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McGhee Tyson Airport Knoxville
Rating Details »
9 reviews for McGhee Tyson Airport Knoxville
I've flown in/out of Tyson a couple of times now and have had good experiences.
It's a tiny airport, but on one occasion the security check point was really backed up due to only one xray machine going. So still get their a little early just in case!
The airline personnel seem average like at most airports. Poor people get burnt out so quickly...
The facility itself is clean, modern, and inviting. Big beautiful windows make the airport bright and there's even artwork around and rocking chairs to lounge around in to soak in the grind of what's going on in and outside the airport.
Starbucks is always lacking something - no splenda or maybe no stir sticks...so it must be popular. Funny story - a guy in line asked to have his latte made with heavy whipping cream...no joke. I love the South.
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The Northwest employee who checks you in will also be the one who checks your id, checks your bags, loads the bags onto the plane, announces your flight, boards the plane, and takes your ticket at the gate.
I'm not kidding. One employee called in "sick" (read: hungover) the day after Xmas and this guy was it.
Now I would have given the airport only one star if he was also the guy who flew the plane and served me my beverage on board. Thankfully the pilot and flight attendant showed up for work that day.
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Little known fun fact about TYS is that when they were building the new terminal a few years ago, they had planned to put in the boulders for the stream (via crane) before the roof was put on. However somebody screwed up and they put the roof on first. They had to spend extra to bring in the boulders from the side.
Yes, the place is small when you compare it to the major airports around this country. There are like 12 gates in the place, but it has everything you need in a regional airport. It is regional, so most planes coming in and out of there are smaller. There is a full service Ruby Tuesday's that has both sit down and takeout service. They also have a full bar, something that couldn't be done anywhere else in Blount County until recent years. They have a gift shop where you can get all your Tennessee paraphanelia before heading off to wherever.
Most major carriers service the area, so you can always find a flight when you want. My only gripe is that they don't have a direct flight to Boston where I live now. I hate layovers. I guess that's more of an airline issue and don't get me started on them buddy. I'm not your buddy, guy.
Picking somebody up? They have a cellphone lot around the corner and the garage has free parking for the first half hour. They also have the major rental car companies located in the baggage claim area.
Stuck overnight here? Walk over to the Airport Hilton via a short breezeway from baggage claim. The service there is excellent and the rooms are really nice.
The service at the airport can be slow at times, but no worse than anywhere else I've been. The fact is that air travel is a slow process these days. Just show up early like they say and you'll be ok.
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If you travel in and out of East Tennessee, McGhee Tyson is the only airport to use -- well, because it's our only airport.
There aren't a lot of places to fly to direct from TYS, but there are several airlines flying regional jets to various regional hubs, so we can reach the world from TYS.
It's a very easy airport to get in and out of. When running late (not recommended!), I can arrive about 45 minutes before my flight with my preprinted boarding pass in hand and no checked luggage, and I have no worries about getting on my flight.
There's finally a small food court to supplement the Ruby Tuesday's restaurant, but I'm still wishing for free Wi-Fi, and airport parking is seriously overpriced for the size of the airport.
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Easiest airport to get in and out of! Not too big, not too small. The biggest drawback about it is the prices of flights ot knoxville. The best part is the price of Allegient Air. Great to jump on a plane and go to Florida and back. I can get my kids up here and back quick and inexpensively.
Great atmosphere. Friendly staff to help you. All the car rental places. Small store, but who needs one?
Overall, very impressive.
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Appearances can be deceiving. Small airport, 12 gates, relatively few people in the security line. Hold on, sonny, this is the South. We do things slow here. One TSA representative checks boarding passes and IDs at a snail's pace before allowing people to move on to the x-ray machines. This piece of the check-in puzzle takes at least three times longer than it would at most other airports for the same length of line. Needless to say, that "arrive 2 hours prior to departure" suggestion that no one really pays attention to... well, 2 hours will be just enough time to make your flight when the lines move slower than molasses.
But if you come in to this experience with patience and a little time to spare, TYS is a very nice airport. It's very modern and clean and has a very relaxing atmosphere. There's a huge picture window lined with rocking chairs, where you can gaze upon the mountains surrounding Knoxville. Relax yourself silly, because you'll likely be flying out on an old prop plane or puddle jumper that will scare the living daylights out of you.
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This airport is smaller than my closet, but it's easy to navigate and there's a Ruby Tuesday inside the terminal for your veggie burger and booze needs. The employees are shockingly nice, and there are fountains and rocking chairs everywhere.
Sometimes the security checkpoint lines are SLOW, especially these last few months. Not as slow as O'Hare by any stretch of the imagination, but don't let its diminutive stature fool you into strolling in half an hour before your flight leaves, because you still might miss it.
No recycling bins, though. Look, I know it's in a region that hasn't quite caught up with the larger cities in the US (except Chicago, because we can't get our shit together up here), but at least look like you're making an effort, TYS.
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TYS is a very small airport, smaller than John Wayne (SNA) in California which I flew out of. Flights are very limited, and tend to be only the smaller sardine-can planes.
Expect lots of delays and confusion. Folks are nice, but nobody knows what's going on, where the landing planes are going, or how you'll finally reach your plane or when.
We asked for wheelchair service and were ignored. Finally I swung myself down two flights of stairs (using a cane, a railing, and a lot of upper-arm strength) and up another one to get to the plane on the tarmac since our gate was given to a Chicago flight and they were loading the two planes at the same time out of the same gate and praying everyone was in their correct line. Awesome job, y'all.
Easy check-in, easy security, easy baggage claim.
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I was so glad to be here. It means that I was at least done with the plane travel for the day. (I still had an approximately 2 hours car trip home - hey it was cheaper to fly here than directly to the Tri-City Airport.) First Impressions were good. Clean, lots of space. There is actually a full service Ruby Tuesday with salad bar inside the secure area. What I loved was the water fountains that were right outside the secure area. Very peaceful. Mom said that a couple of weeks ago, they were not running due to the drought. Will have pictures when I fly back to LA --- camera was packed away in the luggage.
Update 11/29/07: Flew back yesterday, and I had the best airport experience ever. Someone helped with my bags - he used one of the luggage dollies found in hotels. He took care of them through out the whole process. Security was a breeze. Gets another star for yesterday's experience! (Doesn't get the 5th star because of the distance from the parents' house.)
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