NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This weekend many people will be hitting the roads or catching a flight ahead of the holidays.
While that sometimes can mean big crowds and slow going, folks flying through Nashville International Airport may notice at least one aspect of the airport experience is actually faster than usual.
At BNA travelers can pass the time waiting for a flight in a variety of ways, but for most people, a trip to the airport means time spent looking at a smartphone.
"I'm traveling back home to Kalispell Montana," said Jody Miller, a former Nashvillian.
"I lived here for 10 years," Miller said.
He travels a lot for work and tends to get online at the airport.
"I'm checking emails probably texting people," Miller said. "Since I'm all dressed up, I'm going to stay its 100 percent work all the time, but its probably 50/50."
The non-work half could mean streaming a show or downloading a podcast and now doing that may be a bit easier at BNA.
"We have just launched a new Wi-Fi service,” said Stacey Nickens, BNA's Vice President of Corporate Communications & Marketing.
Nickens said the upgraded free Wi-Fi is up to 20 times faster than the previous system.
"Everyone is streaming, everyone is downloading. It's the way we do business, it's mainly by our phone. So to have an opportunity to move faster is what we want to be able to offer,” Nickens said.
The speed isn't the only change, now when users log into the Wi-Fi they complete a short survey to connect, before they were required to watch a video.
That survey has a purpose too.
"It's a few questions for us to engage the travelers on what they like best and what they want to see more of in here,” Nickens said.
Airport officials estimate around 900,000 people will be flying in, out, or through BNA between December 23rd and January 3rd.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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-Rebecca Schleicher
