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Nashville International Airport
Rating Details »
27 reviews for Nashville International Airport
This is one of the nicest and most clean airports I have been in in quite some time. Add to this that the American Airlines desk was super nice and bumped me onto an earlier flight, there are massage and nail salon services available AND a map listing the food and shopping options by terminal and you are totally set for any delays that might occur. I only wish I knew of the possibilities before I took that earlier flight - I cuold have gotten my pedicure early, a massage and eaten at the Neely's BBQ take-out and hopped on my original flight!
Makes me want to plan a lay-over here sometime soon - and that is saying a lot when you consider how miserable air travel has become!
I have spent a lot of time in many airports. Nashville ranks high on my favorites list for several reasons:
1) Small airport. I can get from my gate to luggage in no time flat. In larger airports.
In the Southwest terminal there are several of my favorite haunts:
2) Tootsies lounge is a great place to hang out and listen to music by young up and coming artists. I plan my trips around spending an hour here to listen to music or watch sports on their large televisions and get a drink. The bartenders are friendly.
3) Cute little shops
4) I can get a massage and my nails done while I wait.
5) Wonderful black and white photos of country singers
There is always a downside to any place.
1) The airport is small so I have often had to make a connecting flight to get to this airport. In the winter, that is deadly as I have been delayed many hours trying to get to Nashville for Christmas.
2) Although I enjoy Tootsies, I am not fan a BBQ. They have an arrangement with Whitt's Barbecue next door to serve Whitts food. It is convenient. I am no judge of good BBQ so I will not comment on the food, but I did order a baked potato with BBQ on top. It was a generous portion and it seemed okay. There are plenty of alternates, but I guess I am not a fan of Southern food.
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International ? Really?
You don't get that feeling from here at all. It's bleak, it's also different from your typical International airports. They have the right kinds of eye catching shopping, bars and lounges with that experience that whisks you away from where you are and multiple massaging stations. Massaging stations? Those leather relax chaise chairs with the massage built in, sit and spend a few dollars for a relaxing massage. Or walk to the nearest map and find one of their Massage spas with services starting at $3 dollars for a ten minute neck massage. Good place, not terribly busy and parking is easy to find. Grabbing your luggage and meeting your party outside is a cinch.
Strange.. in the luggage retrieval area there is a stage setup with speakers; as if to suggest that they allow bands to perform in these areas. Wild.
The airport has internet kiosks, you can plug in and use your laptop of pay a fee and use theirs. One can also use outlets to charge their phones, PDA's, etc.
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BNA is a fascinating place. Yes, it's an airport. But it's also an experience. The staffs at the various areas are incredibly friendly, and they even have a CMT store once you get through security. On top of that, they have screens everywhere giving information about the various flights from the various carriers that fly in and out, as well as times/delays/etc. There are also a decent amount of food-related places, all perfect for grabbing something to eat either for your flight or before you head out.
The one downside was that it was tough to find an ATM in the place. This isn't too much of a concern, though because I didn't have enough cash, I couldn't get a beer on my flight :(.
Overall though, Nashville International is a pleasant airport, and relatively close to the city itself.
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This Airport has certainly improved its Security screening area. That combined with the fact that its always pretty clean makes it better than many of the airports I've been to in the US. There is plenty of dining before your flight too. The gate areas are really where its most inefficient, requiring long hikes to your gate, down long hallways. I feel like I'm always leaving from gate Z-99.
BNA is easily my favorite airport ever. It's top-notch for all those things every traveler is most concerned with.
The security check points are fast and divided with lines for different types of travelers (expert, casual, family).
Easy to read screens all over the place to help you figure out where you need to be.
The CMT store rocks as far as picking up a Nashville souvenir that isn't as generic and lame as the standard postcard, t-shirt or mug that says the city name in an ugly cursive font.
The car rental area is in the airport - no need to wait for a shuttle to go to a separate building a mile from the airport. No lines both times I've been there.
Outside the car rental doors to get to the parking lot, you'll see one of the coolest examples of a mosaic I've ever seen. See posted photos.
Good bloody marys at Tootsies and live music! Can't beat that.
