ALCOA, Tenn. — Friday was the busiest in McGhee Tyson Airport history, according to leaders there. There were more than 6,600 passengers who traveled through its gates. The airport said it still expects to see an increase in passengers over the summer, and it is preparing to accommodate them.
Parking changes at the airport are set to start on June 1. Becky Huckaby, an airport spokesperson, said parking needed to be restructured to prepare for peak summer travel season.
"We've been following the places that people want to park and the demand for parking. For example, we have seen several days a week for the past few months, in short term, be completely full. There's a higher demand for short-term parking," said Huckaby. "We're looking at other places like in economy lots, where we're also seeing parking to a higher level. So what we're seeing June 1 is that the airport will reallocate those spaces based on public demand."
She said parking will also change based on upcoming construction in November to add more spots.
The first notable change will be the merger of long-term and short-term parking. The airport will rename this kind of parking to "Garage Parking," and will cost $22 a day.
"Everything in the garage will be now one parking lot, we're doing that so that people coming into the facility will have access to the front of the terminal and have that convenient parking," said Huckaby. "But also because when construction begins on the parking garage, we have the ability to go to one entrance to the garage. Also, the names long-term and short-term were sometimes very confusing."
She said some of the lots will be renamed to avoid confusion.
The uncovered lot beside the garage will be renamed the "Surface Lot" and cost $16 per day. It's also where the new parking garage will be built, and construction on that begins in November. Huckaby said it's expected to be completed in 2027. She said the current garage will still be available once the project is done.
"Beginning in November, we'll physically break ground on the parking garage construction project. That expansion project for us will add 3,600 additional parking spaces in front of the terminal building. It will also allow us to provide access to six stories of parking," said Huckaby.
The economy lots currently provide a cheaper parking option.
"We did the economy long-term. We parked down there, just had to walk," said Kevin Hall, a Sneedville resident traveling through the airport. "Yeah, that wasn't bad at all. Because you know, you save quite a bit of money."
Economy Lot A and Economy Lot B will be renamed Terminal Lot A and Terminal Lot B, and the airport said the price there will also go up. Currently, the lots cost $16 per day to park. Their prices will rise to $16 per day. Economy Lot C will stay at $11 per day and will have an overflow section during peak times.
The airport will also have two new public parking locations, named Economy Lot D and Economy Lot E. They will also have a shuttle service to the terminal building and will be used as overflow parking until needed at peak times. Each lot will add more than 350 spaces to the airport.
"The number of spaces in those lots might have changed," said Huckaby. "But there's still garage parking, there is still uncovered parking in front of the terminal building, and there's still economy lot parking available for you at the same rates. It's just how they're allocated that's different."
There is also a new "Cell Phone Lot" at the airport, adding 95 new spaces and giving drivers a space to sit in their cars while waiting on travelers. It's designed to be a lot where people can sit and call friends or loved ones as they land and leave the plane, arranging their pickup.
There is also a new cell phone lot. The current lot is located near the Surface Lot and the new is located near the Hilton by Terminal Lot B. This will add 95 new spaces to allow drivers a space to remain in their vehicles while waiting on travelers.
"So, you do have a free option to utilize when you're coming out to pick up and drop off," said Huckaby. "The big help for us is that it keeps you from having to be on the roadway in front of the terminal if you're not ready to be picked up. So you'll notice that our officers are going to be enforcing loading and unloading only to keep people moving through that area and to create a safe environment for people to travel through."
More changes are also coming in the next decade. It's all being done to accommodate the increase in travelers.
"The parking garage project followed by looking at additional gate expansion in the following years, looking at the additions of more restrooms, looking at how people move through TSA — we're looking at all of those things as a much bigger project and infrastructure to be able to improve the experience for passengers coming through," said Huckaby. "So long term, this is multiple projects that is going to build up our ability to serve our passengers better as we grow with our community."
Because more travelers are expected at the airport this summer, people are reminded to arrive at least 2 hours before their flights.