flight to Europe: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/10/20/british-airways-launch-dreamliner-service-new-orleans/92454148/

It was rumored to be a decision between Nashville and New Orleans for this service expansion. Hopefully the planned renovations at BNA (assuming they materialize) will increase our chances next time.

[titanhog]

I saw a report that Nashville was in the top 10 destinations that international tourists are talking about these days...meaning we must be seeing a huge increase in tourists from outside of the U.S.  We could really use a direct European flight right now to keep that growing.  I'm actually surprised it hasn't happened yet.

[grilled_cheese]

You'd think the fact that we have an NHL team with 10 Euros playing would bump us up the list as well.

[WebberThomas4]

1 hour ago, SoundScan said:

Well, looks like we'll be waiting even longer for a direct flight to Europe: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/10/20/british-airways-launch-dreamliner-service-new-orleans/92454148/

It was rumored to be a decision between Nashville and New Orleans for this service expansion. Hopefully the planned renovations at BNA (assuming they materialize) will increase our chances next time.

I have to think it is because New Orleans currently has a new terminal under construction. Side note, I'm in NOLA's airport right now and this place is a dump. 

[jmtunafish]

Does Nashville offer incentives to airlines?  I was in Tampa this past week and read an article in their Sunday paper about how Tampa and Orlando are battling it out for international routes by offering cash to airlines.  It's how TPA got a nonstop to Frankfurt on Lufthansa, for example.  I understand that's how RDU got a nonstop to Paris, too.  Why on earth can't the moneycrunchers at BNA figure out a way to do the same here?

[arkitekte]

17 minutes ago, jmtunafish said:

Does Nashville offer incentives to airlines?  I was in Tampa this past week and read an article in their Sunday paper about how Tampa and Orlando are battling it out for international routes by offering cash to airlines.  It's how TPA got a nonstop to Frankfurt on Lufthansa, for example.  I understand that's how RDU got a nonstop to Paris, too.  Why on earth can't the moneycrunchers at BNA figure out a way to do the same here?

They potentially might be; however, I would hope their main priority would be to court domestic airlines to provide new or more frequent service to markets within North America. 

Landing an international flight would be great to continue to promote Nashville on a global stage, but I'd rather see service from new domestic airlines to underserved markets.

[BnaBreaker]

It really is ludicrous that the only actual year round international flight for a city of Nashville's size, popularity, and notoriety, is to Toronto.  I'm quite sure that Nashville would be above Charlotte or Raleigh or even Tampa or Austin on the 'must visit' list of most people around the globe. 

[Guest]

Wow! Nashville lost a big opportunity.

I am not throwing anyone under the bus because normally our CVB and Economic Development teams are second to none and honestly I have no clue what they did nor did not do to land the route. I will say the the New Orleans group was extremely active from teh Governor of LA to the cities and surrounding states ti land the route and it seems to have paid off. Well done New Orleans.

New Orleans London Flight

[CenterHill]

12 hours ago, nashville_bound said:

Wow! Nashville lost a big opportunity.

I am not throwing anyone under the bus because normally our CVB and Economic Development teams are second to none and honestly I have no clue what they did nor did not do to land the route. I will say the the New Orleans group was extremely active from teh Governor of LA to the cities and surrounding states ti land the route and it seems to have paid off. Well done New Orleans.

New Orleans London Flight

Does that necessarily rule out Nashville getting a London route?    They are two separate markets.  

 

[smeagolsfree]

Give it two to three years when all of the renovations and expansions happen at the international terminal. I think we will get more that one announcement then.

[NashRugger]

It would be rather more prudent for MNAA to concentrate on continuing to expand domestic offerings with current and other airlines than throwing cash at European carriers for flights they could easily chop if they wanted to, such as Raleigh. Hell, DFW had to offer incentives for American to even start seasonal service to Amsterdam & Rome next year, and also bring in some Middle Eastern flights. 

I work in the aviation industry for Southwest, and just because the passenger numbers might be there does not equate to making a profit on that leg. If the aviation industry gets hit by another recession, these flights other similar sized airport are getting from Europe will go away.

 

Lastly, Southwest has some plans in the works for BNA that I can not discuss, but let's just say expect more flights. 

Edited October 21, 2016 by NashRugger

[AUNash]

 
Lastly, Southwest has some plans in the works for BNA that I can not discuss, but let's just say expect more flights. 

Give us some hints!! [emoji3]

[BnaBreaker]

1 hour ago, AUNash said:

 

Give us some hints!!

