Planning a flight out of Knoxville? An online tool can help travelers estimate TSA wait times and calculate when to leave for McGhee Tyson Airport amid a busy fall travel season.
The Knoxville airport is anticipating a record-breaking October to follow September, which saw the highest-volume travel days
in the airport's nearly 100-year history. In a September news release, airport officials said they expect heavy traffic to continue through Oct. 19.Securitywaittimes.com publishes information about expected Transportation Security Administration lines at more than 400 airports. Users can enter details such as their flight time, whether they're traveling domestically or internationally and how long it takes to drive to the airport.
The site then
provides users with a suggested airport arrival based on typical McGhee Tyson waits during the time they are traveling, but it does not use live data.
To build a more accurate Knoxville-specific plan, travelers using the Security Wait Times tool can replace the site's default security-time estimates for all airports − 90 minutes for domestic flights and 2 1/2 hours for international travel − with McGhee Tyson's latest guidance.
McGhee Tyson spokesperson Becky Huckaby previously told Knox News travelers should plan to arrive between 2 1/2 and 3 hours before departure to allow time for parking, checking bags and clearing security. She recommends travelers plan for longer waits during some of the airport's busiest periods, including early mornings, around midday and early evenings.
McGhee Tyson is adjusting staffing as fall breaks continue through Oct. 19 and expects elevated passenger traffic throughout the period, Huckaby said. The airport served more than 10,000 travelers on its busiest day ever Sept. 27, breaking a record that had been set just a week earlier.
Airport officials previously projected multiple days with more than 9,000 travelers during the fall break travel period, though Huckaby said they are not expecting crowds to reach the levels seen during the record-setting weekend.
Knox News growth and transformation reporter Sophia Tiedge contributed to this report.
Mariah Franklin reports on technology and energy for Knox News. Email: mariah.franklin@knoxnews.com. Signal: mariahfranklin.01
How early fall is shaping up at McGhee Tyson
Mariah Franklin reports on technology and energy for Knox News. Email: mariah.franklin@knoxnews.com. Signal: mariahfranklin.01
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Flying from Knoxville? This tool can help plan for busy fall travel season
