Knoxville’s airport will get two boosts from airlines this summer travel season: more destinations and several bigger planes.
Delta will resume Knoxville service to a hub it hasn’t flown since early in the pandemic. The so-called “Big Three” carriers — American, Delta and United — will switch out small regional jets for large Boeing and Airbus planes on select flights from Knoxville.
Budget airlines are expanding service to Knoxville, too. Allegiant will station a fourth Airbus plane in Knoxville beginning in June so it can pull off an ambitious expansion to three new destinations.
Frontier will begin flights to Philadelphia. And Avelo Airlines, Knoxville’s first new carrier since 2011, will begin flying passengers to New Haven, Connecticut, in May with an eye toward adding more destinations.
The airport expects the number of seats available this summer to increase as much as 40% over last year, said Jim Evans, vice president of marketing and air service development, at the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority’s Feb. 21 board meeting.
“There will be a lot of people coming through the airport this summer,” Evans said. “It is going to get crowded if all of these flights perform as we hope they will.”
Here’s a rundown of new flights and bigger planes coming to Knoxville this summer.
Budget airlines add flights to Knoxville
Allegiant will begin flying to a familiar spot in May and three new spots in June. Flights to new destinations are available for as low as $45 at allegiantair.com:
- Orlando International Airport on Mondays and Fridays beginning May 17 (will not affect Allegiant flights to Orlando Sanford International Airport)
- MidAmerica St. Louis Airport on Thursdays and Sundays beginning June 13
- Jacksonville International Airport on Mondays and Fridays beginning June 14
- South Bend International Airport on Mondays and Fridays beginning June 14
Avelo will begin its first flight from Knoxville to its Connecticut hub. Flights to the home of Yale University are available for an introductory low starting at $62 at AveloAir.com:
- Tweed New Haven Airport on Thursdays and Sundays beginning May 9
Frontier will add a destination and will expand its seasonal service to two hubs:
- Philadelphia International Airport three times a week beginning May 16
- Expanding seasonal service to Orlando International Airport with three round-trip flights a week this summer
- Expanding seasonal service to Denver International Airport with four round-trip flights a week this summer
- Flight dates and deals at flyfrontier.com
Delta restarts flights to Minneapolis
Delta ended flights to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport shortly after the pandemic, but it will resume daily nonstop service beginning June 7.
The Midwest hub is Delta’s gateway to Canada and will reopen some flights to the West Coast, Asia and Europe for Knoxville passengers. It is also in high demand from Cirrus, a Minnesota-based general aviation company that operates a campus at McGhee Tyson.
United bringing big planes to Knoxville
United will swap out small regional jets for larger planes on select flights from Knoxville to Chicago and Denver beginning May 23.
American will upsize jets on flights to Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth and Philadelphia, Evans said. Delta will upsize jets on daily flights to Detroit.
How many more seats on Knoxville flights?
McGhee Tyson served a record 2.81 million passengers in 2023, and had 10 months of consecutive record traffic. It expects more growth this year, and that means it needs more seats.
This summer, as tourism ramps up, so will the number of available seats on flights from Knoxville. Here’s how the number of seats in summer 2024 will compare with summer 2023:
- May: 21% more seats
- June: 37% more seats
- July: 40% more seats
- August: 25% more seats
Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email [email protected].
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