Nashville International Airport Development thread

[Rockatansky]

16 hours ago, Pdt2f said:

It also annoys me when they refer to Nashville as the Deep South. Can't tell if Thomas Cook means Nashville -along with- the Deep South, or if they're listing Nashville as part of the Deep South. 

It does say Nashville AND the Deep South. That, to me, implies they are two separate things.

[Flatrock]

Is our skin truly so thin? We don't need to look for slights - where non exist. Lived in the UK 5 years. The British are very interested in our country; especially the regions/places many of them have never been (NYC, LA, Orlando are the common US destinations). For many Brits,  the 'deep south' still emotes thoughts and feelings of a time gone by, friendly people, an attractive accent/manner, good food - and mysterious places off the beaten track worthy of exploration. Are there built-in prejudices, preconceptions and flawed generalities regarding the Deep South and Southerners? Absolutely.  But certainly no more, and quite possibly considerably less, than the average southerner/American would have regarding Great Britain and the  British....particularly since the typical Brit is much better traveled than the typical American. I believe Nashville would be considered an ideal destination as well as a gateway for the Deep South for many British interested in going deeper into the real America. Met a cool couple at a blues festival in Memphis 3 years ago who hailed from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, UK. They were following the 'Blues Trail'. Started in NOLA, then rented a car and drove north through Mississippi, focusing on Delta Blues and Clarksdale, MS....then onto Memphis.  They were finishing their trip in Nashville. They said it was one of the most authentic,  fun and best travel experiences of their lives.  I like hearing that.

[titanhog]

7 hours ago, Flatrock said:

Is our skin truly so thin? We don't need to look for slights - where non exist. Lived in the UK 5 years. The British are very interested in our country; especially the regions/places many of them have never been (NYC, LA, Orlando are the common US destinations). For many Brits,  the 'deep south' still emotes thoughts and feelings of a time gone by, friendly people, an attractive accent/manner, good food - and mysterious places off the beaten track worthy of exploration. Are there built-in prejudices, preconceptions and flawed generalities regarding the Deep South and Southerners? Absolutely.  But certainly no more, and quite possibly considerably less, than the average southerner/American would have regarding Great Britain and the  British....particularly since the typical Brit is much better traveled than the typical American. I believe Nashville would be considered an ideal destination as well as a gateway for the Deep South for many British interested in going deeper into the real America. Met a cool couple at a blues festival in Memphis 3 years ago who hailed from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, UK. They were following the 'Blues Trail'. Started in NOLA, then rented a car and drove north through Mississippi, focusing on Delta Blues and Clarksdale, MS....then onto Memphis.  They were finishing their trip in Nashville. They said it was one of the most authentic,  fun and best travel experiences of their lives.  I like hearing that.

What are these "built-in prejudices, preconceptions and flawed generalities" we have against the British?  I think most American / southerners have a positive view towards the British.

As for "Deep South"...I don't take it as a slight...just more of a moniker that is rarely used anymore and sounds odd to describe the south that I grew up in and call home.

[Flatrock]

27 minutes ago, titanhog said:

As for "Deep South"...I don't take it as a slight...just more of a moniker that is rarely used anymore and sounds odd to describe the south that I grew up in and call home.

OK, great!

[smeagolsfree]

Bs nice! Most folks across the pond think you can drive from NYC to LA in a couple of hours. They reallyhave no idea od distance here unless they have been here before.

[MidTenn1]

Quote

^^^^ True conversation I had in pub in SW England one night;

So where are you from?

Nashville.

Is that where Elvis is from?

No he's from Memphis, nearby.

How close is nearby?

200 miles...

Entire pub breaks out in laughter.

 

[dmillsphoto]

1 hour ago, PHofKS said:

 

Quite literally my experience in Amsterdam earlier this year. Met someone with an Elvis signature tattoo, asked how far Nashville was from Memphis. Was appalled that "3 hours drive away" was even viable, given they probably aren't showing up to the party that's 45 minutes away.

[titanhog]

1 hour ago, dmillsphoto said:

Quite literally my experience in Amsterdam earlier this year. Met someone with an Elvis signature tattoo, asked how far Nashville was from Memphis. Was appalled that "3 hours drive away" was even viable, given they probably aren't showing up to the party that's 45 minutes away.

I bet they'd keel over dead if I told them I've driven from Nashville to San Francisco more than once...and that it took me a week, one way! (I drove about 6-7 hours a day)

[Pdt2f]

2 minutes ago, titanhog said:

I bet they'd keel over dead if I told them I've driven from Nashville to San Francisco more than once...and that it took me a week, one way! (I drove about 6-7 hours a day)

My brother and I did it in about 2 days haha. Nashville to Salt Lake City in one go (driving through the night), and then Salt Lake City to San Fran on the next day. The return trip (after driving the PCH) was San Diego to Tucson; Tuscan to Dallas, and Dallas to Nashville. 

[urbanplanet17]

Geographically-speaking, when I think of "Deep South," I think of cities like Birmingham, New Orleans and Atlanta (basically, any place where you can find a Winn-Dixie). These are the areas that rarely see accumulating snow in the winter. 

