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McGhee Tyson: Travelers should arrive early to find parking as fall break sees busy airports

A McGhee Tyson Airport spokesperson urged people to arrive early as parking spaces fill up fast during fall break.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Fall break calls for traveling. Some people's plans include some extra fun, while others plan for layovers or detours.

There are frequent travelers and then there are those who fly once every few years. Regardless of the type of traveler that people identify with, one thing is certain: change will catch up with McGhee Tyson Aiport due to so many people rolling a suitcase this season. 

"Two weeks a month I go on the road, traveling all over the place getting photos and videos for the company I work for," said Charles Morgan, from East Tennessee.  "Here at this particular, you know, Tyson, that is way busier than it had been."

McGhee Tyson Airport is experiencing some higher volume due to the fall break. 

One of the struggles includes finding parking and for Morgan, that's a change he's seen over time. 

"I usually try to park on the second deck," Morgan said. "So, used to be the easy deck to park on. But even that, at 6 a.m. in the morning when I usually travel, it has been really full."

Credit: Chrissa Loukas

McGhee Tyson's spokeswoman, Becky Huckaby, urges people to give plenty of time ahead of their flights as parking will be limited, she said. It's best to arrive two hours earlier than when a flight is scheduled to depart.

"Making sure that you're packing efficiently, pre-checking your bags, downloading the app of the airline you're traveling with is also very important," she said.

The airport is planning to expand parking as more people use it to arrive at and leave from East Tennessee.

"Within the next year, you'll see some construction work going on in the parking garage where we're adding over 3,000 additional spaces to that," Huckaby said. "And then we're also looking at expanding our gate areas and in the next three to five years."

Travelers who want to avoid parking daily rates and the hassle of finding parking can use a taxi or rideshare app to come out to the airport. But the cheapest way is to ask friends and family for help.

Morgan's advice comes after years of traveling.

"Just be patient. Be kind," Morgan said. "Go with the flow. If you have to leave 30 minutes early to catch make sure you catch your flight, it's okay. Have peace."

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