Almost everything about McGhee Tyson Airport parking is changing. See new map

In anticipation of its busiest summer ever, McGhee Tyson Airport will overhaul its parking system beginning June 1, changing lot names and prices to add spots and build up revenue for construction projects.

The airport expects 1.2 million passengers between May and August, and is set to break 3 million passengers in 2024 for the first time. Driving the rise in summer traffic are seven new flights and bigger planes.

Since Feb. 1 of this year, McGhee Tyson has added 1,750 parking spaces to its inventory.

Some of the changes will clear confusion about lot names. Instead of "long-term" and "short-term" parking, outdated titles which had nothing to do with how long a vehicle was parked there, the airport will have "Garage Parking" and "Surface Lot" parking.

Garage spots, which were split between long-term and short-term, which be combined and will cost $22 a day. Short-term parking was already $22 a day, but long-term parking was $16 a day, meaning some garage spots will increase in price. The garage will become simpler to navigate with a single entrance.

The surface lot next to the terminal will remain at $16 a day. McGhee Tyson closed the lot in February for construction of a new parking garage, but reopened it through Nov. 1 to accommodate summer traffic.

Economy lots A and B, farther from the terminal, will be renamed Terminal Lot A and Terminal Lot B. Their price will increase from $11 a day to $16 a day. Changes to these lots will come in phases beginning June 1, the airport said in a release.

No changes are coming to Economy Lot C, a large lot that opened earlier this year and includes shuttle service to and from the airport. Its price will stay at $11.

Employee parking becomes new overflow lots

Two employee lots nearby the airport's operations center and Cirrus Aircraft's Knoxville campus will transition into public overflow lots called Economy Lot D and Economy Lot E. At peak traffic times, the lots will provide additional parking with shuttle service to the terminal for $11 a day.

Employee parking will temporarily move to a nearby lot with a compact gravel surface and shuttle service. The airport considered moving employee parking to a lot across Alcoa Highway.

"We were looking at remote off-site parking for employees, but luckily we were able to find on-site parking relatively close to where they're currently parking," airport spokesperson Caitlin Darras told Knox News.

Some airport employees voiced concerns and frustrations over the change on the airport's Facebook page. One woman who works for an airline said the announcement was "painful to hear."

The airport will still offer hourly parking for $1 per 20 minutes, or $3 per hour, until the price matches the daily price.

An additional Overflow Lot F, where chartered vehicles and taxis now wait for passengers near the terminal, will be the final overflow parking option if every other lot fills up, Darras said. Though it is close by the terminal, it will not be available unless the airport is packed.

McGhee Tyson raised its parking rates in summer 2023 to bring its rates in line with peer airports and help raise revenue for construction projects.

New cell phone lot will ease congestion

To help prevent drivers waiting to pick up a passenger from clogging the loop road that surrounds the terminal, the airport opened a new cell phone lot near the Airport Hilton and Terminal Lot B.

Instead of idling near the terminal while waiting to pick up, drivers are now directed to the 95-space lot to wait until a passengers texts or calls them.

The airport's existing 15-space cell phone lot, near its surface lot close to the terminal, will remain open until garage construction begins in November.

New signs on the terminal road tell drivers they cannot simply wait there, but must be actively loading or unloading.

Drivers cannot leave their cars unattended in either cell phone lot. Airport security can give tickets to drivers or impound their cars if they are left unattended.

Why is Knoxville's airport changing its parking?

Increasing revenue is not the main consideration for the new parking changes. They primary reason, Darras said, is to provide more parking for summer traffic and to eliminate confusion over the parking lot names.

"We are seeing exponential growth here," Darras said. "With this growth comes, unfortunately, some growing pains, but along with that, we are trying to make this experience as accommodating to passengers and making the experience as easy as possible."

The airport will begin construction on a 3,500-space, six-story garage in November and expects to finish it in early 2027. The original price estimate for the garage was $180 million and its original completion date was early 2026.

The garage will become the airport's most prominent feature, so airport staff are working with designers at Gresham Smith on an attractive design that will mirror the Smoky Mountains. Its hefty price tag makes it the most expensive project in the airport's 86-year history, though it's only the beginning of expansion at McGhee Tyson.

Once the garage is finished, the airport will embark on a terminal expansion to add six additional gates and more bathrooms by 2029. Beginning in 2025, the airport will rehabilitate its aging asphalt runway.

The terminal building was completed in 2000 to accommodate up to 2.6 million passengers a year. In 2023, McGhee Tyson served over 2.8 million passengers. With added destinations, it now offers nonstop flights to 30 destinations through six airlines.

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: McGhee Tyson Airport parking in Knoxville changes June 1