Editor's Note: This article has been updated to clarify the scope of BNA's Accessible Parking Program, which served travelers with a range of accessibility needs and was not exclusively a disabled-veteran benefit.
Disabled veterans and other travelers with accessibility needs who once parked for free at Nashville International Airport are now getting hit with daily parking charges after the airport discontinued its Accessible Parking Program. The program, part of BNA Cares, was open to travelers with accessibility needs broadly — not exclusively to disabled veterans, though many disabled veterans were among those who used it. Veterans and their families say the change could add hundreds of dollars to a single trip and make BNA flights tougher for those who depend on closer, covered parking to travel at all.
Scott Torres of Manchester, a disabled veteran who previously used the program to park for up to 10 days, told NewsChannel 5 he only discovered the program was discontinued when he tried to reapply this spring. The airport confirmed to the station that it stopped taking applications last June and said continuing the free-parking benefit would violate FAA Grant Assurance 25, which restricts how airport-generated revenue can be spent. According to the FAA, the grant assurance requires airport revenues to go toward airport operations, capital projects, or activities that are directly and substantially related to air transportation.
What the airport says and what it still offers
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority has clarified that the Accessible Parking Program was never a disabled-veteran–specific program. While many disabled veterans used it, it was open to travelers with a range of accessibility needs. The airport says it is still committed to accessibility and points to its BNA Cares program, which continues to provide wheelchair assistance, visual paging, interpretation in more than 240 languages, TSA Cares support, and the Sunflower Lanyard program, according to BNA. None of that, however, covers parking.
The airport's own parking information lists daily rates of $33 for the terminal garages and $21 for economy lots, meaning travelers who once used the accessible parking program at no cost will now face those posted fees. For regular travelers, it is an annoyance. For disabled veterans and others with accessibility needs who counted on the benefit, it can be a dealbreaker. The shift has some fliers scrambling for cheaper off-site options or simply deciding it is easier and cheaper to drive instead of flying.
Veterans say the math hurts
Torres told NewsChannel 5 that losing the free garage perk could tack on hundreds of dollars to a normal trip, calling the difference "a big chunk." The added cost has him rethinking quick weekend flights that used to feel simple when parking was one less bill to worry about.
Other airports handled it differently
Airports across the country have not all responded the same way under similar FAA scrutiny. In San Antonio, officials reworked their program so they could keep complimentary economy-lot parking while scaling back free garage access and adding discounts, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Jacksonville initially shifted veterans from free garage spaces to the economy lot after pushback, then later adjusted its policy again, Action News Jax reported.
Those examples suggest there may be room for Nashville to land on a middle-ground solution that stays within FAA rules while preserving at least some form of benefit for disabled veterans and other travelers with accessibility needs who rely on closer parking.
Practical options for travelers
For now, travelers with accessibility needs can still use ADA-designated spaces in any BNA lot or garage, but they will be charged the posted daily rate like everyone else. Some may find that economy lots or off-airport parking are cheaper, especially for longer trips, even if that means a longer shuttle ride and more planning.
Travelers with questions about eligibility, past use of the discontinued program, or current parking options should review the airport's parking information and accessibility pages and contact the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority directly for documentation and assistance. Local veterans' groups and elected officials have successfully pushed other airports to revise veteran parking policies, and advocates in Middle Tennessee say they are prepared to press for similar changes if it comes to that.
The policy shift puts a bright local spotlight on how federal grant rules intersect with homegrown efforts to ease travel for those with disabilities. Until or unless BNA follows other cities in carving out a compliant yet compassionate option, affected travelers flying out of Nashville will have to build parking costs into their trip budgets and watch closely to see if the airport reverses course.
