McGhee Tyson Airport is adding more parking and fees are going up. What to know
When summer and holiday travel picks up, flying can be a headache before travelers even walk through airport doors. That happens when parking lots fill up, as they have on busy days at McGhee Tyson Airport.
The airport announced on June 29 a new overflow parking lot and plans to build a $180 million parking garage. At the same time, parking fees are increasing.
The new lot, called Economy Lot C, is the third in a series of less expensive lots placed farther away from the airport. All three economy lots are located on the other side of the Airport Hilton.
Though the new overflow lot is finished, it will be used on an as-needed basis until there is a dedicated, full-time shuttle service to the lot, which the airport hopes will happen in mid-December. At that time, the lot is expected to become a regular parking area rather than overflow.
In the meantime, a shuttle currently used for other routes will service the new lot when other lots fill up.
The airport also announced that parking fees would increase slightly as it works to finance construction projects and reach parity with peer airports in the region. The largest project on the horizon is the new parking garage, which is currently in its planning phase.
Effective July 1, daily prices for the three parking options will be:
$22 for short-term parking, which is closest to the airport and requires only a five-minute walk. This is a $2 increase.
$16 for long-term parking, which is a 10-minute walk from the airport. This is a $2 increase.
$11 for economy parking, which is farther away and requires at least a 15-minute walk. This is a $1 increase.
The airport also offers hourly parking, which begins at $1 per 20 minutes, or $3 per hour. Hourly parking is available in all three parking options, but once the hourly rate meets the daily rate, the price switches over to the daily rate. For instance, a car parked for eight hours or longer in short-term parking would just pay the daily rate of $22.
Hourly rates are the same across the lots and will not increase.
Building the new TYS parking lot
The new lot adds 1,100 parking spaces and cost around $7 million to design and construct, according to data provided to Knox News by Bryan White, vice president of planning and development for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (MKAA).
The number of spaces was calculated based on how many spaces would be unavailable during construction of the new parking garage, as well as the airport's forecast for passenger increases.
Caitlin Darras, MKAA's senior public relations specialist, said the airport's regular parking would not meet the projected increase in passengers, making an overflow lot a necessity.
"We have seen consistent growth over the past six months, three months and we're just continuing to anticipate growth here at McGhee Tyson Airport," Darras said. "These parking increases just allow us to upgrade these airport parking facilities and provide the best infrastructure for our travelers."
The airport recorded its busiest year in 2019, with 2.57 million passengers, and continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which grounded flight operations for a time. In 2021, the number of passengers was down to around 1.4 million, but rose to 2.3 million in 2022.
Plans for a new TYS parking garage
The new parking garage is scheduled to be completed in January 2026. It will be adjacent to the current parking garage and will not replace it. The new garage is expected to add 3,500 spaces.
Its hefty price tag is more than the $134 million runway that opened in 2021 after a decade of construction. The runway project, the largest in the airport's history, was funded through state and federal grants from public entities including the FAA, TDOT and the MKAA.
The garage project extends a season of traveler growth, even as many airports have struggled to meet demand. In a recent Forbes Advisor report, McGhee Tyson Airport ranked among the worst airports for summer travel, largely due to canceled and delayed flights.
Navigating parking differences
The airport's short-term and long-term lots both offer covered garage parking. Though the titles "short-term" and "long-term" suggest a difference in how long travelers can leave their cars in these lots, the only difference among all three parking options is their distance from the terminal and their covered or open-air status. All three kinds of lots offer accessible parking.
The Knoxville airport also provides a free parking area for those picking up a passenger. Drivers can park in the small Phone and Wait Lot adjacent to long-term parking and wait with their cars until they receive a call from a passenger to arrange a pick-up location.
Ride sharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, as well as taxi services are available for travelers who do not wish to park at the airport.
How does McGhee Tyson's parking compare to peer airports?
According to Darras, the airport decided to increase parking rates after comparing McGhee Tyson to similar airports.
"These parking rates just bring us in line with market parking rates at this time," Darras said.
So, how do the new parking fees compare with other regional airports in the South? The new rates are a mixed bag when compared with other airports, and there's no clear winner for least expensive parking.
McGhee Tyson Airport offers 26 nonstop flight destinations within the U.S. and had 239,547 total passengers in June 2022, according to its reported statistics.
Asheville Regional Airport offers 26 nonstop flight destinations within the U.S. and had 181,615 total passengers in June 2022, according to its reported statistics. It also offers overflow parking. Here's how its parking rates compare:
Hourly fee of $2 up to a maximum of four hours
$30 daily fee at the closest lot
$15 daily fee at garage parking
$12 daily fee for daily lots and shuttle lots
Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport offers nine nonstop flight destinations within the U.S. and had 82,783 total passengers in June 2022, according to its reported statistics. It recently opened a new parking garage. Here's how its parking rates compare:
First 15 minutes of parking are free across lots
Each additional 30 minutes cost $2, for an hourly fee of $4
$20 daily fee for short-term parking
$15 daily fee for parking garage
$12 daily fee for long-term parking
Lexington Blue Grass Airport offers 15 nonstop flight destinations within the U.S. and had 121,761 total passengers in June 2022, according to its reported statistics. Here's how its parking rates compare:
First 30 minutes of parking are free across lots
$2 for first hour, $1 for each additional hour
$16 daily fee for short-term parking
$13 daily fee for long-term parking
Daniel Dassow is a reporting intern focusing on trending and business news. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: McGhee Tyson Airport raises parking fees for Knoxville travelers
