How Nashville International Airport Took Immediate Action at the Start of the Pandemic
At Nashville International Airport (BNA), the safety and well-being of stakeholders —passengers, employees, business partners — is our highest priority. Early on, when the first signs of the grave impact of the coronavirus became apparent, BNA sprang into action. It was helpful from the beginning that BNA President and CEO Doug Kreulen was asked to serve on the Governor’s Coronavirus Task Force, which allowed for immediate input and feedback about the growing pandemic.
One of the first action items was to review and increase cleaning protocol consistent with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines to ensure that BNA is a safe environment for everyone. Next steps were to communicate those actions to the public to instill confidence in our operations and environment. We proactively reached out to media and posted these details at https://bit.ly/2DgnMWj and https://bit.ly/2ENq1AS .
We frequently messaged on social media with cleaning videos, photos and links to our COVID-19 web page. We also created a specific COVID-19 web page that is continuously updated with the COVID-19 impact on operations such as concessions, air service impacts and parking, and links to virus symptoms, airlines, advice for travelers from the CDC and FAQs about the virus.
Another way we communicated a positive message about the airport and an overall caring sentiment to the community was to tie it into our branding messaging: Be Safe. Be Well. Be Nashville. (BNA)
We also created signage to place throughout the airport about the importance of hand-washing, social distancing and wearing face coverings. The mayor, city health director and a top local medical official recorded intercom announcements reflecting that same message. And as local face covering requirements were put into place, BNA helped spread that message through additional signage, including outdoor digital, an updated intercom message from the mayor and enhanced terminal notifications. We also began to offer face coverings to passengers at no cost, placed at security checkpoints and Information areas.
BNA continues to monitor the pandemic and adjust actions accordingly. We have found multiple ways to instill confidence in travelers as they return to the skies and will continue to do so. And we truly exhibit our overall message: Be Safe. Be Well. Be Nashville.