NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It is October and for many that means football, fall colors and autumn getaways. For Nashville International Airport it means preparing for an influx of travelers during fall break.
BNA is rolling out new steps to keep traffic and passenger flow moving smoothly after a September traffic meltdown that stranded drivers for hours outside the terminal.
Traveler Monlade Gogins said her experience this week was much easier. “The traffic was easy,” she said.
Ashley Glimasinski also noticed a smooth trip. “The Uber drive was smooth and no traffic. Just rolling in here was really easy,” she said.
But as fall break travel ramps up, airport officials say they are bracing for heavy crowds.
“It is already fall break, what?” Glimasinski said.
To prepare, BNA has partnered with law enforcement and transit agencies to manage traffic. Dedicated officers will be on site during peak days, and the airport will increase staffing to handle more passengers.
“I think it is good to be proactive about those things. Letting people know ahead of time helps me feel more comfortable because I can plan,” Glimasinski said.
The push follows the gridlock on Sept. 15, when traffic around the airport came to a standstill. The Metro Nashville Airport Authority says rideshare demand overwhelmed the Ground Transportation Center, triggering a chain reaction of congestion.
What should have been an average day with about 77,000 passengers turned into a traffic nightmare. The airport said the demand for rideshares far exceeded capacity and locked the terminal loop for hours. Mutual aid from Tennessee Highway Patrol and Metro Nashville police was needed before traffic improved later that night.
Airport officials say they have identified five areas for improvement to prevent another breakdown. That includes stronger traffic response staffing, better coordination with rideshare companies, new traffic modeling with outside experts, more technology to monitor traffic in real time and clearer coordination with law enforcement partners.
Uber said in a statement that it is working with BNA to enhance signage, update technology and establish real-time response protocols. Lyft also said it is developing new coordination strategies with the airport to avoid future disruptions.
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority said many of the fixes have already been tested successfully on some of the airport’s busiest days since Sept. 15.
In addition to those changes, BNA is adding 1,000 parking spaces in Economy Lot C, setting up overflow stanchions for TSA lines, monitoring shuttle service to the Satellite Concourse and suspending TSA training to keep maximum staff at security checkpoints.
Gogins said she was impressed with the current setup. “From what I am seeing today the flow is very easy. I even came in and noticed they had TSA PreCheck, standard PreCheck and employee PreCheck. That was impressive for me because I do not see that from where I am from,” she said.
Peak travel is expected between October 5 and October 10.
The airport is also monitoring the ongoing federal government shutdown, which could affect staffing for security checkpoints. So far, passengers say wait times have remained reasonable, and officials are coordinating with the Transportation Security Administration to keep PreCheck and standard lanes fully staffed during the fall break surge.
Airport officials are reminding travelers to arrive early, check their flight status before leaving home and consider using the new short-term parking and expanded cell phone lot to ease congestion.
For real-time travel updates, visit flynashville.com.
This story was reported on-air by reporter Aaron Cantrell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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