Crowded planes and airports set records, straining the U.S. aviation system

Travelers at Nashville International Airport, which has seen explosive growth over the past decade. Seth Herald/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Seth Herald/Getty Images NASHVILLE — Few major airports in the U.S. have grown faster in recent decades than Nashville International Airport, and Shirley Beldsoe thinks it's changed for the better. "The airport's beautiful now. Uptown!," said Bledsoe of Brentwood, Tennessee, who's been flying through this airport since the 1970s, when it consisted of a single passenger terminal. But ask Bledsoe how the in-flight experience has changed, and she says she feels squeezed by the airlines. "I think the airplane design has made it more crowded. Some of my suitcases don't even roll through the aisle," she said. "And then I just think the legroom has gotten tighter. So it's more the design of the planes that's been uncomfortable." "I think the airplane design has made it more crowded. Some of my suitcases don't even roll through the aisle," said Shirley Bledsoe on Brentwood, Tenn. Cynthia Abrams/WPLN hide caption toggle caption Cynthia Abrams/WPLN If you're flying across the country this Fourth of July weekend, you're in good company. The biggest holiday of the summer is expected to set travel records again, with the Transportation Security Administration preparing to screen more than 18 million travelers at U.S. airports over the next week. U.S. …