Southwest Airlines has made a lot of changes over the past few months, including adding another prominent U.S. airport to its service list.
Last Thursday, March 5, Southwest Airlines began offering flights to McGee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee. McGee Tyson is the fastest growing airport in the United States by 2024 and is currently the 119th flight hub in Southwest Airlines’ network, which spans 42 states, two U.S. territories and 11 countries.
Information about Southwest Airlines’ Knoxville expansion
Southwest Airlines currently operates the following flights into and out of Knoxville:
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Twice daily round trip to Nashville
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Daily service between Knoxville and Baltimore-Washington, Dallas Love Field and Orlando
Additionally, weekend flights to Austin, Denver and Tampa will begin later this year.
“Knoxville has been at the top of Southwest’s wish list for years due to its vibrant community and strong demand for leisure and business travel,” said Adam Decaire, Southwest’s senior vice president of network planning and network operations control. “Knoxville is passionate about our legendary hospitality and Southwest heart, and we’re excited to connect to East Tennessee as our third city in the state.”
Some people need positive media coverage from Southwest Airlines
There aren’t a lot of interesting headlines in the first few months of 2026, following Southwest Airlines’ decision to end its open seats and “bag-free fly” policy. The moves have been criticized by customers and employees.
Additionally, Southwest is being hailed for testing another new policy that requires cabin cleaners to enter the plane between flights and clean only premium seats with more legroom and ignore the rest of the plane.
Chris Click, a board member and safety president of TWU Local 556, the union that represents Southwest flight attendants, blasted the move in a recent interview.
“It’s insulting to those passengers who are not sitting in ELR seats that we can only clean up their stuff. You see, there’s a big difference between tidying up the plane and cleaning,” Creek said. “So in the front, you have these super clean planes. In the back, you have half-hearted, neat planes. Passengers will get on the plane. They will see it.”
This article was originally published by Men’s Journal on March 9, 2026, and first appeared in the Travel section. Click here to add Men’s Diary as your go-to source.