How McGhee Tyson Airport rallied to help 600 stranded passengers: Dolly, diapers and de-icer

When McGhee Tyson Airport suspended operations the evening of Jan. 15 as up to 10 inches of snow fell on its runways, 600 passengers were left with nowhere to go.

As 11 plows cleared the airfield, other staff made another kind of voyage, setting out in pickup trucks for Food City to buy $2,000 worth of fruit, cheese, granola bars, water bottles and diapers to get passengers through the night.

Among them was the airport's president, Patrick Wilson, who told the airport's board of commissioners at its January board meeting that he was proud of how staff members rallied to help the airport's overnight guests.

"I think it immediately gave some relief to those stranded passengers that were there," Wilson said. "I know it certainly gave me some relief to know that we were seeing this provided for them."

On the first of two Food City trips that night, airport staff picked up a family walking to a hotel and gave them a ride to their destination. At the store, as staff broke up to collect various items, Wilson admitted he found his assignment challenging.

"I will self-report that I was the slowest shopper with my task, because I was given diapers to buy. It has been 22 years since I've had to buy diapers and I was overwhelmed at the selection," Wilson said, getting laughs from board members and the operations staff who were recognized for their efforts at the meeting.

A public safety officer helped Wilson make his selections over the phone. It was one small moment of community among many that night at Knoxville's airport.

"We really did form a community," said Carolyn Dieda Madden, who spent the night at McGhee Tyson after her flight home to California was canceled. "One gal, I kept seeing her in the bathroom so we'd have nice long chats and then when I was laying on the floor trying to sleep, she'd walk by and would wave like we were neighbors."

Madden and her husband befriended an older woman who relied on the couple for help navigating a rare Knoxville snow storm. When Madden heard an overwhelmed server at Ruby Tuesday was missing her child's first birthday, she gave her a $100 tip to buy her baby a present.

As she walked around the cold terminal building in a bathrobe and slippers and tried falling asleep, Madden said it was like a "slumber party." A recurring advertisement that brought Dolly Parton's voice on the intercom became a running joke of the new neighborhood.

"Every time you just started to doze off, it's like, there's Dolly," Madden told Knox News.

But it was the airport staff that made the biggest impression on Madden, handing out snacks and patiently answering passengers' questions. About 50 airport staff stayed overnight at least once, and some slept at the airport for 48 hours, a spokesperson said.

"If there's anything I could say about it, it's rough sleeping in an airport and you don't sleep, but it was the most positive experience I could have had," Madden said. "I felt like everybody there was a first responder and really just took care of our needs."

When an airport officer noticed a visibly upset young woman trying to get to a hotel on Alcoa Highway with her 11-month-old son, the airport's senior director of facilities took action. He loaded her car seat into an airport vehicle and safely took the pair to their hotel.

Passengers notice 'impressive' airport snow removal

A team of airfield maintenance and operator staff used 7 tractor plows, 4 plow trucks, about 9,000 pounds of de-icer pellets, and 12,000 gallons of liquid de-icer to get runways back to normal. All de-icer used by the airport is non-corrosive and environmentally friendly, an airport spokesperson said.

Alissa Galyon was coming back from Las Vegas on Jan. 15 and her American Airlines flight was able to land in Knoxville at 5:30 that night.

"I was really impressed by how well the landing went, despite landing in snowmaggedon," Galyon, a Knoxville resident, said. "You could see the snow plows all across the tarmac. It seemed like it was all hands on deck as soon as we landed. It was just very, very impressive. We got to the gate pretty much immediately."

Galyon could see some passengers in the terminal who had been stuck by delayed or canceled flights, and it wasn't easy for her to get home to Fountain City that night. Still, she said airport staff made the process easier.

"I think they did a great job mitigating as many issues as they could," Galyon said. "I wouldn't have been able to tell we were in a snowstorm by how efficient everything seemed."

Airport staff will review their performance during the storm to see if any changes need to be made and will potentially update the airport's fleet of snow equipment, Wilson said, which includes a trusty 1998 snow blower.

The airport resumed operations 10 a.m. Jan. 16.

McGhee Tyson Airport looks back at historic 2023

Knoxville's airport had more passengers than ever before in 2023, with more than 2.81 million, a 13% increase over 2022. October 2023 was the busiest month in the airport's 86-year history, and also saw its busiest single day.

At the airport board meeting on Jan. 24, Wilson said the airport had its highest-ever operating revenues and reduced its debt by $10 million in 2023.

The airport also made progress on a $180 million new parking garage construction, which will change airport navigation in 2024 and is the largest infrastructure project in the airport's history.

As it outgrows its current terminal building, built for up to 2.6 million passengers a year, McGhee Tyson will begin a project to add six more gates in 2026, scheduled for completion around 2029.

Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Knoxville airport staff helped 600 passengers stuck in snow storm