Nashville airport expects record travel after CMA Fest, Bonnaroo, Stanley Cup Final

After a weekend that saw Nashville at the center of the entertainment and sports worlds, a record number of global travelers descended upon Nashville International Airport to say goodbye.

John Barron, of Townsville, Queensland, Australia, was headed to his next flight to Las Vegas on Monday after he and his wife, Sonia, were finishing up their fourth visit to the CMA Music Festival.

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Their trip to Nashville was at the tail end of a four-week holiday in the states. Each time they catch CMA Fest, and visit another American attraction. This year they were planning to visit the Grand Canyon.

Hockey doesn't have the draw that it does in the U.S., offering a bonus bit of entertainment for the couple and their two friends, who made their first trip.

"It was a lot busier this year," Sonia Barron said.

"Predators hockey probably had a bit to do with that, I suppose," John said.

The Barrons especially enjoyed Eric Church and Dierks Bentley.

Jim and Jess Gehring, of Philadelphia, made their first trip to Nashville as a couple, and were leaving Nashville with Predators hats on. 

"I told him I'll jump on the (Preds) bandwagon, but I'm gonna stay on the bandwagon," Jess Gehring said. Jim Gehring's a committed Philadelphia Flyers fan, but said the Preds will be his new No. 2 team. 

The couple watched Game 6 from the Ascend Amphitheater, and ordered Predators gear online after their heartbreaking 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Airport spokesman Tom Jurkovich said the airport was projecting a record number of people leaving the airport following the CMA Music Festival and Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival ended and Game 6 Stanley Cup Final.

Jurkovich said 25,000 people were expected to fly out of the airport on Monday. Projections late last week were just over 24,000.

"Given everything going on, it's not unexpected," Jurkovich said.

Some travelers could spend an hour or more at the TSA security checkpoint, Jurkovich said, "which is a long time by Nashville standards." He said the peak of travel would be in the morning, but "steady" throughout the day.

Jurkovich said security lines were running smoothly, and additional staff had been put on duty to help with the greater traffic.

"It's a steady flow here today," he said.

Just after 9:30 a.m., six flights were delayed, according to the airport's website. Only one flight had been canceled, a United Airlines flight to Houston.

Traffic delays were light early Monday morning, but were expected to spike with the increased commutes to the airport and elsewhere around downtown.

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Nashville International Airport normally has around 18,000 passenger departures per day. There are 21,000 people projected to fly out of Nashville on Tuesday.

Reach Jake Lowary at jlowary@tennessean.com or follow him on Twitter @JakeLowary.