So, you're looking at billings to nashville flights and probably wondering why on earth it's so hard to find a straight answer on how to get there without spending twelve hours in an airport chair. It’s a trek. We are talking about swapping the Big Sky for the Neon Lights, covering roughly 1,300 miles of American soil.
Most people assume they can just hop on a plane and be in Music City by lunch.
Nope.
Actually, there are currently no direct, nonstop commercial flights between Billings Logan International Airport (BIL) and Nashville International Airport (BNA). If you see a site promising a "2-hour direct flight," they are either talking about a private Gulfstream or they're flat-out lying to you.
The Reality of Billings to Nashville Flights
When you book this route, you’re basically signing up for a "hub and spoke" adventure. You have to go through a major middleman. Usually, that means a stop in Denver, Minneapolis, or Dallas.
Delta, United, and American are the big players here.
United loves routing people through Denver (DEN). It’s usually the fastest way. If you play your cards right, you can find a connection with a layover as short as 50 minutes. But honestly? That’s risky. Denver is massive. If your first flight from Billings is late—which, let’s be real, happens when Montana weather acts up—you’ll be sprinting through Terminal B like an Olympian.
🔗 Read more: The Eloise Room at The Plaza: What Most People Get Wrong
American Airlines usually pushes you through Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). It adds a bit of southerly mileage, but DFW is a powerhouse for Nashville connections.
Then there's Delta. They’ll likely send you to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) or Salt Lake City (SLC).
What does it actually cost?
Pricing is all over the place. In 2026, we’re seeing a weird trend where booking 40 days out is the "sweet spot."
If you’re lucky, you can snag a round-trip ticket for about $280 to $350. But if you wait until the last minute or try to fly during a big event like the CMA Fest, expect that number to double. Or triple. January and February are historically the cheapest months to fly this route. It makes sense. Nobody really wants to leave the Montana cold just to land in a slightly damp Tennessee winter, unless they have a really good reason.
March is another sleeper hit for deals. You can often find one-way fares hovering around $140 if you’re willing to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
Navigating the Layovers
Since you have to stop anyway, you might as well pick a layover that doesn't suck.
💡 You might also like: TSA PreCheck Look Up Number: What Most People Get Wrong
Minneapolis (MSP) is great because it has those quiet "snooze" chairs and decent food. Denver is a construction zone half the time, but the train between terminals is efficient.
Avoid Chicago O’Hare (ORD) if you can.
Seriously.
Connecting in Chicago during the winter is a gamble. One dusting of lake-effect snow and your billings to nashville flights turn into a "spending the night on a cot" situation. Stick to Denver or Salt Lake if you’re traveling between November and March.
Pro Tips for the BIL to BNA Route
- The "Separate Ticket" Hack: Sometimes, it’s actually cheaper to book a flight from Billings to Denver on United, then a separate flight from Denver to Nashville on Southwest. Just remember that if you do this, your bags won't transfer automatically. You’ll have to exit security, grab your suitcase, and check in all over again.
- The Bozeman Alternative: Look, I love BIL. It’s easy to park. It’s fast. But sometimes Allegiant or Southwest runs seasonal deals out of Bozeman (BZN) that are hard to ignore. If the price difference is more than $150, the two-hour drive from Billings might be worth it.
- Parking at Logan: If you’re leaving your car in Billings, the long-term lot is roughly $9 a day. It’s one of the few airport perks left in this country that actually feels like a fair deal.
What to Expect When You Land in Nashville
Nashville International (BNA) has been under massive renovation for years. It’s gorgeous now, but it’s loud. There is literally live music playing in the terminal.
Once you get your bags, don't just grab the first taxi you see. Rideshares like Uber and Lyft have a specific "Ground Transportation Center" across from the terminal. It’s a bit of a walk, but it’ll save you $20 compared to a traditional cab.
📖 Related: Historic Sears Building LA: What Really Happened to This Boyle Heights Icon
The flight time itself—excluding the layover—is usually about 4 to 5 hours of actual "wheels up" time. With a decent connection, the whole ordeal takes about 7 hours.
Basically, it's a full travel day.
Pack a portable charger. Billings' gates are okay, but some of those older regional jets you might take on the first leg don't always have working USB ports.
If you want to save the most money, start tracking fares on a Tuesday. Use a tool like Google Flights to set an alert for your specific dates. When the price for billings to nashville flights drops below $315 round-trip, pull the trigger. That's about as good as it gets for this specific Montana-to-Tennessee corridor.
To get the best value on your next trip, your first move should be checking the "flexible dates" calendar on a major aggregator to see if shifting your departure by just 24 hours could save you $100 or more. After that, look specifically at the Denver (DEN) connection options, as they consistently offer the shortest total travel time for this route.