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Midtown Atlanta's skyline silhouetted against a pink and violet sunset

Knoxville nonstops · hub connections

Knoxville to the hubs: one stop to almost anywhere.

9 nonstops from TYS go to connecting hubs and in-state airports, led by Atlanta. Here is who flies each one, how far each hub reaches, and whether driving to the hub actually saves you anything.

Photo: Pexels

Short answer

From Knoxville (TYS) you can fly nonstop to the hubs Atlanta (Delta), Charlotte (American), Chicago O'Hare (American, United), Dallas/Fort Worth (American), Detroit and Minneapolis (Delta), Houston Bush (United) and Nashville (Southwest), plus Memphis on Allegiant. Atlanta is the busiest TYS route.

Why the hubs matter

Hubs by the numbers

280kTYS to Atlanta passengers, Oct 2024 to Sep 2025.
225nonstop destinations Delta flies from Atlanta.
251nonstop destinations American flies from DFW.
4h 06mdrive from TYS to Atlanta's airport (OSRM, no traffic).

Map

The hub routes

Hub connections from TYS9 of 9 shown
AllegiantAmericanDeltaSouthwestUnitedSeasonal or announced (dashed)
  • Atlanta ATL Delta
  • Charlotte CLT American
  • Chicago (O'Hare) ORD American, United
  • Dallas/Fort Worth DFW American
  • Detroit DTW Delta
  • Houston (Intercontinental) IAH United
  • Memphis MEM Allegiant · seasonal
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul MSP Delta
  • Nashville BNA Southwest

Calculator

Drive to the hub, or fly from TYS?

Plenty of East Tennesseans drive to Atlanta, Charlotte or Nashville to start a trip. Put in your real fares and the calculator compares door-to-gate time and total cost, including TYS parking at the airport's posted rates.

Drive to a hub vs connect from Knoxville

Drive to the hub

6h 36m

188 miles, plus 2h 30m at that airport before departure

Add gas price and mpg

Fly from TYS

3h 19m

2h 30m at TYS before departure + about 49m in the air. Airlines: Delta

Add your fare to compare

Flying from TYS gets you to the gate at Atlanta (ATL) about 3h 17m sooner.

Times are one way. Drive times are OSRM estimates on OpenStreetMap roads without traffic. Air time is our rough estimate from distance, not a schedule. The airport-buffer default is the airport's own advice (arrive 2.5 hours early). TYS parking rates are the airport's posted daily maximums (Sept 2026). Fares, gas and other airports' parking are your numbers.

Onward reach

How far each hub reaches

Number of nonstop destinations each airline flies from the hubs Knoxville connects to, counted from the hub airports' published destination lists (seasonal routes included). More destinations means more one-stop options from TYS.

  1. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) on American251
  2. Atlanta (ATL) on Delta225
  3. Chicago (ORD) on United209
  4. Charlotte (CLT) on American185
  5. Houston (IAH) on United181
  6. Chicago (ORD) on American180
  7. Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) on Delta146
  8. Detroit (DTW) on Delta119
  9. Nashville (BNA) on Southwest84

Counted on October 19, 2026 from each hub's "Airlines and destinations" table on Wikipedia. Future starts are not counted.

The list

Every hub route from Knoxville

Nonstops in this group with airlines, season and sourced frequency
DestinationAirlinesSeasonHow often (sourced)DistanceEst. air timeDrive from TYS
Atlanta ATL DeltaYear-round Delta: Check the airline 152 mi49m4h 06m · 188 mi
Charlotte CLT AmericanYear-round American: Check the airline 176 mi52m5h 05m · 233 mi
Chicago (O'Hare) ORD American UnitedYear-round American: Check the airline
United: Check the airline		 475 mi1h 29mNot practical
Dallas/Fort Worth DFW AmericanYear-round American: Check the airline 770 mi2h 06mNot practical
Detroit DTW DeltaYear-round Delta: Check the airline 444 mi1h 26mNot practical
Houston (Intercontinental) IAH UnitedYear-round United: Check the airline 771 mi2h 06mNot practical
Memphis MEM New AllegiantSeasonal Allegiant: 2x weekly 341 mi1h 13m7h 23m · 394 mi
Minneapolis-St. Paul MSP DeltaYear-round Delta: Check the airline 792 mi2h 09mNot practical
Nashville BNA New SouthwestYear-round Southwest: 2x daily 152 mi49m3h 18m · 176 mi

Air time is our rough estimate from straight-line distance, not a schedule. "How often" appears only where a source states it; Allegiant flies most TYS routes 2 to 4 times a week.