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I've been to the Nashville Airport a few times now and have found it unremarkable. (And I mean that in the clinical, neutral way. Not in a "I'm looking down my nose at you, BNA" kind of way.)
Often, unremarkable is a good thing at an airport. Right?
Anyways, I did have a pleasant experience at the Tennessee Tavern, which is right across from Gate B5.
I was there in the morning and it was pretty dead. I asked if they had anything "breakfasty," to which my server replied, "Like a bloody mary?" I'm glad she suggested that, because it turns out they make a delicious overpriced bloody mary!
And their breakfast sandwich (bacon, egg & cheese) was totally decent for airport food. My only complaint was that it was a little too salty.
The manager was really nice & we chatted for a long time. She told me all kinds of interesting stuff about the staffing & food supply processes at airports. For example, everyone who works anywhere on airport premises has to have a background check. Including all of the food service staff. It's very easy to get fired, apparently because of all the heightened security measures. Also, none of the businesses in the airport are actually owned by the advertised company (Burger King, Subway, etc.) They're run by a separate management company to make sure that all of the security regulations are met.
Thanks Tennessee Tavern! I got on my flight full & tipsy & full of new insider info about airport businesses! Yay!
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This is a nice mid-size airport with quite a bit of country kitsch. There's a ton of Grand Ole Opry and Tennessee Titans merchandise in the gift stores. Whitt's BBQ is the spot for a bite, not McDonald's or some other fast food chain. Country music stars greet you over the loudspeaker -- "This is Travis Tritt. Welcome to Nashville, Music City . . ."
I think the New York airports should have similar announcements. "This is Lou Reed. Welcome to New York City . . ."
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This airport has the lowest ceilings I've ever seen. The baggage carousels are ancient and crowd control completely inefficient. The area is dark and cavernous.
If your cell phone is dead or you can't get a signal, good luck trying to find a pay phone outside security, the signage in these areas is greatly lacking.
Have at least two bags on wheels? You'll hate the narrow escalators that require you place one bag in front of you and one behind you.
The "C" concourse, the longest of the 4 in this airport has no moving walkways.
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I'll be honest, BNA is one of my favorite airports. Since they redesigned the security checkpoint it has been especially quick. This is a standard, one hour before arrival time airport. However I once was running late during the Thanksgiving rush and in 30 minutes I parked my car in economy, took the shuttle in, got through security and to my gate with only moments to spare.
The new security line has "Expert Traveler" lines too, which is nice if you're like me. If you go in the side closest to Southwest Airlines it's all the way on the far left. The line is usually shorter and it's for those of us that know what we need to send through the xray.
The new restaurants past security are getting really good. They've added a Noshville (which is one of my fav places to eat in town), a Tootsies and various fast foods. Oh, I forgot about the Baja Burrito. Yum. There is also a massage parlor.
As for delays I've only been affected when my plane was coming from Chicago and the Windy City was experiencing issues. When traveling with luggage I've never had to wait more than 20 minutes to pick it up on my return flights. They airlines also lost a suitcase once on my way back from Australia, but found it and delivered it to me the next day.
I've only flown out of this airport once, and that was a long time ago, but I've heard the place has tried to develop and expand with their stores and restaurants, but for a city the size of Nashville I find this to be a painfully small airport.
God help you if you have a long layover and you don't own *insert entertainment medium here*. Of course the people are nice and you can find yourself some nice Music City memorabilia to take home, so that's a plus.
If you don't like the big airports, you should really look into letting this place be your middle stop, if you can so plan it that way. It's quiet and I understand, that's a good thing.
This is the best airport!!!
We have been coming to Nashville for 25 + years and I love the remodel. We missed 18 months, which were the new reconstruction of this airport. Now I'm sorry I didn't come back to Nashville sooner.
Tootsie's, Gibson, live music. How can you beat this. Now all I need is to run into more celebrites while travelling... LOL
Another easy airport to travel in and out of. I visit Dell which is at the end of the runway! This one is allot like home (GRR) a little bigger but nice. Always clean and some good food choices. The Rental car service is on site and easy. Security is never backed up . I simple like this airport.
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International = a handful of flights to Canada. That's about as funny as San Jose Airport having flights to Mexico.
