Uber / Lyft · About 30 minutes to downtown Knoxville in official copy
Where they are
One map, pinned from each airport’s published coordinates.
Category scores
Overall is the published weighted sum. A highlighted score is ahead; a tie stays plain.
Ease of use
25% · Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
CHA8.5+0.2
TYS8.3
Comfort & amenities
20% · Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
CHA7.5+0.3
TYS7.2
Food & retail
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
CHA7.2+0.2
TYS7.0
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
CHA7.2+0.8
TYS6.4
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
CHA7.5+1.1
TYS6.4
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
CHA2.0
TYS2.0
Best for
CHA
Chattanooga / Hamilton County origin-and-destination trips that can live with a $10 Economy lot and a 15-minute TN-153 driveAmerican / Delta / United hoppers who will eat at Tailwind or Skyline Views before the kitchens go quietTravelers who will use the Cell Phone Lot or the Economy shuttle instead of circling the $20 Short Term curb
TYS
Smokies / East Tennessee trips that want one TSA and a short walkSouthwest and Allegiant leisure nonstopsDrivers who will use Economy $13 or the free Phone & Wait lot
Watch out for
CHA
Assuming Priority Pass, Escape, or an Admirals Club exists (live PP / Escape have no CHA pin; American.com clubs Not Available)Treating FAQ leftover Las Vegas as live — the 14 Sep 2026 homepage does not print LASTreating TYS, ATL, BNA, HSV, AVL, or KCHA as this airportFollowing an old Long Term One pin — official leftover that lot is closed for the new garage
TYS
Morning and late-afternoon TSA queues that spill outside the checkpointNo passenger lounge and no public bus to KnoxvilleGarage / roadway construction through summer 2027FAQ still says Southwest “starts March 2026” and Economy $11 — both leftover
Amenities and tips
CHA
Skyline Views + TailwindE Concourse Business CenterFree EPB Fiber Optics Wi-FiOne-checkpoint accessibilityOn-airport rental counters at bags
Official leftover 2 hours; checkpoint leftover closes 1 hour after the last departure
Official leftover is to arrive two hours before departure. Official leftover bags must be at the ticket counter no later than 45 minutes out.
One hall, then leftover Concourse C or E after TSA
One civil departure hall. Official leftover Tailwind sits on Concourse C; Skyline Views and the free Business Center sit on Concourse E.
Trust the live Tailwind / Skyline Views card
Official leftover: a cafe before TSA plus two restaurants past TSA. Official food page prints Dasani $4.09 and FIJI 500 ml $4.99 at Skyline Views Express.
TYS
One-terminal walkAirside food courtFree Wi-Fi and chair chargingMamava and family restroomsNo passenger lounge
One checkpoint, and it now overflows
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.
One building, 12 gates, Gate 13 not open yet
After the single checkpoint you can walk the whole sterile concourse. Wrong gate is a walk, not a reclear.
Eat after TSA — landside is a gift shop
Official pages put every kitchen past security. If you have not cleared TSA, Travelmart is the only named landside shop.
CHA · Southeast Tennessee’s scheduled passenger field: one hall, four live airlines, no lounge, a $10 Economy lot with a 15-minute shuttle, and a FAQ that still prints Las Vegas after the homepage dropped it.
TYS · A one-terminal East Tennessee field that just ran 3.63 million passengers through a building sized for 2.6 million: easy to learn, no lounge, no bus, and a checkpoint that now overflows on the 5 a.m. bank.
