Avoid This Popular Tennessee Airport That's Notorious For Flight Delays

If we're being honest, airports are generally unpleasant (unless you get to lounge around somewhere like the spacious beer garden in Munich International Airport). You've got the queues, the security checks, the waiting, the stress of boarding, and so on. Then there are delays and cancellations, which can seriously muck up your travel plans or even outright annihilate them. Certain airports have a lot of both, like McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), located about 20 minutes south of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Pulling data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), InsureMyTrip breaks down the worst airport offenders in the delay and cancellation departments. Looking at 2025, a whopping 26.18% of TYS' flights are delayed (fourth-worst in the U.S), while 2.21% are cancelled. However, it's worth noting that according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Statistics Annual Report from 2024, "delayed" means over 15 minutes late. So, the actual percentage of delays for TYS could be much higher. But, in TYS's defense, this report (on page 30) also shows that only a little over 80% of all flights across the U.S. are on time. That's pretty bad, period. 

Nonetheless, all this data ultimately means one thing for travelers: Be prepared. It's totally possible to get a good idea of whether or not your flight will experience trouble based on an airport's or airline's track record. If you're headed out of McGhee Tyson Airport, your flight has a higher chance than most of being delayed or cancelled.  

Folks who live in Knoxville, Tennessee, might be out of luck when it comes to alternative airport choices. There are non-municipal airports like Skyranch Airport situated less than 15 minutes from Knoxville's downtown, but it's kind of a clubhouse for aviation enthusiasts more than anything else. Nashville International Airport (BNA) is about 2.5 hours away, which isn't exactly next door. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is almost four hours away. Nonetheless, if someone is dead set against using McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), these other options do exist.

Those definitely headed to TYS need different advice. We already mentioned that an airport or airline's track record can predict its future — the same could be said of anything. But beyond this, TYS is actually (ironically) pretty good at letting passengers know about delays, cancellations, and other airport goings on. There's a big "departures and arrivals" button right on the front page of the McGhee Tyson website that clearly and handily lists upcoming flights and their statuses. There's also a graphic on the front page that shows the current capacity of parking lots at the airport, expressed as a percentage and bar graph. This is honestly a very helpful move and demonstrates that, despite its track record, the airport is trying to focus on passenger experience rather than, let's say, promoting its restaurants.

But if you do get to TYS and find yourself stuck in a massive delay, ample restaurants await. And, while there isn't really a lot to do around the airport, if possible, you could always leave to sightsee in the surrounding area.