McGhee Tyson Airport adds new direct flights to major cities

KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Air travel in Knoxville is surging back up to pre-pandemic quantities, officials mentioned. Just about 2 million folks flew as a result of McGhee Tyson Airport past yr, just shy of the report established in 2019. There are also a few new direct flights to important cities.

McGhee Tyson Airport now has non-halt flights to 30 marketplaces. The airport has a few new direct flights to Phoenix, Baton Rouge and Minneapolis/Saint Paul.

“We have been fortuitous targeted traffic in this article has appear back really robust and with the expansion in passengers we usually get more flights,” explained Jim Evans with the Airport Authority.

Much more flights necessarily mean the airport wants a lot more room. The Metropolitan Tennessee Airport Authority mentioned it is exploring alternatives to develop Knoxville’s airport.

The Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority mentioned it analyzed operations data all through the COVID-19 pandemic to determine who is visiting East Tennessee, and wherever to create new flight paths.

“From main markets like Chicago, New York, down into the Texas marketplaces, locations in which they desired to get out of a massive city and appear and encounter mother nature,” claimed Evans.

In flip, he claimed, they’re in a position to present a lot more non-cease flights to locals.

“It presents our folks a good new place to go on a non-halt flight, so it is really great for not only inbound vacation but also for outbound vacation,” Evans claimed.

With outbound journey buying up, the airport is also accommodating College of Tennessee lovers this slide, with direct flights to Baton Rouge.

“We’re fired up to see how it will do, so if you want to go to the LSU video game you can now go down there non-stop and appear back again non-end,” Evans stated.

If vacation demand carries on next this trend, Evans said, ticket prices could carry on to go down too.

“The much more minimal fare company you have, it drives down the regular selling price of a ticket. Is it going to be a large fall right away? Almost certainly not but traveling has unquestionably gotten a lot more reasonably priced for McGhee Tyson than it was several years back,” Evans said.

Airport officials explained they’re also bringing back non-end flights to Myrtle Beach in the upcoming pair of months, just in time for summer.