McKinney National Airport opens its commercial passenger terminal on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. Avelo Airlines will fly from it to nine cities by mid-December. Avelo runs each route on its own set of weekdays, and no flights leave on Tuesdays at all. On the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the published schedule has one departure route between them.
Every route has its own weekly rhythm
The City of McKinney's Sept. 24 release says Avelo will operate from DTX "on Wednesdays through Mondays," using three based 184-seat Boeing 737-800 jets. Three aircraft spread across nine routes means each destination gets a few days a week, not daily service. Avelo's June 30 launch announcement listed the operating days for the first five cities. The September release added the days for the four December cities.
| Route from DTX | First flight | Mon | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers, RSW | Wed., Nov. 11 | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Las Vegas, LAS | Thu., Nov. 12 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Orlando, MCO | Thu., Nov. 12 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Tampa, TPA | Thu., Nov. 19 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Fort Lauderdale, FLL | Thu., Nov. 19 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Atlanta, ATL | Wed., Dec. 16 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Denver, DEN | Wed., Dec. 16 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Nashville, BNA | Thu., Dec. 17 | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| New Orleans, MSY | Thu., Dec. 17 | ✓ | ✓ |
The table has no Tuesday column because Avelo isn't flying from DTX that day. Wednesday is nearly as thin. In November, Fort Myers is the only route that departs on a Wednesday. Atlanta and Denver join it in mid-December.
These day patterns come from the airline's announcements. Avelo can still adjust them, so check the live schedule on AveloAir.com before you plan around a specific date.
Thanksgiving week shows why the calendar matters
Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26, this year. Here is what the published schedule looks like that week:
- Tuesday, Nov. 24: no Avelo departures.
- Wednesday, Nov. 25: Fort Myers only.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.
- Friday, Nov. 27: the same four.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers.
- Sunday, Nov. 29, and Monday, Nov. 30: Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.
A trip that leaves before the holiday works from DTX only for Fort Myers. Leaving on Thanksgiving Day or Friday opens up four cities, and Orlando, Tampa, Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale all fly again on Sunday and Monday for the trip home.
Thanksgiving week also lands just after two routes launch. Tampa and Fort Lauderdale don't start until Nov. 19, one week before the holiday.
If you stay home for the first part of the long weekend, McKinney's free Home for the Holidays festival runs Nov. 27 through 29 in Historic Downtown at 111 N. Tennessee St. The tree lighting is set for Friday at 6:15 p.m. You could catch the lighting on Friday and still fly out on Saturday to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale or Fort Myers.
December's new routes arrive days before Christmas
Atlanta, Denver, Nashville and New Orleans were added in September, before Avelo had flown a single trip from McKinney. Avelo founder and CEO Andrew Levy told Community Impact that the decision followed demand:
"The response from North Texas has been extraordinary, and the bookings back that up."
These four routes start Dec. 16 and 17, just over a week before Christmas. One note on Denver: the City and Avelo releases list it on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, while Community Impact's Sept. 24 article lists Sunday in place of Saturday. The table follows the City and airline releases. Christmas Day is a Friday this year, so the days just before it follow the same pattern as Thanksgiving week. Tuesday, Dec. 22, has no departures. Wednesday, Dec. 23, has only Fort Myers, Atlanta and Denver. On Thursday, Dec. 24, flights leave for Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville and New Orleans.
Nashville and New Orleans are the tightest fits. They fly only on Thursdays and Sundays, so a Nashville trip from DTX has to start and end on one of those two days. For a family visiting relatives in Tennessee or Louisiana, those fixed days decide how long the visit lasts.
A small terminal changes the rest of the trip
The same small scale that limits the schedule also makes the trip itself easier. The terminal is 46,000 square feet with four gates. The airport says it was designed to handle 200,000 passengers a year at first. It sits on the east side of the airfield, with a dedicated access road off FM 546. Visit McKinney lists US 380 and US 75 as the main approach roads.
Parking. The lot has 980 public spaces. At the Sept. 24 press conference, airport director Ken Carley said parking will cost $15 a day, paid through a contactless system, as Community Impact reported. At that rate, a Thursday-to-Monday Thanksgiving trip comes to about $75 if each calendar day is charged. The airport's own FAQ still lists rates as to be determined, so confirm the price before you leave. Hourly rates and advance parking reservations haven't been announced.
Arrival time. