Nashville International Airport – BNA

I dig this little airport. I have flown in/​out of here and always picked up friends and family who have flown in since there are airlines that fly in here that don’t fly into our little Knoxville airport.
The airport is well laid out and security has always been a breeze. Parking is easy and somehow all of the spots feel like they are close to an entrance. Parking is also reasonably priced by airport standards.
I also love the honky tonk décor throughout the airport.

Wow! This place is great! You can get on a plane and fly anywhere you want! It’s pretty amazing! Instead of having to get in the car and drive, you can actually fly! In the air!
Great parking options. Long term A and economy are very reasonable. I’ve never had to wait more than four minutes for a shuttle from a parking lot to the terminal.
If you are reading this review, what are you really going to do if you decide you don’t like this airport? Fly in/​out of Atlanta instead? I’ve tried that and driving back is a pain in the ***

I’ve flown in and out of BNA countless times over the years. But it took one trip in/​out of DFW to make me realize just how teeny tiny BNA is. But small is good in this case. Security gate is so much smaller than other airports I’ve been in, and thus, just a tad bit faster. Never eaten much besides the Burger King for breakfast. Never browsed any of the gift shops because, well, I lived here. Bathrooms have usually been fairly decent.
I haven’t used the rental vendors downstairs because I use Hertz rewards program. You have to wheel your luggage across the street and up to the 2^nd or 3^rd level (cant remember which one right now). That’s where the Hertz Gold Club is located. I prefer it since the car is ready with keys inside.
My biggest concern with BNA is the lack of charging outlets. Come on now. Get with it. On a recent trip, I asked someone at the ticket counter where I could find an outlet. He pointed down the corridor somewhere and said behind that column. I didn’t know what he was talking about and didn’t want to lose my seat. They really need to do something about this asap.
Overall, it’s small, easy to navigate, and you’re not charged to enter to pick up/​drop off (like DFW).

Pretty well organized airport for departure, arrival, or picking up or dropping off your family and friends.

Nasvhille’s BNA is a very clean and light and airy airport and I flew there on Southwest. It was easy to find the baggage claim and then you can head straight out to find the rental car counters. Über picks up at BNA so once you have your ride confirmed, head outside and there is a section for shared rides. It was marked very clearly and super easy to navigate. The restaurant selection offers a variety of foods (they even have a Tootsie’s Lounge) and then the shops sell all kinds of Nashville attire ranging from boots to sweatshirts to country music.

Live music and brightly colored rocking chairs, need I say more?
I love walking around and listening to the live music coming from the restaurants. Since all the terminals are connected it is fun to take a walk. I also like sitting in the rocking chairs and watching the planes come in.
Security was super fast. It took me about 5 minutes to get through. As far as airports go, I like this one!

This was an interesting little pitstop during our holiday travels.
I was super grateful that our connecting flights were only two gates apart. During our weight, we had time to walk around a bit.
For those of you who have ever traveled in an airport, the food prices are inflated as usual. However, the place has the feel of a smaller airport, which is very nice.
Honestly, I don’t have any complaints!

It’s too multi-​level for me to carry all my heavy stuff around. It gets a bit intense after awhile despite the escalators. Yes, I am complaining about how much of a pain in the ass it is to get around from point A to point C. You figure it out pretty quickly sign signage is legit, but otherwise, that’s all I’ve got to say about it.

Best airport, IMO! Navigation is easy and staff is helpful and polite. The checkpoints move quickly and I’ve had no problems in the numerous flights I’ve taken. There’s ample seating at the gate, and a lot of places to eat and shop while you wait. Of course, the is a ton of Nashville flair in the décor and many starving artists playing music in the corridors. The fluster and confusion of flying is always eased hearing the bluegrass and country singers every 50 feet.
Pro tip: While there are a lot of restaurant options, DO NOT eat at the terminal’s O’ Charley’s. Check out my separate review on the «used bagel incident» if you’re curious, ha.

Fun airport because at the Tootsie’s bar they have live music — which is what I think of when I go to Nashville!
The airport is easy to navigate. Car rental is on-​location, in/​out is simple, and the security line moved relatively quickly.
There is no real-​alternative for the area so this airport where your TN/​KY travels will take you through!

I was teetering between giving anywhere between 2 and 4 stars. Wide range, right? It depends on what’s being considered. The airport itself is set in an uncongested area, which is good. It’s one of the smaller airports, too.
Being smaller, there are not as many restaurants, shops, and amenities that you’d find in a larger airport. This left me with minimal food choices for a layover, and not everything was opened at around 8am.
The other issue I had was that there were minimal outlets to charge phones. I’m talking… zilch. The one outlet my friend found was behind a railing and didn’t even work.
The employee I interacted with at one of the shops was very friendly.
Everything related to the flight, however, was organized and smooth and I would utilize this airport again.

Nashville has one of the oldest airports that I have been in recently. I think this airport is mostly occupied by Southwest, and while being small, they do a pretty good job!
Security: This security is set up just as poorly as Houston. They have a bunch of wrapping lines, and you have to try and guess which one will be short. Mess.
Signage: Nashville still doesn’t have all electronic signs, some are still manual. This blows my mind. This also means that there are a lack of departure boards so be prepared to be checking your airline app quite a bit to find your gate.
Wifi: I didn’t even try it. It was too early to care about the Internet.
Seating: Some old and some new. If the airport had a lot of flights leaving at once, there would not be enough seating at the gates.
Character: This airport is milking the country music scene for all it is worth, and it makes for a lot of fun little stops. Southwest also decorated all of their gates for Halloween, which was cute.
Food/​Shopping: Considering the size of this airport, I was shocked by the number of different food and shopping options here. There were standard chains like Starbucks but also plenty of places that I had never heard of. The souvenir shopping was pretty good. I always pick up a magnet for my mom anywhere I go, and I had three gift shops to choose from in Terminal C.
Outlets: They did have a fair number of charging areas in Terminal C.
Overall, while the airport is dated, I was pretty impressed.

It’s a small airport that has some decent restaurants and decent shops. However, I have a couple of minor complaints about this place.
First off, the wifi isn’t very strong. That’s understandable when you consider that thousands of people are using the wifi all at the same time. Regardless, it’s unfortunate.
Next is that there’s very few areas where you can plug in your electronics while sitting. I think that’s actually a problem with the airline (rather than the airport).
Anyway, what else can you really say about the airport? Anybody writing a review of this place is bored and waiting for a flight… Lol.

This is a very small airport. It’s conveniently located a $ 15 shuttle ride to downtown Nashville, but like I said, very very small. Because it hasn’t been refurbished in a few years, the seats and carpet are pretty worn. The bathrooms were still clean, but I had a 5 AM run through so there hadn’t been a chance for someone to get it dirty. There are quite a few restaurant choices like Tootsies located just outside of the terminal so if someone wanted to spend time with you before you take off, they’d be able to even if they aren’t flying.
My biggest gripe was totally the lack of free airport WIFI. Welcome to 2015, BNA.

Why 4 stars? Because you’re greeted with live music as soon as you exit the plane.
— — —
How could you get more Nashville than that? But I think live music alone is the primary factor for the 4-​stars. Outside of that, the airport is mostly unmemorable. It’s not super renovated, and it’s not super out of date. I do like the funky carpet… and as we know… carpet at an airport is super important.
I wish I had more detail to add here. But I couldn’t resist noting the live music that’s offered in the music city airport. I think every city should offer an over-​the-​top experience based on their reputation, at the airport.
As soon as people land in Cleveland, hit ‘em with rock-​n-​roll.
When they land in New York, have golf-​carts shaped like cabs driving people around, honking their horns relentlessly.
As you exit the tarmac at SFO, have folks approach you for early funding for their app.
I’ve only laid over in Nashville twice. I’ve never gone through security, which I’m sure could sway me either way.

This is a very nice airport.
It’s clean, not too crowded, and easy to navigate through.
Of course this is coming from a person whose home airport is LAX, so any airport other than LAX is better LOL.
A few things I really liked about this airport: At least near the American Airlines area, there is a restaurant/​bar that has live music. being the Music City, it was nice to see that right when I got off the plane. The airport is somewhat small, so going around the perimeter was easy. It’s also not very busy so it’s also easy to park and pick up your friends who just arrived. There’s also a nice, well sized cell phone parking lot with a sign that gives updates on arrivals. The freeway is also super easy to get into.

Love this airport. small enough to manage and best of all rental car station is built within no 20 min bus ride, you can just walk all the way.
Has most of the restaurants that you need to be and good live music being played.

Nice airport nothing super spectacular however, the area surrounding the airport is pretty awesome. There’s plenty of shopping and things to do that aren’t far from the airport in case you have a lenghty lay-​over or the itch to get into something Nashville after a flight in.
Starbucks right outside the gate was a winner for me.
There’s a lot of Nashville history throughout the terminals as well.

This week was my first flight to and from BNA and I’ve been into the facility every day this week as my customer is inside the airport. So in five days, I’ve probably seen more of the airport than most people do in a month.
Signage is excellent for arriving passengers. Finding your way from the gates to the baggage claim was easy and there were a couple of bathrooms along the way. Bathrooms were clean and fresh. They have the Dyson AirBlade hand dryers and paper towels.
Easy to find the rental car desks and unlike many airports *cough* Dulles *cough* Baltimore *cough* Las Vegas *cough*, it is a brief walk from the baggage carousels to the rental car garage for the major rental players. They have golf cart assistance for those who might need that.
Arriving to find parking is easy and they have signs to let you know how many spaces are open in each parking area. I thought that the parking was VERY expensive compared to others. Charlotte is a quarter of this price. Getting out and paying for parking is similarly simple. Easy access to the highway and you’re a stone’s throw from downtown.
There are several terminals here as Nashville used to be quite the hub for American Airlines. The Admirals Club is still going strong and the Delta Sky Club is also available. Quite a few restaurants including grab-​and-​go and sit down outlets. Groundside has a couple of places with snacks including a Starbucks by the American exit area.
As Nashville is Music City, expect a few places with live music underway. Very awesome.
One major complaint that prevents BNA from getting that coveted fifth star. Wifi. It’s NOT free. Boo!

This is an international airport?! Interesting. Well, here’s hoping you don’t get delayed at this airport. Only 30 free minutes of wifi (or pay for Boingo). Not too many outlet/​charging stations. I managed to squeeze in next to a couple trying to share one outlet and they graciously offered to let me charge my phone before it died.
There’s actually quite a few food options and one of the only reasons I give this airport 3 stars. They have a smaller version of their Honky Tonk bar Tootsies inside this airport and there’s an open mic. Kinda cool to listen to a live musician while you wait for your flight.
Security is quick and you do get that friendly southern hospitality from the TSA agents. Got thru in less than 5 minutes. Yay for TSA pre check!
This is Music City so you’ll be entertained on your way in or out with the latest and greatest country artists. Enjoy!