How long does it really take to fly from Bowie to Nashville? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach Nashville, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.
Thursday, 10:02 am: start in Bowie
drive for about 53 minutes
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 11:50 am at the latest
10:55 am: Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 12:20 pm
11:25 am: get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time
12:25 pm: arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate
12:55 pm: prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat
1:10 pm: board Southwest Airlines Co. flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
1:20 pm: this is your scheduled departure time
but remember flights can be delayed, so take that into account
it takes the plane an average of 13 minutes to taxi to the runway
1:33 pm: wheels up! take-off from DCA
fly for about 1.5 hours in the air
2:03 pm (local time): Nashville International (BNA)
Nashville is 1 hour behind Bowie
so the time in Bowie is actually 3:03 pm
taxi on the runway for an average of 7 minutes to the gate
2:10 pm (local time): arrive at the gate at BNA
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 19 minutes to your destination
2:29 pm (local time): arrive in Nashville
Total travel time: 5 hours
How far is Nashville from Bowie? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.
Flight distance: 583 miles or 938 km
Flight time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 5 hours, 28 minutes.
Flying private is roughly 5.5x faster, and saves you about 4.5 hours in your total travel time.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula. For a long distance, this appears as a curve on the map, and this is often the route that commercial airlines will take so it's a good estimate of the frequent flyer miles you'll accumulate as well.
This is a medium length flight, so unless you have a nice private jet, you might be booking a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.
Looking at flights on Southwest Airlines Co. from DCA to BNA, here's a breakdown of the number of flights available each day:
Based on these statistical results, we chose Thursday for the flight itinerary above.
The most common route is DCA to BNA, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:
We picked Southwest Airlines Co. for your main flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:
Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Nashville. If you're looking for a place to stay, you might want to check out Gaylord Opryland Resort. A great place to eat might be Bluebird Cafe. Trippy members can suggest things to do in Nashville like Grand Ole Opry. Check out some of the questions people have asked about Nashville like What's the best neighborhood in Nashville for a first time visitor? Click the button below to explore Nashville in detail.
The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from Nashville to Bowie, or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.
You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a Bowie to Nashville road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from Bowie to Nashville?
If you happen to know Bowie, don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about Bowie!