It may be too late to catch a great prices on Thanksgiving week flightsbut it's not too late to prepare to take off from McGhee Tyson Airport this holiday season.
Like leftover turkey between gravy-soaked bread, Thanksgiving is sandwiched between some of the busiest travel days of the entire year. Fortunately, the holidays in December are slightly more spread out.
“Thanksgiving is so close together and it’s a condensed travel time,” Becky Huckaby, vice president of public relations at McGhee Tyson, told Knox News. “We actually have a lot of different travel times due to different holidays throughout December, so there isn't that critical period.”
However, with Christmas and Hanukkah overlap for the first time in almost two decades, followed closely by the New Year, the travel season is bound to be busy everywhere.
Some tips for flying from Knoxville are specific to our growing airport, others are not. Here are seven things airport staff recommend you do before you fly.
Arrive at least 2 hours before your flight to Knoxville
This holiday season, give yourself time by arriving at least two hours before your scheduled departure to reduce stress in the event of long security lines or baggage issues.
Arriving with plenty of time is the No. 1 tip airport staff give travelers during rush hour, Huckaby said. The airport expects a record of more than 3 million passengers this year.
Check parking availability in advance
If you're bringing a car to McGhee Tyson Airport for the first time in a while, you may not recognize the layout of the parking lot. On November 1, the airport closed its surface land near the terminal to begin construction of a $185 million parking garage.
For the summer, the airport reconfigured its parking lot to accommodate approximately 1.2 million passengers. It renamed two of its economy lots near the Hilton Airport as “terminal” lots and raised their prices, while adding new economy lots farther from the terminal with shuttle service.
To understand the changes and create a parking plan, passengers can visit the airport website at flyknoxville.com to track parking prices and parking availability in real time.
“There will be plenty of parking, but you may have to plan ahead,” Huckaby said. “This way you will save time before going to the airport.”
Follow McGhee Tyson on social media
In addition to its website, the airport posts frequent updates on its social media pages. The airport uses the handle @flyknoxville to Facebook, Instagram And X. It can be found on YouTube @McGheeTyson and so on LinkedIn as the Knoxville Metropolitan Airport Authority.
Get the Right Bag Size for High-Tech TSA Machines
McGhee Tyson was a early adopter of a TSA program to install X-ray machines at security checkpoints that use CT scanning technology, similar to medical CT scans. The machines, installed in 2023, take 3D images of bags to increase security and reduce the number of bag checks.
Although the machines allow passengers to keep laptops and liquids in their bags, they also require that all carry-on bags be placed in the conveyor belt bins. Because their entry point is smaller than other scanners, it is now more important at McGhee Tyson to ensure your bag is the right size for hand luggagewhich varies depending on the airline.
If your bag is too big, Huckaby said, you'll have to check it in and move to the back of the security line. Knoxville Airport offers flights on six airlines: Allegiant, American, Avelo, Delta, Frontier and United.
Take your medications in your hand luggage
Now let's move on to some advice that isn't specific to McGhee Tyson. The airport's main recommendation for passenger safety is to pack medications and emergency items in carry-on baggage.
This way, if you become separated from your checked baggage or your flight is canceled, you will have the items you need with you.
Download airline apps
Next, the airport recommends that travelers download the mobile app of the airline they are traveling on. Every airline has an app that provides baggage updates, flight changes, cancellations, gate changes and much more.
Since airlines control most aspects of a flight, apps provide some information that the airport cannot.
Know which days are busiest
A record 80 million Americans will travel for Thanksgiving this year, according to AAA, an increase of 1.7 million people from last year.
If you plan to fly on the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving (November 26 and 27) or Sunday, December 1, expect larger crowds than other days. Thanksgiving Day itself is the least busy day to fly.
The Friday and Saturday before Christmas (December 20 and 21 this year) are typically the busiest travel days in December.
There's another day that could be particularly busy at McGhee Tyson during the holiday season, but the airport doesn't want to hurt it.
“If we have a destination where the Volunteers are playing soccer at a bocce match, if it’s a fly market, we’ll have more people in the terminal,” Huckaby said.
Daniel Dassow is a growth and development journalist focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. E-mail daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.
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