Nashville Airport Earns Awards for Concessions and Customer Service

Many elements of Nashville International Airport’s (BNA) recent terminal renovation project, as well as the airport’s ongoing exemplary customer service, garnered top honors from Airport Revenue News, a leading concessions trade publication. BNA earned awards for the Best Concessions Management Team; Airport with the Best Customer Service; and Airport with the Most Unique Services, all in the medium airport division, in the Airport Revenue News’ 2009 Best Airport & Concession Awards.

“These industry awards provide tangible affirmation that our recent terminal upgrades have enhanced the BNA team’s ability to provide the Nashville Airports Experience to our passengers and customers,” said Raul Regalado, president & CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA). “We remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence in providing premier facilities and services to travelers.”

Visit FlyNashville.com to learn more about the Nashville Airport.

Update on Nashville Airport construction

Beginning today, the temporary two-lane Ring Road will be reduced to a single lane in one stretch through the long-term parking lot to install a utility duct bank across the road. Depending on weather, this lane reduction may continue for up to one week. Ring Road is the one-way road that surrounds Nashville International Airport's short- and long-term parking facilities and offers access to the terminal.

In addition, the entrance and exit to the long-term parking lot will be impacted with upcoming construction.

Nashville International Airport passengers and guests are advised to watch

for construction detour signage, reduce speed, and stay alert for construction workers.

Temporarily, no cell phone/waiting area is available. If waiting for arriving passengers, you may use either the 10-minute waiting area outside the baggage claim area or the short-term parking garage.

The terminal entrance off of Donelson Pike, nearest I-40 and adjacent to the Economy Parking Lot, is temporarily closed. Drivers can still access the Economy Parking Lot from Donelson Pike, but terminal access from that entrance has been closed. NOTE: The main airport entrance off of Donelson Pike, adjacent to the Long-term Parking Lot, remains open

Visit the Nashville International Airport website for more information.

Southwest Airlines Adding Flights from Nashville

Southwest Airlines has notified Nashville International Airport (BNA) that effective March 8 through May 8, 2008, Southwest is adding one additional flight each to five markets it currently serves from BNA and beginning May 9 through June 26, 2008, is adding back nonstop service to Oakland and Seattle plus an additional flight each to four other markets.

Starting March 8 through May 8, Southwest will add one additional flight to each of the following markets:
Baltimore/Washington (BWI)
Chicago Midway (MDW)
Jacksonville (JAX)
Phoenix (PHX)
Tampa (TPA)

Effective May 9, 2009, to June 26, 2009, Southwest will add back nonstop service to the following markets:
Oakland (OAK)
Seattle (SEA)

In addition, May 9, through June 26, Southwest will add one additional nonstop flight to each of the following markets:
Kansas City (MCI)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Raleigh/Durham (RDU)
San Diego (SAN)

Nashville International Airport is served by 14 carriers. More than 400 average daily arriving and departing flights operate from 47 air carrier gates. Nashville International provides nonstop air service to 90 markets.

For more information, visit FlyNashville.

Use Donelson Pike to get into the Nashville Airport

Nashville International Airport (BNA) advises travelers and guests traveling eastbound on I-40 to use Donelson Pike to access the terminal and parking lots as the Terminal Access Roadway Improvements (TARI) Project moves forward. Beginning Monday, November 10, work in the median of the discrete access roadways off of I-40 will begin. These entrances to and from I-40 will remain open at this point; however, BNA encourages customers coming from the west to use Donelson Pike to avoid construction areas.

To learn more about the work being done at the airport visit the FlyNashville website.

Nashville International Airport delays the start of construction

Due to the challenging economic times, bond market instability and increased materials and labor costs, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) is delaying the start of construction on the consolidated rental agency complex (CONRAC). This project includes the design and construction of a consolidated rental car facility in the long-term parking lot, north of the existing short-term garage.

This is just a delay, not the cancelation of the project. The MNAA does not yet have an expected date to re-activate the project, but looks forward to doing so in a stronger financial environment.