Culturally-speaking, the only city these days that I would consider "Deep South" are New Orleans and Birmingham. 

Memphis and Nashville are more like the Mid-South. Basically, these are the areas on the borderline of minimal snow / numerous light snowfalls.

Personally, I like the term "New South" myself to describe cities like Atlanta, Nashville and Charlotte. They're hardly "Southern" like they were 50 years ago.

Edited September 19, 2017 by urbanplanet17

[kc8501]

I also learned from my Irish co-workers that country music is HUGE in the emerald isle.  I'm sure that fondness has also hopped over to the UK.  For them, Nashville was a super cool destination.  They all wanted to do a business trip here.

Edited September 19, 2017 by kc8501

[tragenvol]

14 hours ago, urbanplanet17 said:

Personally, I like the term "New South" myself to describe cities like Atlanta, Nashville and Charlotte. They're hardly "Southern" like they were 50 years ago.

There is another term that hasn't been thrown out here..."Upper South" or "Upland South;" some consider Nashville its capital.

[BnaBreaker]

1 hour ago, kc8501 said:

I also learned from my Irish co-workers that country music is HUGE in the emerald isle.  I'm sure that fondness has also hopped over to the UK.  For them, Nashville was a super cool destination.  They all wanted to do a business trip here.

It makes sense to me seeing as how bluegrass/traditional country is really nothing more than Americanized traditional Irish/Scottish music.  

[Will]

Anything going on in the A terminal in terms of construction prep? Maybe someone on their way through could snap some pics one of these days.

[Pdt2f]

5 minutes ago, Will said:

Anything going on in the A terminal in terms of construction prep? Maybe someone on their way through could snap some pics one of these days.

I walked around it a few weeks ago and didn't take any pics, but apparently the temporary international arrivals area is close to completion. They have a floor-to-ceiling dust barrier up so it's kind of hard to see the progress. 

[e-dub]

On 9/12/2017 at 11:53 PM, Pdt2f said:

Think of it as his Air Force One. He has offices, living quarters, room for his staff, etc. I believe the crown prince has military responsibilities, along with governmental ones. The thing that surprises me isn't that he has a 747, but that he has a home in Green Hills! Like American celebrities having homes here I get, but Middle Eastern Royalty?! When are we going to get an Emirates flight?! 

i heard he's interested in buying the willis building (elm hill pike and mcgavock pike). have you heard the same thing?

[Pdt2f]

3 hours ago, e-dub said:

i heard he's interested in buying the willis building (elm hill pike and mcgavock pike). have you heard the same thing?

I actually have no idea haha. My above info was just general knowledge about middle eastern monarchies, which are much more active and involved than their figurehead European counterparts. @NashvilleObserver may know, though. 

[UTgrad09]

August numbers are out:

2016 - 1,116,566

2017 - 1,229,808 (+113,242, +10.1%)

12 month running total: 13,797,801 (+1,317,909, +10.6%)

We're passing St. Louis this year.

[Pdt2f]

1 hour ago, UTgrad09 said:

August numbers are out:

2016 - 1,116,566

2017 - 1,229,808 (+113,242, +10.1%)

12 month running total: 13,797,801 (+1,317,909, +10.6%)

We're passing St. Louis this year.

Great numbers! What is St. Louis on pace for?

I wouldn't be surprised to see us go over a million every month from here on out. We did it for 10 months last year. 

[LA_TN]

3 hours ago, UTgrad09 said:

We're passing St. Louis this year.

I just don't see that happening in CY 2017. Through July, STL was ahead by 469k. That's a lot. Is it doable? Anything is possible! But, that's a lot. Thus far, STL has had slightly better numbers than BNA every month

**August numbers for STL are not posted yet (or, if they are, I don't know where to find them)

[dmillsphoto]

Direct from LHR to BNA and back on Virgin? "Of course!" says Richard Branson.

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/09/21/another-nonstop-nashvilleflight-to-london-of.html

[Pdt2f]

3 minutes ago, dmillsphoto said:

Direct from LHR to BNA and back on Virgin? "Of course!" says Richard Branson.

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/09/21/another-nonstop-nashvilleflight-to-london-of.html

Ah just beat me! "Is he patronizing us?! I can't tell if he's patronizing us!!" Can anyone reach behind the paywall for this?

[Nathan_in_DC]

I may be moving to the UK here soon, so more direct flights gets a thumbs up from me! Direct flight from London is significantly faster than the drive from DC!

[AronG]

"Of course," he said with a chuckle. "I’d need to check what the status is, but I’m sure one day, yes. Wherever BA [British Airways] goes, we generally like to give them a run for their money. So I think it’s quite possible."

[Pdt2f]

Now the interesting question - and I completely realize that this is pure conjecture based on an on-the-spot diplomatic response by Branson and I'm just thinking out loud - is that since Virgin Atlantic codeshares with Delta, if VA adds a Nashville to LHR or LGW and Delta adds AMS as rumored, would Delta just go ahead and bump BNA into a focus city or minor hub? I realize that it would involve expanding gate capacity beyond what they have now, but it seems with two European flights and an expanding population, Nashville would be a good choice as another way of taking pressure off ATL.