Nashville International Airport Development thread

[Pdt2f]

12 minutes ago, NashRugger said:

Southwest's fleet is the smallest it's been in a couple years right now with the retirement of the 500s and 300s and slowly taking delivery of new 800s and 800 MAX aircraft. The company is focusing heavily on streamlining some destinations, like Florida to the Caribbean/Mexico and eventually lining up on the West Coast for Hawaii. 

I flew on a -300 in September that was its last paying flight. They dropped us off from SAT and then flew the old bird to Victorville to “either get turned into beer cans or sold to a third world airline,” as our pilot put it   

[NashRugger]

I mean, airplanes really are fancy electronic beer cans to begin with. 

[Pdt2f]

Article about BNA Vision in a mag called Passenger Terminal World. I didn’t know this: the new International Arrivals area in the main terminal that will be constructed in a few years will include 6 dual-purpose gates that can handle a 747.

 http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/095001a2#/095001a2/18

The article starts on page 16, if it didn’t link correctly. 

[Pdt2f]

Frontier is adding Trenton, New Jersey starting April 8, with three flights per week. They also seem to have turned Austin into basically another focus city. Not sure if this was already the plan they had, but they’ve expanded a ton there and are now the second largest carrier at AUS. 

https://news.flyfrontier.com/frontier-airlines-adds-35-new-routes-four-new-cities/

[NashRugger]

1 hour ago, Pdt2f said:

Frontier is adding Trenton, New Jersey starting April 8, with three flights per week. They also seem to have turned Austin into basically another focus city. Not sure if this was already the plan they had, but they’ve expanded a ton there and are now the second largest carrier at AUS. 

https://news.flyfrontier.com/frontier-airlines-adds-35-new-routes-four-new-cities/

Yeah, I've never seen an airline add 14 cities from one location in a day. That said, many are seasonal, but still. Damn, Frontier ain't playing!

[Pdt2f]

2 minutes ago, NashRugger said:

Yeah, I've never seen an airline add 14 cities from one location in a day. That said, many are seasonal, but still. Damn, Frontier ain't playing!

I think they’ll eventually make a move to merge with Spirit, or vice versa. Makes too much sense. Same business model, complete fleet compatibility, and enough routes that do and don’t overlap to make a merger make sense. 

[jmtunafish]

2 hours ago, Pdt2f said:

Frontier is adding Trenton, New Jersey starting April 8, with three flights per week. They also seem to have turned Austin into basically another focus city. Not sure if this was already the plan they had, but they’ve expanded a ton there and are now the second largest carrier at AUS. 

https://news.flyfrontier.com/frontier-airlines-adds-35-new-routes-four-new-cities/

Isn't Trenton located right outside of Philadelphia?  Frontier already flies between BNA and PHL.  Is there really that much demand for flights between Nashville and Philly?  Still, I'm glad to see more service out of BNA, no matter the airline or the destination.

[Pdt2f]

1 hour ago, jmtunafish said:

Isn't Trenton located right outside of Philadelphia?  Frontier already flies between BNA and PHL.  Is there really that much demand for flights between Nashville and Philly?  Still, I'm glad to see more service out of BNA, no matter the airline or the destination.

Yeah it’s close to Philly, and not too far away from New York. I’m not entirely sure of the timing but I know the Philly and Trenton flights are both seasonal, perhaps they don’t overlap in time? Other than proximity to Philly and NYC, I don’t know if there will be too much demand, unless they’re using the flight primarily for connections. Frontier has insanely low operating and maintenance costs though so who knows how many butts need to be in seats to make it profitable. 

[MetroTN]

My flights to/from Vegas last weekend were both full on Southwest. 

[Hey_Hey]

Could this flight be targeting leisure travel from Trenton to Nashville?  Their other additions were Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston. 

[Pdt2f]

4 hours ago, Hey_Hey said:

Could this flight be targeting leisure travel from Trenton to Nashville?  Their other additions were Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston. 

That makes sense! You’re right, it basically gives easy, cheap access to Nashville from almost anywhere in New Jersey, along with budget minded Philadelphians and New Yorkers. 

[NashRugger]

Thinking about it, I'm actually a little surprised Allegiant hasn't tried to get into negotiations with the Smyrna-Rutherford County Airport to get into the Nashville market. They're notorious for going to smaller airports, such as MidAmerica Airport near St. Louis and Rickenbacker Int'l south of Columbus, Ohio.

[donNdonelson2]

I don’t think the Smyrna facility is set up for passenger traffic at all-no TSA, etc. I wouldn’t expect any passenger airlines to establish service there for a very long time ( if ever).

[MidTenn1]

When the US Postal Service was gearing up to become an overnight package delivery service (like FedEx) they wanted to use Smyrna as a hub, as I recall. People in the City objected and it didn't happen.

I heard a story that people saw a big passenger jet type aircraft approaching the airport slowly one day with wheels down, then lifted up and continued toward Nashville.  Apparently the Smyrna and Nashville runways are aligned in the same direction and Smyrna may have been briefly  mistaken for Nashville.

[Pdt2f]

Smyrna can handle larger aircraft though, right? I think there used to be a privately owned 747SP that would land there a lot, or from what I was told it did. 

[titanhog]

2 hours ago, Pdt2f said:

Smyrna can handle larger aircraft though, right? I think there used to be a privately owned 747SP that would land there a lot, or from what I was told it did. 

Smyrna's longest runways is basically the same length as 2 of BNA's runways...at around 8000 feet...but much shorter than BNA's longest (11,000 feet +)

From the Smyrna Airport Authority:

Located twelve nautical miles south of Nashville International Airport, Smyrna Airport is the "reliever" airport for Nashville. With more than 1,700 acres, Smyrna Airport is the third largest airport in Tennessee and the busiest general aviation airport in Tennessee. Smyrna Airport users have, within ten miles, access to rail and three interstate systems which bisect Middle Tennessee. Smyrna Airport is located in the geographic center of Tennessee and more importantly the center of the eastern United States. Eighty percent of the United States population lives within a 700-mile radius of Smyrna. These factors influence the tremendous growth and ongoing location of industry in the Smyrna area.

Smyrna Airport is designated a General Aviation/Reliever Airport, certificated by the FAA as a Part 139 Class IV airport. A Public Safety Department staffed round the clock provides fire and emergency medical services. The primary runway is 8,048 feet long and is equipped with an Instrument Landing System, and the second runway is 5,546 feet long. The airfield is equipped with a complete lighting system with intensity sensitive runway lighting. The Air Traffic Control Tower operates 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. on weekends.

Smyrna Airport currently operates as a joint-use facility with the Tennessee Army National Guard. The airport also serves as a military flight training facility as well as a hurricane evacuation point for military bases along the Gulf and East Coasts.

Smyrna Airport's size, location, and facilities make it attractive for training purposes.

The 1,700-acre Airport is home to over 50 businesses. Together, the Airport, the Tennessee Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics, and the Federal Aviation Administration have expended more than $95 million on infrastructure improvements since 1991.

Today more than 1,000 people, including National Guard personnel, work at Smyrna Airport. Two Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) provide reception/lounge areas for air arrivals/departures and private, charter and corporate aircraft services, and flight training. Aircraft structural repair, avionics work, and airframe and power plant maintenance for the single engine rotorcraft to large transport jets can be found at Smyrna Airport.

The Smyrna Airport operates under a Master Airport Plan approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Airport management staff is charged with implementing strategy to carry out the Master Plan. These projects target development that will increase capacity of the transportation system in the Middle Tennessee area. A major thrust of this development is the modern Airport Business Park under development on the western side of the Airport.

Smyrna Airport was constructed in 1942 and originally was home to the Army Air Force Combat Crew School which trained troops to fly the B-24 and B-17 aircraft. The base was deactivated at the end of World War II, and then reactivated in 1948 by the newly organized United States Air Force. Smyrna Airport, which became known as Sewart Air Force Base in 1950, served various Troop Carrier Wings until 1970 when the base was again deactivated and transferred to a civilian operation.

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority assumed control until May 15, 1991, at which time the property was transferred to the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority. The Airport Authority then began operation Rebuild/Renew which was designed to renovate the vintage air base and increase the economic base of the community as well as carry the Airport and surrounding transportation system into the 21st Century.

https://www.smyrnaairport.com/about-us/

Edited February 12, 2018 by titanhog

[NashRugger]

Smyrna's main runway is just technically offset 10 degrees from BNA's longest and I've heard that happened before, with regards to aircraft mistaking MQY for BNA. 

Smyrna does run charter flights with Suncountry, they bring in 737-800s from GPT (Gulfport/Biloxi) and they have plenty of corporate aircraft operations. They theoretically could build up a small terminal on site and have TSA for such, but I doubt it will occur. It would be Allegiant's only real chance to get into the market.

[markhollin]

Update on construction for temporary International Arrivals area (includes video):

http://bnavisionnashville.com/2018/02/02/constructing-bnas-interim-international-arrivals-building-iab/

Update on the new parking garage construction, which is up to the 7th level now in spots (includes video):

http://bnavisionnashville.com/2018/01/31/construction-zone-a-visit-to-bnas-parking-and-transportation-center/

 

[Nash_12South]

I flew out yesterday and in my opinion what’s left of the adjacent large lot is a becoming a mess. You can’t walk anymore from the lot to the terminal. Maybe 25% of the lot is gone, and most folks don’t realize it until they arrive. I’ll uber next time. 

[samsonh]

9 hours ago, Nash_12South said:

I flew out yesterday and in my opinion what’s left of the adjacent large lot is a becoming a mess. You can’t walk anymore from the lot to the terminal. Maybe 25% of the lot is gone, and most folks don’t realize it until they arrive. I’ll uber next time. 

Parking short term is $4 more a day I believe. To me the extra price is worth having my car there when I get back and avoiding the Uber mess.

[jmtunafish]

Or you can do one of the el-cheapo parking deals at some of the surrounding hotels.  I don't remember the name of the company, but I park my car at the Marriott for something like $3.50/day.  It's farther from the airport, of course, but it's nice to sit in the air conditioned Marriott lobby to wait for the shuttle rather than in a parking lot bus stop shelter.

[NashRugger]

Southwest has announced multiple times per day service to Atlanta beginning in August. This is to compete with Delta's current monopoly along that route and it'll be quite interesting to see how Delta reacts.

[Pdt2f]

27 minutes ago, NashRugger said:

Southwest has announced multiple times per day service to Atlanta beginning in August. This is to compete with Delta's current monopoly along that route and it'll be quite interesting to see how Delta reacts.

Wow, 5 times daily, that’s bold. I expected them to eventually add Atlanta (since it’s such a huge focus city with lots of connections), but I figured with delta’s dominance it would be maybe 2 times a day. 5 per day seems crazy, but I like the vote of confidence! Now hopefully someone will wise up and add a Portland, Oregon flight! 

[Hey_Hey]

 This will definitely open up additional options for travelers to Atlanta. However,  Atlanta may turn into a feeder airport for southwest in Nashville. I can’t imagine 5x daily flights would be filled with people only traveling from Atlanta to Nashville or vice versa. I suspect that these planes will be filled with people making connections, more commonly in Nashville than in Atlanta.  There are a handful of airports that are served from Nashville that are served from Atlanta, and three or four airports are served from Atlanta but not from Nashville.  

[NashRugger]

27 minutes ago, Hey_Hey said:

 This will definitely open up additional options for travelers to Atlanta. However,  Atlanta may turn into a feeder airport for southwest in Nashville. I can’t imagine 5x daily flights would be filled with people only traveling from Atlanta to Nashville or vice versa. I suspect that these planes will be filled with people making connections, more commonly in Nashville than in Atlanta.  There are a handful of airports that are served from Nashville that are served from Atlanta, and three or four airports are served from Atlanta but not from Nashville.  

Yeah, only a couple airports ATL serves versus what BNA does within the Southwest network. That said, the business community is most excited since Delta had that route on total lock, until August. Delta will slash those ticket prices, if they already haven't today, for those dates and onward in August. Atlanta and Nashville have a sort of similar business relationship to Dallas and Houston, although that example is about as big an example between two cities you'd ever get.