Frontier Airlines is leaving McGhee Tyson Airport in August, and officials don’t know if or when the low-cost carrier will come back.
Neither does Frontier.
Rob Harris, an airline spokesperson, told Knox News via email that Frontier is working out its schedule for a return but didn’t name a firm date.
The airline, Harris said, is “currently in the process of reviewing and finalizing our future schedule plans across our network. We plan to share more information publicly in the coming months.”
Harris referred back to the same statement when asked why Frontier decided to end regular service from Knoxville. The airline’s only direct flight from Knoxville takes travelers to Denver, and from Colorado they can travel to cities across the U.S.
How many people have flown Frontier from Knoxville?
In May, the
most recent month for which Knox News has obtained statistics, Frontier seated 2,225 passengers. That adds up to about 1% of market share at the Knoxville airport, where Allegiant, American and Delta dominate. But that number is up by about a thousand over Frontier’s passenger count for the same month in 2025.
In May, for comparison, Southwest Airlines seated over 37,000 passengers to multiple destinations.
Frontier’s decision to leave caught some members of the airport’s leadership by surprise. Frontier started Knoxville service in 2011 and its service was a boon to the airport in the years after the COVID pandemic.
“You may have seen some media stories over the past few weeks that Frontier Airlines here will be suspending service effective August the 17th,” Jim Evans, who handles airline service development for the airport, said during July 22 meeting of the airport’s governing board. “In all honesty, we didn't know that until we saw the media stories, too.“
The airline confirmed their choice to leave July 22, Evans said.
What happens if you bought a Frontier ticket?
For passengers who bought tickets through Frontier, the impact of its exit could be stronger. The federal government requires airlines to refund passengers when they discontinue service along routes where passengers have already bought tickets.
Any passengers who bought tickets for late August, September or October are entitled to refunds. Frontier will contact people with tickets for flights set to leave after Aug. 17 to tell them they can receive a refund or a travel credit, or they can rebook their flights.
If anyone bought a ticket for a date after Aug. 17, but doesn’t connect with a Frontier representative, he or she will be refunded automatically, according to Harris, the Frontier spokesperson.
The airline’s departure won’t leave much physical evidence in Knoxville. Frontier shared its ticket counters in the airport with other airlines. Becky Huckaby, a McGhee Tyson spokesperson, told Knox News those counters will be available to other airlines as needed.
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: If you have Frontier tickets after the airline pulled out of Knoxville, here's what to do
