Nashville International Airport, BNA, has added several new domestic and international nonstop flights and announced plans for more in 2026 in response to growing demand for specific locations both year-round and seasonally.
Avelo Airlines began operating a nonstop flight four times weekly between BNA and Concord-Padgett Regional Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, Feb. 12. Sophomore John Tricarico, a native of Charlotte, said that the new addition made it easier for him to travel to and from home.
“I definitely appreciate how many flights Avelo has,” Tricarico said. “It’s made flying to and from BNA a lot more convenient.”
On March 6, Frontier Airlines expanded service from Nashville to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, offering flights four times weekly. First-year Rylie Lloyds, who lives about 40 minutes from Sky Harbor, discussed the increased affordability of the flight selection expansion for her travel.
“There are already a lot of flights to Phoenix, but they can get really expensive, especially since they’re all on major airlines like Southwest and American,” Lloyds said. “Having a new airline, especially a more affordable one like Frontier, is very helpful. As a Vanderbilt student, it’s nice to have a lot more options on how to get to campus.”
Southwest Airlines also began a twice-daily nonstop service to Knoxville, Tennessee, and Little Rock, Arkansas, March 5. First-year Grace Thompson commented on how the flight will make it easier for her to see friends.
“A lot of my friends go to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville,” Thompson said. “I really want to go see them next semester for gameday and for them to be able to come home for the weekends more easily, and the new flights make it a lot easier to do that.”
Southwest also introduced a seasonal Saturday-only flight to Montrose, Colorado, beginning March 6 for the ski season. First-year Dan Farmer, who recently traveled there to ski, expressed excitement for the new flight.
“I’m super pumped because it’s the closest airport to Telluride,” Farmer said. “It’s in the mountains and has a couple of museums and a good Wendy’s.”
In addition, Southwest launched seasonal Saturday-only international service to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and San Jose, Costa Rica, March 7. Sophomore Bebel Chen, who is from Jamaica, said the flight would cause an increase in tourism, despite it being inconsequential to locals.
“The new flight is great since Montego Bay is Jamaica’s main entry point,” Chen said. “It makes travel much easier and will likely attract more visitors from Tennessee who previously needed at least one connection. However, for locals or travelers heading to other parts of the island, it may still be more convenient to connect through another U.S. airport rather than going out of the way to fly into Montego Bay.”
Frontier announced plans to add nonstop service to Las Vegas, Nevada, beginning June 11. Shelby Bien, a sophomore graduate student in Peabody College, talked about the inclusivity the expansion in flight offerings brings.
“This is a game-changer as someone who has family and parents with accessibility needs,” Bien said. “A couple of times when my mom was traveling to Nashville to visit and she had some flights with stops, it often resulted in delayed flights, then missing connections, etc. So I am super excited that BNA is expanding its limits in the growing city and offering more options to travel to other big cities like Las Vegas.”
Porter Airlines also announced plans to launch nonstop service to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport this summer. First-year Max Dalla Lana, who is from Toronto, said the new flights will decrease his travel time and cost to and from school.
“The regular nonstop flights to Toronto usually go to the main airport, which is inconvenient because it’s far from the actual city,” Dalla Lana said. “Porter’s flights are at a closer airport and are usually cheaper so that helps a lot.”
