Flights to McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS)
TYS serves Knoxville and is the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park (30 miles south). Delta, American, United, Southwest, and Allegiant fly to TYS. FareOptic compares all carriers to find the cheapest fare for your Knoxville or Smokies trip.
Flights to Knoxville (TYS)
*All above fares are one way/round trip. Fares incl. all fuel surcharges, taxes & fees and our service fees. Displayed fares are subject to change and cannot be guaranteed at the time of booking. See all booking terms and conditions.
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Why Visit Knoxville?
America's most visited national park 30 miles south, the Vol Nation's cathedral stadium at 102,455 capacity, the gold Sunsphere, and the atomic Secret City that changed history
Great Smoky Mountains National Park -- America's Most Visited National Park, 30 Miles from Knoxville, and the Only Free NP in the Southeast
12.5 Million Annual Visitors, No Entry Fee, 800 Miles of Hiking Trails, and the World's Best Synchronous Firefly DisplayGreat Smoky Mountains National Park (headquarters at Gatlinburg and Oconaluftee, 30-40 miles southeast of Knoxville via Sevier County; 522,427 acres straddling the Tennessee-North Carolina state line) is the most visited national park in the United States by an extraordinary margin -- 12.5 million visitors annually, more than double the Grand Canyon's approximately 6 million -- and is unique among major national parks in charging no entrance fee (the result of a 1934 congressional act guaranteeing free access to the park in perpetuity). The Smokies receive their name from the naturally occurring photochemical haze (biogenic volatile organic compounds emitted by the park's 19,000+ plant species, primarily isoprene from the 100 species of native trees) that creates a persistent blue-grey atmospheric haze visible from ridge tops on humid days. The park contains 800 miles of hiking trails ranging from the paved Laurel Falls Trail (accessible) to the demanding 11.1-mile Alum Cave Trail to LeConte, and the 2.1-mile Alum Cave Bluffs trail to the Southeast's most photographed geological formation. The Clingmans Dome Observatory Road leads to the highest point in the park (6,643 feet) and on clear days offers views into seven states. The park's synchronous firefly display (Photinus carolinus -- the only synchronous firefly species in the western hemisphere) in late May/early June is one of the most spectacular natural light shows in the world, requiring lottery-allocated permits to witness.
Why Great Smoky Mountains Receives 12.5 Million Visitors (2x the Grand Canyon) and What That Actually Means for the Visitor Experience
Great Smoky Mountains' extraordinary visitation is driven by: (1) No entry fee (unique among major national parks -- the 1934 act requires perpetual free access); (2) Geographic accessibility -- the park is within a one-day drive of one-third of the US population (Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Raleigh, Washington DC, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh -- all within 6 hours); (3) Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge tourist infrastructure -- Sevier County has developed one of the Southeast's largest tourism corridors, including Dollywood (Dolly Parton's theme park, 3.2 million visitors/year), over 30,000 cabin rentals, and extensive restaurant and retail development. The practical implication: peak season (June-August, October) brings severe congestion on Newfound Gap Road (the park's main cross-ridge highway) and trailhead parking areas. Cades Cove (the park's historic valley loop road) regularly backs up for hours on Saturday mornings. Savvy visitors come in spring (April-May, wildflower season -- 1,500 species, among the highest wildflower diversity on earth) or winter (December-February, uncrowded, excellent wildlife viewing including elk herds at Cataloochee Valley). The park's congestion does not reduce its wild character once you're on any trail beyond the first half-mile.
University of Tennessee and Neyland Stadium -- The Volunteers, One of College Football's Grandest Traditions, and the Third-Largest Stadium in the United States
102,455-Seat Capacity, Vol Navy Boat Tailgate on the Tennessee River, Rocky Top, and the Power T That Has Defined Knoxville Since 1891University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK, founded 1794, Tennessee's flagship land-grant university, 35,000+ students) is the dominant cultural and economic institution of Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley. Neyland Stadium (1921, extensively expanded to 102,455 capacity -- third-largest stadium in the United States and one of the ten largest in the world) sits on the south bank of the Tennessee River at the edge of the UT campus, and on game days creates one of college sports' most exceptional atmospheres: the stadium's entire interior turns checker-orange as 100,000+ fans in Tennessee Orange pack the bowl for SEC games. The Vol Navy -- an unofficial flotilla of private boats that moor along the Tennessee River bank below Neyland Stadium for home games, creating one of the most distinctive pre-game traditions in sports -- transforms the river and its banks into an aquatic tailgate that has been running since the 1960s. The University of Tennessee competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) across all sports. Tennessee football ("The Volunteers") has won six national championships (most recently 1998) and produced NFL players including Peyton Manning, who played at UT from 1994-97 before becoming a Hall of Fame Indianapolis Colt.