 

I don't know a damn thing, this is just random speculation on my part, but...Southwest DID recently announce flights to Central America, Mexico, and The Caribbean... 

[fieldmarshaldj]

12 hours ago, AUNash said:

Give us some hints!!

 

Think "catapults."

10 hours ago, BnaBreaker said:

I don't know a damn thing, this is just random speculation on my part, but...Southwest DID recently announce flights to Central America, Mexico, and The Caribbean... 

A little birdie told me we're landing a hub for Jolly Fats Weehawkin. $25 non-stop to Mosul and your goats fly free.

[AUNash]

Hmm. Of the international destinations SW is servicing, what would make sense to serve from Nashville? I know they're building international service out of Houston. Do they need another connecting point for traffic from the east? If so, would we be the logical place?

Anyone have a ranking of SW cities by volume? We are closer than MDW and BWI. What other SW locations would make sense as connecting points for traffic to/from eastern us destinations. Tampa?

[NashRugger]

It isn't int'l service, but escalating flight from a high of 87/day to over 100/day, thus becoming a "mega city" in the Southwest platform. Saint Louis is the most recent, this year, as they're now becoming a big connection city because Chicago-Midway is maxed out.

It may not seem like much to some, but other carriers will and do notice.

[AUNash]

Ah. Still cool. So if this is put into effect, where will we be in the ranking of SW traffic? What other stations do they consider "Mega" stations?

[NashRugger]

On 10/23/2016 at 9:13 PM, AUNash said:

Ah. Still cool. So if this is put into effect, where will we be in the ranking of SW traffic? What other stations do they consider "Mega" stations?

Southwest calls "megas" over 100 flight per day. Super-megas are over 200 flights, and that is reserved for Chicago-Midway, Baltimore/Washington, & Denver. 

Our system is evolving the the hybrid of hub & spoke system and spreading things out a bit more because of bottlenecks in the system, such as Chicago-Midway & Houston-Hobby.

Edited October 25, 2016 by NashRugger

[MLBrumby]

On 10/23/2016 at 9:57 PM, NashRugger said:

It isn't int'l service, but escalating flight from a high of 87/day to over 100/day, thus becoming a "mega city" in the Southwest platform. Saint Louis is the most recent, this year, as they're now becoming a big connection city because Chicago-Midway is maxed out.

It may not seem like much to some, but other carriers will and do notice.

I first thought you were referring to Houston here, but then I read the subsequent posts and realized you meant BNA is ramping up toward Mega status.  That's pretty cool.  

[markhollin]

From today's Nashville Post:

Airport sees 10.3% increase in traffic for first quarter of FY '17 over same time last year.

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Wednesday announced first quarter 2017 fiscal years numbers, with a 10.3 percent increase in passenger traffic among the figures.

The first quarter, which spanned from July through September 2016, was characterized by “continued strong growth in passenger traffic,” according to a release.

Specifically, Nashville International Airport (BNA) saw more than 3.4 million passengers during the first quarter, a 10.3 percent increase compared to the mark of the same quarter in fiscal year 2016

Today’s announcement follows MNAA’s having announced this summer an approximately $1 billion multiple element project that will include an International Arrivals Building, increased federal security screening lanes and a possible on-site hotel.

Other highlights:

* July, August and September each marked the busiest corresponding month on record;

* September marked the seventh consecutive month with more than one million passengers and saw a 14 percent increase in passenger traffic compared to the mark from same month last year

* 72 of the past 74 months have experienced year-over-year growth

“Passenger traffic at BNA continues to increase at an unprecedented rate,” Rob Wigington (pictured), MNAA president and CEO, said in the release. “The airport, like the city and region we serve, is booming. To meet this ongoing growth, we are preparing for our future so that we have the facilities and services in place to continue to deliver a world-class customer service experience for those visiting and for those who call Music City home.”

BNA served more than 12.2 million passengers in FY 2016 (July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016), growing by more than 9.8 percent year-over-year and setting a passenger record for the third consecutive fiscal year. It was the first time in BNA history to break 12 million passengers, and BNA is on track to break another passenger record for calendar year 2016, according to the release.

[VSRJ]

Speaking of Midway's capacity, I'd love to see a direct flight to Milwaukee, which could potentially alleviate crowding at Midway. Granted, it's a bit of a drive from Chicago proper. But if you're visiting the northern Chicagoland area, the drive down I-94 is much less painful than the drive to/from Midway.

Edited October 26, 2016 by VSRJ