These days every part of the place seems to be under construction for some grand remodel. I could barely find a place away from the jackhammers and loud announcements by famous (?) country western celebrities to watch your bags and welcome folks to the city. Starbucks closed as were most of the restaurants.
Then again, I probably shouldn't complain too much about any airport that you can walk across the road to get your rental car. Don't ya hate when you have to take a shuttle bus for miles and miles to get to the rental complex?
I didn't get the chance to eat there, but I appreciated the NY bagel/deli place there called Noshville. At least, someone has a sense of humor there.
Yee ha!
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BNA has gotten a face lift and now seems a little more big time as an airport, even though it is still a small one. One thing they did was redo the area where you go into the terminal through security. They have separated the lines into "Family/Medical Liquid" line for those people that are guaranteed to take forever, the "Casual traveler" line for the average person, and "Expert Traveler" line which in my mind meant people that have their shit together and should just breeze through security. I picked the expert line because I am the person with my liquids out, all my jewelry and belts off, shoes off, and ID out WAY before I get up there to go through the line. There's nothing in my pockets to make the thing go off and I can put my items in the plastic bins in 2 seconds flat. However, the problem is that everyone gets to choose what line they go in and, well, idiots everywhere think that they are awesome and belong in the expert line. They do not. I should have gotten in the casual line or even the freakin family line because BOTH of them were moving faster than the expert line. For the LOVE people, you are NOT an expert, go in the OTHER LINE! I would like to volunteer my services to stand there and tell people what line they should be on based on how they look, how much stuff they have, and how prepared they appear hehe
After you get inside though they have restaurants like O'Charleys, live bands playing in the terminals, and artwork by one of the Oak Ridge Boys on the walls. The gift shops have expanded and actually have some stuff I want....this time I bought a couple of Christmas ornaments for my tree including one with a pic of Elvis on it. They also have a Whitt's BBQ that has some DELICIOUS pulled pork. I saw they had opened it again when I made it to Nashville and I informed many people during my holiday that I was going to have BBQ at the airport on the way home. They also opened up a Tootsie's in the airport right next door to the Whitt's. And instead of having to get your drink on, then go to Whitt's and eat, and then come back and get your drink on again, you can order it off the Tootsie's menu! A+ for convenience right there...and they bring the HOT and MILD sauces both so you can mix em together and make your sandwich awesome! Then you can sit and shoot the shit with all the people waiting for their flight because the people in Nashville are friendly. I love waiting for my flight here!!
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BNA has come a long way in the past year. I guess they felt it was about time to build more than two restaurants and two shops, and I guess it was about time. I kind of liked our "small-town" airport, but I like this new incarnation too. What I really love is that they have included local restaurants, as opposed to the Chili's and Friday's that you find in most airports. You can find local (or locally-based) eateries such as: Baja Burrito, O'Charley's, Swett's, Noshville, Neely's BBQ, La Hacienda, and they even have an airport version of Tootsie's! The gift shops and book shops have also been given a huge facelift and the result is much, much better. They still have the Hatch Show Print exhibit, which is definitely my favorite part of the whole airport. Going through security is even better now, with a larger area to control the lines.
Now, why they call it an "international" airport is beyond me. I think there is ONE FLIGHT to Toronto, which hardly makes us international. But, with cities like Chicago and Atlanta so close, it makes it easy to connect to international cities.
Ahh,my first time ever to Nashville,TN. We (2 friends and I)landed at Nashville International Airport after a 9 hour flight from Oakland via Dallas then to Nashville. Believe it or not, they have international flights to and from Nashville,which suprised me.
This small airport is not as busy in comparison to SF,LA or LaGuardia(New York), whom are the busiest airports in the United States. They don't have too many shops or restaurants here, but they do have Panda Express, in which I declined to eat after a long flight. We must depart and eat someone else like in the city of Nashville. First, I must rent a car.
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Things move really slow in Tennessee. People walking on the street, the way people talk, my cousin putting on her makeup. The security line and food court at BNA included.
I witnessed a security guy studying a container of pudding for about 5 minutes. Turning it over. Reading the label. Shaking it. Then picking up another pudding pack and comparing the two. IT'S PUDDING!!!