The Cultural Weight of Tennessee Orange -- Why Rocky Top, Checker Neyland, and the Volunteer Tradition Define East Tennessee's Identity Beyond Sports
University of Tennessee's cultural weight in East Tennessee is difficult to overstate for a visitor from outside the region. Tennessee Orange -- a specific shade (PMS 151, a saturated orange) chosen by UT in 1891 from a daisy native to the Smoky Mountains region -- is the color of practically everything in Knoxville and the surrounding 35-county TV media market. Rocky Top (a 1967 song by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, originally written as a country song and adopted by UT as its fight song in 1972) is probably the most-recognized university fight song in the South and certainly one of the most repeated -- the UT band plays it dozens of times per game, and Knoxville restaurants, gas stations, and hotels cue it on game days. The Vol Walk (the team's walk from UT's Torchbearer statue to Neyland Stadium two hours before kickoff, lined by tens of thousands of fans in Orange) is one of college sports' most emotionally powerful traditions. The practical implication for visitors: avoid Knoxville on SEC home football Saturday afternoons unless you have tickets or intend to watch with 100,000 of your closest new friends. With a ticket, it is one of the transcendent American sports experiences.
1982 World's Fair Site and Sunsphere -- The Gold Globe on the Knoxville Skyline, the Legacy of America's Last Profitable World's Fair, and the Market Square District
America's Last Profitable World's Fair Drew 11 Million Visitors to Knoxville, Left the UT Conference Center, and Created Downtown's Cultural CoreThe 1982 World's Fair (Knoxville International Energy Exposition, May 1-October 31, 1982 -- the last World's Fair held in the United States, though New Orleans hosted one in 1984) drew 11,127,786 visitors over its six months on 70 acres adjacent to UT's main campus and left Knoxville several permanent assets: the Sunsphere (a 266-foot steel tower topped with a five-story gold-glass sphere that serves as Knoxville's defining skyline element, viewable from interstates 40 and 275 as far as 10 miles away -- observation deck open to the public, free admission); the Tennessee Amphitheater; the World's Fair Park (a 10-acre green space connecting downtown to UT's campus); and the East Tennessee History Center. The Sunsphere (originally costing $5 million to construct) was designed by the Knoxville architectural firm Barber & McMurry and is structurally a latticed steel frame tower with a sphere containing 28,000 square feet of bronze-tinted glass panels. The World's Fair Park and surrounding blocks have become the connective tissue between downtown Knoxville's Market Square district (a red-brick Victorian commercial district anchored by Market Square itself, with twice-weekly farmers' markets, outdoor concerts, and one of Knoxville's densest restaurant concentrations) and the UT campus.
The 1982 Knoxville World's Fair as a Model of Civic Transformation -- How 11 Million Visitors Changed a Declining Downtown and Why Knoxville's Turnaround Is a Genuine Urban Success Story
The 1982 World's Fair's legacy for Knoxville goes well beyond the Sunsphere. In 1982, downtown Knoxville was in serious decline -- the city had lost population in the 1970s (to Knoxville's suburbs, not to regional competition), its core retail district was largely abandoned as the West Town Mall (1972) had drawn retail away, and Gay Street (Knoxville's main commercial street) was characterized by vacant storefronts. The World's Fair's 70-acre site required significant infrastructure investment (the World's Fair Park, the Convention Center, hotel development) that reoriented downtown investment patterns. By the 1990s and especially 2000s, downtown Knoxville had undergone a genuine revival: Gay Street, Market Square, and the Old City entertainment district (east of downtown) had become active mixed-use districts. The city's success in converting the World's Fair site into a usable urban asset is frequently cited in urban planning literature as a successful contrast to failed World's Fair cities (Montreal 1976's Stade Olympique remained a financial burden for decades; New Orleans 1984's fair site sat derelict for years). Knoxville's Market Square district, directly northwest of the World's Fair Park, is now one of the most active downtown public spaces in Tennessee, with year-round programming including the Market Square Farmers Market (Wednesday and Saturday mornings, mid-April through November) and outdoor concerts at the Lawn on Market Square.
Oak Ridge and the Secret City -- The Atomic City Built from Nothing in 1942 That Helped End World War II, 25 Miles from Knoxville
75,000 Workers, 17,000 Acres, and a Town Built Under Wartime Secrecy -- Now Home to America's Most Powerful Public Supercomputer and One of the World's Premier Science LaboratoriesOak Ridge (25 miles northwest of Knoxville on US-58 and TN-62, Roane and Anderson Counties) was built in absolute secrecy by the Manhattan Project beginning in November 1942 -- a planned city of 75,000 workers (the third-largest city in Tennessee at its wartime peak, despite not appearing on any map) constructed for the sole purpose of enriching uranium-235 for the atomic bomb. The Y-12 National Security Complex (uranium enrichment) and the X-10 Graphite Reactor (the world's first continuously operated nuclear reactor, still standing and designated a National Historic Landmark) at what became Oak Ridge National Laboratory produced the material used in the Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Today, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, operated by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy) is the nation's largest science and energy research laboratory: 5,700 staff, 3,000 guest researchers annually, and home to Frontier -- the world's first exascale supercomputer (achieved 1 exaFLOP of computing power in May 2022, capable of 1.1 quintillion calculations per second -- the most powerful scientific computing instrument on earth). The American Museum of Science and Energy (300 South Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge) tells the Secret City story with declassified Manhattan Project artifacts and a detailed account of the weapons and energy programs. The X-10 Graphite Reactor (free public tours available through ORNL's visitor program) is the most historically significant nuclear science artifact in the United States.