Midtown Atlanta's skyline silhouetted against a pink and violet sunset
DeltaAtlantaThe busiest route from TYS.
Aerial view of Uptown Charlotte's skyline with Bank of America Stadium in the foreground
AmericanCharlotteAbout 156,000 TYS passengers a year.
Chicago's skyline at sunset across the lakefront, led by the twin-antenna John Hancock Center
American and UnitedChicago O'HareAbout 154,000 TYS passengers a year.
Detroit's skyline and the Renaissance Center across the Detroit River on a bright day
DeltaDetroitAbout 95,000 TYS passengers a year.
Nashville's skyline across the Cumberland River, with the twin-spired AT&T Building above the riverfront's historic brick buildings
SouthwestNashvilleTwice daily since March 2026.

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Where should Knoxville fly next?

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Related

Questions

What is the busiest route from Knoxville?
Atlanta, on Delta. About 280,000 passengers flew it in the year to September 2025 (USDOT data via Wikipedia). Dallas/Fort Worth, Charlotte and Chicago O'Hare are next.
Which hubs can I connect through from Knoxville?
Nonstops from TYS reach Atlanta (Delta), Charlotte (American), Chicago (American, United), Dallas/Fort Worth (American), Detroit (Delta), Houston (United), Minneapolis-St. Paul (Delta), Nashville (Southwest). Delta, American, United and Southwest also fly from TYS to other connecting airports such as LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Miami, Newark, Dulles, Denver, Baltimore, Dallas Love Field and Orlando.
Should I drive to Atlanta instead of flying from Knoxville?
OSRM puts the drive from TYS to Atlanta's airport at about 4h 06m without traffic (188 miles). Use the calculator above with your own fares to see which wins for your trip.
Does Memphis count as a hub from Knoxville?
Memphis is flown by Allegiant, seasonally, about twice a week. Allegiant does not sell connections, so treat it as a point-to-point trip, not a hub.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: McGhee Tyson Airport (airlines, top routes from USDOT)
  2. McGhee Tyson Airport: nonstop flights (airport page, 35 cities)
  3. Wikipedia: Allegiant Air (sells only point-to-point nonstop itineraries)
  4. OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (drive times, no traffic)
  5. McGhee Tyson Airport: parking map and daily rates (Garage $22, Lots A/B $16, Economy $13)
  6. McGhee Tyson Airport: what travelers need to know about security wait times (arrive 2.5 hours early)
  7. McGhee Tyson Airport: Southwest Airlines starting service to TYS March 2026 (Aug 14, 2025)
  8. Wikipedia: Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, airlines and destinations
  9. Wikipedia: Charlotte Douglas International Airport, airlines and destinations
  10. Wikipedia: Chicago O'Hare International Airport, airlines and destinations
  11. Wikipedia: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, airlines and destinations
  12. Wikipedia: George Bush Intercontinental Airport, airlines and destinations
  13. Wikipedia: Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field, airlines and destinations
  14. Wikipedia: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, airlines and destinations
  15. Wikipedia: Nashville International Airport, airlines and destinations
  16. McGhee Tyson Airport: Allegiant begins nonstop service to Memphis, TN
  17. Allegiant: flights from Knoxville
  18. McGhee Tyson Airport: Southwest Airlines starting service to TYS March 2026 (Aug 14, 2025)
  19. WSMV: Southwest flights between Knoxville and Nashville begin this week (Mar 3, 2026)