okay so i literally just landed at nashville international airport, bna, and im already feeling like i need to share some immediate thoughts because honestly its a bit of a trek and i dont want anyone else to be caught off guard like i almost was, you know, because its not like lax where its just ridiculously massive but it definitely has its own special brand of confusing, especially with all the construction happening everywhere you look and its like youre navigating a constantly changing labyrinth and youre just trying to get your bearings and find your gate or your ride and not look completely lost.
Navigating the maze
so basically when you get off the plane and head towards the main terminal, its pretty straightforward at first and you follow the signs for baggage claim or ground transport but then you hit this main hub area and its like a big open space but with escalators going up and down and different directions leading to different concourses and security and a whole bunch of places to eat and its kinda overwhelming if you dont have a plan or if youre already running late, and its all very shiny and new-ish looking but that doesnt always mean its easy to figure out where you need to go because its like they built a really nice shell but the internal logic is still a bit of a puzzle and youre constantly looking up at the signs and second guessing yourself and its just a lot.
the security lines can get kinda long too so definitely factor that in if youre flying out because even if you have tsa precheck its not always a super quick breeze and then once youre through security its like a whole new adventure trying to figure out if your gate is to the left or right or straight ahead and its not always super clearly marked for all the concourses and its like youre just walking and walking and walking, and its like, can i just get to my gate already, you know, because youre just trying to chill before your flight.
The long trek between gates
this is honestly where bna can really throw you for a loop because the concourses, especially C and D, they basically stretch out forever and its a really long walk if your gate is at the very end and you dont realize how far it actually is, and its one of those airports where you think youre almost there and then you round a corner and there are like twenty more gates to go and your gate is always the last one, obviously.
- if youre in concourse B and need to get to C or D, its actually a pretty significant walk through the main central area and then down the long stretch of the concourse, and its doable if you have plenty of time and light luggage and good shoes but you will feel it in your feet, like literally.
- moving between concourses C and D is essentially one very, very long continuous walk down what feels like a never-ending corridor and its not always super clear where one ends and the other begins and its just a constant stream of people walking, and walking, and walking.
- for those really long hauls, like if you have a tight connection from an A gate all the way to a D gate, there is a shuttle service that basically takes you between the main concourses but it can be a bit tricky to find its exact pickup points and you might end up waiting a bit for it and then it makes stops so it might not save you as much time as you think, but its definitely an option if you absolutely cannot or do not want to walk and its pretty much a lifesaver for anyone with reduced mobility or just super heavy bags.
so yeah, basically, just be prepared to walk a lot at bna and honestly give yourself extra time because everything just feels a little bit more spread out than you might expect and its not like a super compact design so youre gonna put in some steps and thats just the way it is right now, especially with all the construction making things a little unpredictable and confusing but its a decent airport overall, just be ready for the mileage, recomended to wear comfy shoes.