How 75,000 Workers Kept the Manhattan Project Secret in Oak Ridge for Three Years -- The Operational Security of the Most Consequential Industrial Secret in American History
The operational security of Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project (1943-1945) was one of the most remarkable information control achievements in modern history: 75,000 workers lived and worked in Oak Ridge with essentially no understanding of what they were collectively producing. The security strategy worked through radical compartmentalization: workers operated specific machine tools or process steps without knowing their function in any larger process; the city had its own post office (P.O. Box 55, Oak Ridge, Tennessee) but no mailing address appeared on any public map; workers were issued specific-color coded badges that restricted physical access to work areas; all outgoing mail was read by military censors; conversations about work were prohibited even between spouses; and the city itself had only one road junction to the outside world (controlled by military police). The wives and families of scientists (who generally knew more of the purpose, though still not all) and of workers (who knew essentially nothing) lived in the same community, shared the same cafeterias and recreation facilities, and routinely socialized -- without discussing what the husbands were doing. The secret was maintained through VJ Day (August 15, 1945) with essentially no domestic leak -- one of the most extraordinary achievements of the World War II security apparatus.
How to Find Cheap Flights to Knoxville
Great Smoky Mountains Peak Season (June-August and October) Raises Knoxville Airfares -- Book 6-8 Weeks Ahead
Great Smoky Mountains NP's 12.5 million annual visitors concentrate in summer and fall foliage season (October), when Knoxville hotels and flights fill rapidly. Book TYS flights 6-8 weeks ahead for June-October travel. Synchronous firefly permits (late May/early June) are lottery-allocated -- book flights as soon as firefly lottery results are announced.
Tennessee Volunteers Home Football Saturdays Create 100,000-Visitor Surges -- Check the UT Schedule
Neyland Stadium holds 102,455 and fills to capacity for SEC home games (10-12 per season, September-November). Game-day weekends in Knoxville bring hotel and flight price spikes beginning 2-3 weeks before the game. Check the UT Athletics schedule (utsports.com) before booking and price either game-day arrivals or avoid those specific weekends for non-football travel.
April-May Spring Wildflower Season Is the Best Time to Visit the Smokies Without Crowds or High Season Prices
Great Smoky Mountains NP spring wildflower season (mid-April through May -- 1,500 species, the world's highest temperate wildflower diversity) brings outstanding natural beauty with half the summer crowd. TYS flights and Knoxville hotels are significantly cheaper than June-August or October. The park's Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage (late April, organized guided wildflower hikes) is one of the Southeast's best nature events.
Compare TYS with Asheville (AVL, 75 Miles) and Chattanooga (CHA, 100 Miles) for Mountain Region Travel
For visitors focused on the Smokies' North Carolina side (Asheville, Cataloochee Valley, Blue Ridge Parkway), Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) may be more convenient despite fewer airlines. Chattanooga (CHA, 100 miles west) has good Southwest service and accesses the Smokies' western approaches. Price all three when visiting the broader Southern Appalachian region.
Airlines Flying to Knoxville (TYS)
Delta Air Lines
ATL Hub Connections to TYS -- Delta's Primary Knoxville Service and Fastest Southeast GatewayDelta Air Lines is the largest carrier at McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), operating ATL-TYS nonstop service multiple times daily (1h 20m) and providing connection to Delta's full domestic and international network. Delta's Atlanta hub is 2.5 hours by air from TYS -- the fastest connection to the Southeast hub. Delta also operates seasonal nonstop service from JFK and BOS. Great Smoky Mountains NP's peak season (June-August and October) drives significant TYS demand.
Key Routes
ATL to TYS (1h 20m nonstop; JFK to TYS (2h nonstop, seasonal; BOS to TYS (2h 15m nonstop, seasonal; MCO to TYS (via ATL; LAX to TYS (via ATL or SLC
American Airlines
CLT and DFW Hub Connections to TYS -- American's Knoxville Service for Mid-Atlantic and Texas TravelersAmerican Airlines connects Knoxville via Charlotte (CLT) and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) with American Eagle regional service. CLT-TYS is a short hop (under 40 minutes) providing American's best connectivity for mid-Atlantic travelers. American's service to Knoxville benefits from the University of Tennessee's strong alumni network in Charlotte and the Carolinas, as well as significant research and manufacturing industry travel (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 25 miles west of Knoxville, brings substantial business travel).