Anyway, no hard feelings. I have a New York nurtured impatience, and everyone was friendly. They have a new food court and some cute shops, and the plane took off on time. Just leave extra time if you have puddin', y'alllllllllllll.
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...Hey BNA - lookin good!
I've flown in & outta; BNA about 16 times in the last 3 years. I'm only familiar with the terminal that serves SWA...down a long hallway with a dog-leg left at the end.
Used to be a ghost town, closed shops, and the longest hallway ever of 6in. beige tile. I mean really - airports of the world listen up! What do you think the sound of 100+ people dragging roller bags sounds like in the longest 6in tile set hallway ever? Machine-gun fire maybe?
Anywho - good news! they've carpeted, gotten rid of some of the old wall treatments, brought in a Starbucks & a bunch of other food options, heck you can even buy a magazine or a book! Yay for the revitalized BNA!
They only get three stars though, because I know they can do even better. The restrooms are still totally 80's with gray and burgundy tile walls and tiny stalls you can't bring your luggage into.
Also the TSA lines here have been looong. Every single flight out for three years. Arrive early and bring a book to read in the TSA line.
For a small airport, it's pretty confusing.
It doesn't cover as much ground as say San Diego or Oakland's airports (can't even compare it to JFK) but still, it's laid out in a confusing way that makes you walk forever to get to a gate.
I flew Southwest from Ontario, CA to BNA. I agree with previous reviewers, people tend to move very slowly. If you want to get food at the Nashville Airport, don't bother with the food court, it's too slow for fast food. You get faster service at the sit-down restaurants.
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Being an avid traveler I can tell you that oddly enough Nashville International Airport is actually one of my favorites. I think amongst the many reasons is it, is their genius timed parking spots. If you are picking up a friend that you know is almost on their way out of baggage claim you don't have go through the hassle of parking in the parking garage you can just pull up to the terminal and park in a temporary parking spot (you get 10 minutes to wait for your friend directly in front of arrivals!). Though small, the place is actually well laid out with everything conveniently located. After a serious year of remodeling, you can now catch a little bit of the Honky Tonks inside the airport with a new Tootsies Orchid lounge, along with some other fun Nashville restaurants. Oh yeah and did I mention the live country band that serenades you as you are entering the security checkpoint?
On a trip back to TN last year, we flew from Ontario, CA to the Nashville International Airport. The airport in Nashville might not be as big as LAX or other larger airports but it was slightly confusing. It helped that we had a wheelchair for my mother and we were escorted to where we needed to go which was down a couple of levels to the car rental area.
This was still a nice airport, customer (and tip) oriented (though all are that way so no biggie). Once we acclimated it was easier to figure out where everything was and fairly easy to drive in and out of the place.
I've been to a hanful of airports in the states. And this is the least memorable. I love how it is an International Airport. I was told that they only fly to Canada... does that count?
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Pretty good as far as airports go. Security lines tend to be kinda long (usually about a 10-15 min wait), but once you get through security, it's not bad. Pretty easy to navigate and no huges crowds of people (like in Atlanta), but I do agree with other yelpers that the food options are pretty scant. Hopefully the new renovations with provide travellers with more dining options.
i like the time announcements on the intercom system every half hour, they're currently remodeling so i forgive the lack of stores and food (i was hunting for some real-ish nashville food but all they had was the burger king, italian, burritos, and i ended up going with the bbq sandwich at the food court), but the definite con was that they charge for wifi... $7.95! arg
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This is a great airport. Close to downtown, but not scary close (I'm looking at you, San Diego). Lots of flight options, in large part due to it being a Southwest mini-hub and presence of other budget carriers JetBlue and Frontier. Surprising range of direct flights (beyonf the obvious ones we have directs to Seattle, Boston, San Deigo, really every big US city). Renovation currently adding new restaurants. Lines are rarely long. I've lived here for 7 years in total and have always been able to get in and out of here pretty quick. Big negative of course is lack of any overseas flights, although this only affects me at most once a year.
great airport, nice and close to everything in Nashville and not a nightmare to get to ( think any NY Metro airport). Rental car area works nice and you have no problem getting to the highway.
