DONELSON, Tenn. (WTVF) — Imagine landing back at Nashville International Airport after a trip and waiting an hour to get your car. For at least the past two night, that was the reality for some travelers with cars in the valet garage.
An airport spokesperson attributed the problem to passenger volume.
A surge in returning passenger volume on Friday created problems and delays at our new valet center. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience experienced by travelers. We are working to remedy these issues and provide a better customer experience.
Fliers told NewsChannel 5 that on Friday night people began retrieving their own keys from the valet office.
Customers having to dig through thousands of keys praying they can get home. Some people having to take Ubers to get home. Most like me chose to valet because BNA had most lots closed last week. This is criminal @MNPDNashville please report @WSMV @NC5 @Tennessean @FOXNashville pic.twitter.com/D7lGhLbh2G
— DankBuddha (@DankBuddha) March 20, 2021
Again on Saturday, travelers said their long wait was nothing like anything they experienced previously.
"It's never been this bad in all the times we've been here," said Virginia McGrew. "This isn't a fun thing to come back to in Nashville after a long day of traveling."
"I generally park valet," said Erik Morrison. "I just parked valet here two weeks ago when I was traveling out of town and came back in on a Saturday evening and grabbed my keys and was out of here in no time."
Spring breakers speculated full or closed self-service lots at the airport may have led more people to use valet than in the past.
More than one million travelers passed through U.S. airports over four consecutive days the first week of spring break, according to TSA.
