Some travelers had a tasty time at Nashville International Airport (BNA) yesterday. The airport threw a party to celebrate the opening of a dozen new food, beverage and retail vendors in the terminal.

Free food samples included meatloaf and peach cobbler from a branch of local favorite Swett’s, and cheesecake and turkey Reuben sandwiches from a New York-style deli named Noshville (as in “I’m hungry. Let’s nosh when we land in Nashville.”)

The food give-away is over, but the expanded dining options remain.

Photo courtesy: Devi Sanford

Categories: Food
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Alabama’s Huntsville International Airport hopes its snappy “Fly Huntsville” jingle will lure travelers away from other airports in the region.

Germany’s Frankfurt Airport adopted its perky theme song to promote the fact that the airport isn’t just an airport, but “a full-fledged city for business, innovations, ideas, shopping, leisure, etc…”

Give a listen to these and other airport theme songs in my column posted today on USATODAY.com. Maybe you’ll want to sing along.

Categories: Music
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During the music, film and media extravaganza known as the South by Southwest festival, or SXSW, pretty much every venue in Austin, Texas is pressed into service as a showcase for music from around the world.

This year’s festival runs from March 7th to the 16^th. Much of the action is centered in downtown Austin, but some of the coolest events are only open to badge-wearing registrants. (Crashing isn’t that easy; I’ve been trying…)

But out at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, all concerts are free; all the time.

Each weekday throughout the year there are live performances on all four stages inside the terminal. During SXSW, the schedule shifts into high gear.

So weary travelers may be surprised to find themselves being entertained by some of Austin’s best musicians – and hoping for a flight delay.

Categories: Music
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Nashville International Airport (BNA) has an ambitious live music schedule and, it seems, a fine art program.

Through June 1, 2008, the airport’s exhibition series (Flying Solo) features the work of four Tennessee artists, including T. Michael Martin who describes his work this way:

“I create quirky, vibrant worlds where geometries are manipulated to represent sci-fi fascinations combined with concerns of advancing technologies. My paintings and installations start from found blueprints, maps, diagrams, and schematics. Then I isolate seemingly mundane events from my daily life and incorporate them to invent unusual structures that question utopian or dystopian societal views.”

I bet this image on display in the south end of the ticket lobby was inspired by something Martin saw on the x-ray machine at an airport security checkpoint.

T. Michael Martin: Codes of Connection, 20′ x 9,’ mixed media digital collage on Tyvek.

Categories: Art
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I rarely mind spending a few extra hours at an airport – especially when I get a free ticket for volunteering to take a later flight and there’s free wireless Internet access throughout the terminal.

This afternoon I volunteered to stay behind. The very irate woman in front of me at the customer service counter clearly did not. She was sure she had a confirmed reservation and a free ticket wasn’t going to please her.

Neither was the “bonus” meal voucher. She was so angry she was practically crying.

That got me thinking: wouldn’t it be great if along with those meal vouchers, customer service agents gave the “truly stressed” free passes for chair massages as well?

Categories: Etiquette
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