Yes, you can smoke at McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) outdoors, on the curbs and walkways around the terminal, well clear of the entrance doors. The terminal building is smoke-free from the ticket counters through to the gates, so a departing smoker steps outside first and clears the TSA checkpoint afterwards. Knoxville’s airport is compact and single-terminal, which makes that round trip far quicker than it would be at a big connecting hub.
How McGhee Tyson Airport Is Laid Out
TYS has one passenger terminal on two levels. The upper level holds the airline ticket counters, the single TSA security checkpoint, the concourse and its gates, and most of the dining and retail; the lower level holds baggage claim, the rental car counters and the information desk at the midpoint of the hall. Twelve gates, numbered 1 to 12, sit on that one concourse, with the odd numbers on one side and the even numbers on the other — Delta at gates 1, 3 and 5, Allegiant at 2 and 4, United at 7, 9 and 11 and American at 8, 10 and 12. The airport’s operating documents refer to the two sides as the east and west concourse.
Seven airlines serve Knoxville — Allegiant, American, Avelo, Delta, Frontier, Southwest (which began service in March 2026) and United — flying nonstop to more than 30 destinations. The airport handled 3,630,410 passengers in 2025, an all-time record and 8.7% up on 2024; the FAA’s preliminary figures put 2025 enplanements at 1,786,752.
Building work is underway. The concourse reopened in refreshed form in April 2026 with clustered seating, USB and AC power built into the seats, counter-height “cyber bar” workstations and a post-security pet relief area. A six-storey parking garage adding 3,500 spaces is under construction, and the airport’s decade-long Flight Plan programme has a six-gate terminal expansion targeted for 2028. The smoking picture stays the same through all of it: the refreshed concourse is smoke-free like the old one, and the curb layout and the walk over to the lots can shift from month to month during the garage work.
Where to Smoke Outside the Terminal
Smoking at TYS is an outdoor activity. Section 1.7.1 of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority’s Rules and Regulations puts it in one line: smoking is prohibited within the commercial passenger terminal at McGhee Tyson Airport. That leaves the ground outside the building, and Tennessee’s Non-Smoker Protection Act, which makes publicly run airports smoke-free indoors, points the same way.
The practical spots are the upper-level departures curb and the lower-level baggage claim curb, both away from the entrance doors, and the crosswalks heading over to the parking garage and the surface lots. The airport publishes no map of marked passenger smoking spots, so the sensible approach is the simple one: put real distance between yourself and the doorways, stand out of the flow of people at the curb, and stub out in a proper receptacle rather than on the pavement. Airfield rules add a separate 50-foot limit around hangars, fuel storage and any aircraft being fuelled, which keeps lit cigarettes well away from the ramp.
Knoxville sits in the Tennessee Valley at the foot of the Smokies. Summer is hot and humid, and afternoon thunderstorms are common; winter mornings hover near freezing. None of the outdoor areas at TYS is sheltered, so check the sky before you commit to a leisurely cigarette.
The Concourse — Gates 1 to 12
Smoking: Outdoors only — exit the terminal and move clear of the entrances. After security: The gates are smoke-free; every smoking spot open to travellers is landside.
Past the checkpoint the concourse carries Starbucks, Cinnabon, Quiznos Subs, Express Uno, the Tennessee Marketplace shop and a Ruby Tuesday, plus family restrooms near gates 2 and 7 and a Mamava lactation pod near gate 7. Landside, before the checkpoint on the second level, the Smoky Mountain Travelmart handles last-minute buys — which is where you would pick up a lighter or a pack before heading out to the curb.
After Security
Every place a passenger can smoke at TYS is before the TSA checkpoint. To smoke once you are airside you have to leave the secure area, step outside the building and screen back in. The terminal is small enough that the walk barely registers — budget 25 to 35 minutes for the whole round trip and you will be back at the gate with room to spare. Check the checkpoint queue on your way out, since a single lane is all TYS runs and a bank of morning departures can lengthen it.
The airport’s tenant handbook does map designated smoking areas inside the security perimeter, reached through the east and west concourse pass-through tunnels, and those are ramp-side spots for badged airport workers: the handbook requires SIDA access or an escort to reach them, so they are not an option for travellers.
If Knoxville is one leg of a longer trip, our guide to smoking during layovers covers how to judge whether a connection leaves you time to get outside and back. Connecting through Atlanta afterwards? The smoking areas at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta are outdoor spots by numbered terminal doors, so the same exit-and-rescreen routine applies there. The nearest airport with a genuine post-security option is Nashville, where the Travelers Post lounge in BNA’s Concourse B lets you smoke without leaving the secure area.
E-Cigarettes and Vaping
Vaping and e-cigarettes follow the same rules as cigarettes at TYS: outdoors, away from the terminal entrances, never inside the building or at the gates. TSA allows vape devices and spare lithium batteries in carry-on baggage only — they cannot go in a checked bag — and using one on board an aircraft is prohibited by federal rule.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal interior | No | Smoke-free from ticketing to the gates |
| Concourse, gates 1–12 | No | No smoking room; exit and re-clear security |
| Baggage claim level | No | Smoke-free; step outside to the lower-level curb |
| Outside the terminal | Yes | Upper and lower curbs and the walkways to the lots, clear of the doors |
| Restaurants and bars | No | All indoor areas smoke-free |
| Vaping / e-cigarettes | Outdoor only | Same rules as cigarettes |
For USA airport smoking rules, state vape rules, lighter rules at TSA, and other federal/state info, see our USA smoking guide.