Key Routes
CLT to TYS (35m nonstop; DFW to TYS (via CLT; ORD to TYS (via CLT or PHL; PHL to TYS (via CLT; MIA to TYS (via CLT
United Airlines
EWR and ORD Hub Connections to TYS -- United's Knoxville Service for New York and Midwest TravelersUnited Airlines connects Knoxville via Newark (EWR) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD), providing New York and Midwest access to the Tennessee Valley. EWR-TYS serves the New York market, including research and government contractors associated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (the nation's largest Department of Energy science laboratory). United's TYS service also taps the significant University of Tennessee alumni and University of Illinois/Northwestern alumni traveling for football and basketball games.
Key Routes
EWR to TYS (2h 10m nonstop; ORD to TYS (via EWR or DEN; DEN to TYS (via EWR; LAX to TYS (via EWR or DEN
Southwest Airlines
Low-Cost Nonstop Service to TYS -- Southwest's Knoxville Routes for Budget Travelers from the Midwest and Mountain WestSouthwest Airlines operates nonstop service to Knoxville (TYS) from Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Denver (DEN), Chicago Midway (MDW), and several Florida airports, providing the lowest advertised base fares on most competitive routes. Southwest's no-change-fee and two-free-bags policy make it competitive even when base fares are similar to other carriers. Southwest drives significant leisure traffic to Great Smoky Mountains NP from Midwest and Mountain West origin cities.
Key Routes
BWI to TYS nonstop; MDW to TYS nonstop; DEN to TYS nonstop; MCO to TYS nonstop; TPA to TYS nonstop; FLL to TYS nonstop -- check Southwest.com for complete schedule
Things to Do in Knoxville and the Smoky Mountains
Essential Info for Your Knoxville Trip
State
Tennessee
Airport
TYS -- McGhee Tyson Airport (12 miles south of downtown Knoxville, 30 miles north of Gatlinburg/Smoky Mountains NP entrance)
Alternate Airports
CHA (Chattanooga, 100 miles west) or AVL (Asheville NC, 75 miles east for NC side of the Smokies)
Currency
USD -- US Dollar
Time Zone
EST (UTC-5) / EDT (UTC-4) in summer
Great Smoky Mountains NP
No entrance fee. Newfound Gap Road (US-441): congested June-Aug and Oct. Best hiking: Alum Cave, Laurel Falls, Chimney Tops, Andrews Bald.
Neyland Stadium
102,455 capacity. SEC home games Sept-Nov. Game day Knoxville: arrive early, wear orange, expect traffic. Vol Navy boats along Tennessee River.
Emergency Number
911
Most Popular Airlines
Best Airlines for Domestic & International Routes
Frequently Asked Questions on Flights to Knoxville
Everything you need to know about booking cheap flights to McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) and visiting Knoxville and Great Smoky Mountains National Park
What airport serves Knoxville Tennessee?
McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is 12 miles south of downtown Knoxville and 30 miles north of Gatlinburg (the main gateway to Great Smoky Mountains NP). Delta, American, United, Southwest, and Allegiant serve TYS with nonstop service from Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, New York/Newark, and Orlando. All major rental car companies operate at TYS.
Is Knoxville a good base for visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
Yes -- Knoxville is an excellent base for the Smokies. McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is 30 miles north of Gatlinburg (park's main visitor gateway) -- a 45-minute drive without traffic. Knoxville has far more hotel inventory and dining options than the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge corridor. The park is free to enter (no gate fee), making Knoxville hotels the primary cost. Book 6-8 weeks ahead for summer and October visits.
When is the best time to visit Knoxville and the Smoky Mountains?
Best overall: April-May (spring wildflowers -- 1,500 species, among the world's highest density, excellent trail conditions, half the summer crowd). October is peak fall foliage and the busiest month -- expect crowds and premium prices. Summer (June-August) has the most visitors and activity but also the most congestion. Winter (December-February) is uncrowded, excellent elk viewing at Cataloochee, and often very cheap flights.
What is there to do in Knoxville beyond the Smokies?
Knoxville has a genuinely excellent downtown: Market Square (active public square with twice-weekly farmers' market and concerts), Gay Street (Victorian commercial district with local restaurants and shops), the Sunsphere observation deck (free, best city view), the Knoxville Museum of Art, and the Old City entertainment district. The University of Tennessee campus and the World's Fair Park are 15-minute walks from downtown. Oak Ridge (Secret City/Manhattan Project history + ORNL) is 25 miles west.
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