We’ve seen the lines. We’ve seen your photos. And we know the security lines have been longer than usual lately.
As McGhee Tyson Airport continues to experience record growth, more travelers are choosing to fly from East Tennessee than ever before. Summer travel is in full swing, airlines have added more flights during the most popular departure windows, and the addition of a new airline this year has made our busiest times even busier.
When Are the Busiest Times?
Travel demand continues to peak during three key periods each day:
- 5–7 a.m.
- 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
- 4–6 p.m.
Many travelers prefer early morning departures, which means a large number of flights are scheduled within a short timeframe. As a result, thousands of passengers may arrive at the checkpoint within the same few hours.
Why Are Lines Extending Outside the Checkpoint?
While TSA officers work hard to move passengers through the screening process as efficiently as possible, the checkpoint can only process so many travelers at once. Additionally, when screening equipment requires maintenance or experiences temporary outages, processing times can become even longer.
That’s why travelers have recently seen queue lines extending outside the checkpoint area—something that historically has not been necessary at TYS but has become a reality of our continued growth.
Planning for the Future
The good news is that improvements are already in the works.
As part of the airport’s Flight Plan initiative, design work is underway to expand the TSA security checkpoint. This project will help us better accommodate the record number of passengers choosing to fly from TYS and improve the travel experience for years to come.
What Travelers Can Do
To help ensure a smooth travel experience, we encourage passengers to:
- Arrive at least 2.5 hours before their scheduled departure time.
- Plan ahead for peak travel periods.
- Review TSA guidelines before arriving at the airport.
- Monitor airline communications for flight updates.
We appreciate your patience as we continue to grow and invest in the future of air travel in East Tennessee.
Thank you for choosing to fly local. We’re busy, we’re growing, and we’re doing everything we can to keep East Tennessee moving.
