Official pages describe one TSA, not two. Arrive 2.5 hours on the 5–7 a.m. bank until the Flight Plan checkpoint expansion is actually open.

Official June 12, 2026 notice: queues have been spilling outside the checkpoint. Peaks 5–7 a.m., 11 a.m.–1 p.m., and 4–6 p.m. That same notice wants 2.5 hours; the June 1 summer note and the standing FAQ still say 2 hours domestic. Build the longer window on those peaks. Checkpoint and ticket counters open about two hours before the first departure — the building is 24/7, the sterile side is not.

After the single checkpoint you can walk the whole sterile concourse. Wrong gate is a walk, not a reclear.

Ticketing / TSA upstairs; bags, rentals, taxi, and rideshare downstairs. Live FIDS on 12 Sep 2026 pins through Gate 12 (Southwest mostly 7; Allegiant 2; Delta 3/5; United 9/11; American 8/10/12). Official June 2026 Flight Plan note: Gate 13 opens “this fall” — do not navigate as if it is already boarding.

Official pages put every kitchen past security. If you have not cleared TSA, Travelmart is the only named landside shop.

Official amenities (12 Sep 2026): Ruby Tuesday left of the checkpoint 07:00–19:00; Starbucks right 05:00–18:00; Tennessee Marketplace right 04:30–20:00; Quiznos / Express Uno / Cinnabon right Mon/Thu/Fri/Sun 05:00–19:00 and Tue/Wed/Sat 05:00–13:00. Smoky Mountain Travelmart is landside, level 2, before TSA.

No club, no CLEAR, no public bus. Budget the extra drive-and-queue time, not a day-pass.

Live Priority Pass USA does not list TYS. Do not buy a third-party “The Club TYS” pass. Construction you will feel instead: $186 million garage / roadway through summer 2027, and a TSA expansion that had $10 million in June 2026 ATP money but is still in design / early work.