Knoxville is served by McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), the primary airport for Eastern Tennessee. It offers solid domestic connectivity into TYS from major airline hubs and a growing number of direct leisure destinations arriving in Knoxville, with service from a mix of network and low-cost carriers.
The airport's most vital routes into Knoxville are flights from key domestic hubs. Top departure points into TYS include Atlanta (ATL) on Delta, Charlotte (CLT) on American, Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) on American, Chicago (ORD) on United and American, and Detroit (DTW) on Delta. It also receives direct flights from popular leisure cities like Orlando (MCO), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Las Vegas (LAS), Denver (DEN), and seasonal services from other destinations into Knoxville.
McGhee Tyson Airport is served by all major U.S. network carriers flying into TYS: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. Low-cost carriers Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines provide important competition on leisure routes into Knoxville. Southwest Airlines also has a presence, adding to the competitive mix for flights to TYS.
To find affordable flights to Knoxville, book hub arrivals into TYS 3-6 weeks in advance. For leisure destinations on Allegiant or Frontier into Knoxville, book 2-3 months ahead for the lowest base fares into TYS, accounting for their fees. Use flight comparison tools for TYS. Flying into Knoxville on weekdays (Tuesday-Thursday) is typically cheaper. TYS often has competitive fares from Florida, the Northeast, and major hubs into Knoxville. For international arrivals into Knoxville, connecting through Atlanta (ATL) or Charlotte (CLT) to TYS is standard. Southwest's presence into TYS often provides good value with transparent pricing.