Knoxville (TYS) TSA wait times
Security at McGhee Tyson Airport is running about 10 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 5 to 15 minutes at noon on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 4 minutes.TYS security is about 10 minutes now, usually 5 to 15 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 6 AM and 3 to 5 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 5 to 15 minutes now
Down 2 min since 6 am.
How long is security at Knoxville, and when is TYS busiest?
So how long is security at Knoxville? The left chart shows the Knoxville security wait time hour by hour, built from TYS's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 4 to 8 PM; plan around the 5 to 6 AM and 3 to 5 PM rushes.Calmest 4 to 8 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through TYS? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Asheville (AVL) and Chattanooga (CHA), or every airport in Tennessee.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| noon (Now) | 3 flights | 10 min |
| 1 pm | 2 flights | 8 min |
| 2 pm | 2 flights | 8 min |
| 3 pm | 3 flights | 10 min |
| 4 pm | 3 flights | 11 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
TYS security, common questions
How early should I get to TYS?
For a domestic flight out of Knoxville, plan to be inside the terminal about an hour before departure, and about an hour for an international one. That covers a 10 to 20 minute checkpoint queue at the Friday peak plus the walk to the gate. Outside the peak you can safely trim it; the calculator above works it out from your actual departure time.
What is the busiest time at TYS security?
Friday around 5 am, when 4 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Sunday at 7 pm, at roughly 5 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at TYS?
At the Friday peak it turns a 10 to 20 minute queue into something closer to 5 minutes. Over a five year membership that is worth it if you fly more than about three round trips a year through an airport this busy. The trusted traveler calculator prices it against your own flying.
When does security open at TYS?
McGhee Tyson Airport does not publish checkpoint opening hours in any national feed, so we will not invent them. What the schedule does show is that the first departures leave around 3 am, and checkpoints generally open about two hours before the first flight of the day.
How long is security at Knoxville?
At the Friday peak around 5 am, the standard lane at TYS typically runs 10 to 20 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 5 minutes. These are modeled from the airport's own departure schedule, so they move hour by hour, which is what the chart on this page shows.
How much time does PreCheck save at TYS?
At the busy Friday peak, PreCheck turns the standard 10 to 20 minute wait into about 5 minutes, a saving of roughly 10 minutes when it matters most. Off-peak the two lanes are much closer, because a short line is short in either one.
Tips for TYS, from the data
- Fly between 4 to 8 PM if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The 5 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 13 minutes in the standard lane.
- Allegiant runs 28% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
Related
Modeled from the flight schedule, not measured. How these numbers are made.