Visit Fly Nashville to learn more about this project.

Nashville International Airport to Launch Frequent Parker ProgramEarn Points Each Time You Park

If you park at the airport quite a bit it will cost you a fortune. Here is something the airport is doing to make it a little easier for you all.
~Corey

Here is the official release from the Nashville International Airport:
Nashville International Airport (BNA) announces a new program designed with frequent parkers in mind. BNA’s new frequent parker program allows travelers to earn free parking, enjoy easier access in and out of gated parking lots, and make payments online. The program excludes valet parking. Interested individuals may join online starting today and begin taking advantage of the program on Nov. 1.

Read all about it on the official Nashville International Airport website.

Change and construction at the Nashville International Airport

• Sub-Phase I (Oct. 2008-May 2009): Entrance to/from I-40 – currently one lane each way separated by a median – will shift to two-way traffic on one side of the median. The cell phone/waiting area will move to the current economy parking lot and will increase in size. Ticket spitters for short- and long-term parking lots will move.
• Sub-Phase II (May-July 2009): Ring Road will be extended and routed through current long-term parking lot.
• Sub-Phase III (July-Sept. 2009): Demolition of current cell phone/waiting area; finish roadway tie-ins.

Why are you overhauling the airport’s roads?
TARI will eliminate the need for vehicles to merge and weave through multiple lanes of traffic on Ring Road, and will improve ingress/egress from both I-40 and Donelson Pike.

For up-to-date information on airport construction, please visit FlyNashville.com and sign up for AIReport, the airport’s e-newsletter. Or, tune in to the airport’s radio station at 1610 AM.

Nashville International Airport is ranked sixth in customer satisfaction

Nashville International Airport's sixth-place ranking came in the small airport category, which includes airports that serve less than 10 million passengers per year. The airport's satisfaction index score was 691, based on a 1,000-point scale.

The Nashville airport was bested by Dallas Love Field, which scored a 709, enough to land in the top spot in satisfaction in the small-airport category. Houston Hobby International was second with 700 points, San Antonio International was third with 699, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International was fourth with 698 points and El Paso International was fifth with 693 points.

Read the entire story in the Nashville Business Journal.

Bush motorcade at the Nashville airport

Air travellers hear Nashville sound with regular performances at airport

Members of the audience dash off suddenly during his show. Others talk on cell phones, read novels or wolf down sandwiches.

John Bontempi takes it all in stride. He strums his guitar and sings another tune near the clanking baggage carousel at Nashville International Airport.

"It took all of history just to make you mine," he warbles from under a dark cowboy hat.

Bontempi is among the 90 or so professional musicians who perform at the airport in its push to add "local flavour," a break from the chain gift shops and restaurants in airports from Miami to Seattle.

"We're the best gig in town," proclaimed Cathy Holland, the airport's director of community affairs and customer service.

Read the entire story at MSNBC.

Fliers flock to O'Charley's

It is first of local eateries recruited to serve travelers

When her flight out of Nashville was delayed Wednesday, Kathy Kirby passed the usual airport restaurants and grabbed a seat at O'Charley's.

"I was tickled to death when I saw it," said Kirby, of Franklin, whose flight to Minnesota was about two hours late. Over a leisurely lunch of grilled chicken salad, she said, "It's nice to get a family restaurant instead of fast food."

O'Charley's on Friday opened a branch at Nashville International. By next summer, the casual restaurant chain will be joined by several other local favorites such as Whitt's Barbecue, Bongo Java and Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.

The restaurants are part of a $44 million renovation project at the airport. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, which approved the project last summer, targeted local businesses for inclusion after a customer survey in 2003 found that people wanted brands they were familiar with at the airport, including local establishments. The restaurants will be phased in as construction progresses over the next two years.

"We are the front door step of Nashville and Middle Tennessee," said Rebecca Ramsey, the airport authority's manager of properties. "We want them to see and feel and hear and taste all the things they can expect when they get into the city."

Read the entire article in the Tennessean newspaper