How to not miss your McGhee Tyson fall break flight amid long lines. But what if you do?

Travelers flying from McGhee Tyson Airport this weekend might want to budget some extra time to arrive, park and make it through security. 

The Knoxville airport is expecting long lines as fall travel gets into full swing. October was the airport’s busiest month of 2024, and this year could break records for passenger numbers. 

The airport is in an expansion phase. Last year, McGhee Tyson was the fastest-growing airport in the United States. McGhee Tyson leaders know the airport needs to expand, but multiple projects to accommodate the growing volume of travelers are still in progress. Some pieces of the airport's upgrades will take years.

Families across East Tennessee are planning to travel this weekend for fall break, which could mean a busy McGhee Tyson Airport

Frequent flyers are looking forward to a new 3,500-space garage now in the works, but that won't be ready until 2027. Around 4:30 p.m. Oct. 2, the airport’s website showed one of its terminal parking lots was full and the existing garage was at about 93% capacity.

While fall break may be a great time for your family to travel, other families are thinking the same thing. Knox County Schools is on break Oct. 6-10, while University of Tennessee at Knoxville students are out of school Oct. 6-7. 

Keep reading for what you should know to stay on schedule and ensure you make your flight. And if you happen to miss it, we still have you covered with what to do next, as well as what to know about REAL IDs and what to expect at the airport amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.

How to stay on schedule in Knoxville at McGhee Tyson Airport

The airport publishes flight delays and cancellations on its website, but late and canceled flights ultimately are out of passengers' control.

Airport authority spokesperson Becky Huckaby told Knox News that passengers have steps they can take to ensure they board their flights on time over the course of what could be a packed weekend at McGhee Tyson.

Some of her advice is standard: Leave for the airport a few hours before your flight is scheduled to depart, for starters. Huckaby said passengers should plan to arrive at least two hours before flying out of Knoxville to account for the busy travel days heading into fall break.

A banner on McGhee Tyson’s website Oct. 2 also warned travelers to leave some room between arriving at the airport and boarding through Oct. 4.

When you get to the airport, pull out your travel documents – IDs and boarding passes – and have them ready to show to security and gate agents.

What happens if I miss my flight at McGhee Tyson Airport?

Travel insurance typically won't cover missed flights, according to a July column published by USA TODAY, but your insurance company's concierge services could help you come up with a new game plan that keeps your trip on track.

"If you miss a flight and it's the airline's fault (for example, insufficient connection time), the airline must book you on the next available flight," Christopher Elliott wrote for USA TODAY. "Even if it's your fault, you can ask for consideration under the 'flat tire' rule − an informal guideline that says if you made a good-faith effort to get to the airport on time, you'll get on the next flight at no extra charge."

The peak Knoxville travel times at McGhee Tyson Airport

Peak travel times for flights will run 4 a.m.-7 a.m. and 1 p.m.-6 p.m., Huckaby said.

“It’s pretty much all day,” she said.

REAL IDs make a difference at the airport in a time crunch

One suggestion for beating the crowds is newer: If you don’t have a REAL ID, be prepared for additional screening.

The federal government began enforcing REAL ID requirements earlier this year. Recognized alternative forms of identification, including a passport, are acceptable, Huckaby said.

Travelers without a REAL ID or an approved form of identification should expect to spend as much as an additional hour going through security screenings. This includes people who have applied for a REAL ID but have not yet received it, Huckaby said.

What McGhee Tyson travelers should know about government shutdown

As the shutdown stretches from hours into days, Huckaby said, airport personnel will continue to work with staffers from the federal government, including the Transportation Security Administration. So far, she said on Oct. 1, the lack of a fully staffed federal government hadn’t made a difference. 

“We have not seen an impact to our operations to this point,” she said. “We are working closely with our partners.” 

How does shutdown affect FAA and TSA employees at airports?

A TSA spokesperson said in an unsigned email that despite the shutdown, the administration is still prepared to screen about 2.5 million passengers per day.

All but about 3,000 people within TSA’s 64,000-person workforce would remain at work, the spokesperson said, while the 3,000 others are being sent home without pay until the government agrees to a funding deal. They won’t be paid until the shutdown ends.

A lengthy shutdown could mean longer lines, the spokesperson said. 

Documents describing the Federal Aviation Administration’s plans for a shutdown show a larger percentage of its workforce will be affected by the government's closure. About 35% of FAA staffers are out of the office until the government reopens, though air traffic controllers will stay on the job, according to a March planning document from the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

USA TODAY columnist Christopher Elliott contributed to this report.

Mariah Franklin is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Email: [email protected]. Signal: mariahfranklin.01

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How to not miss your McGhee Tyson fall break flight amid long lines. But what if you do?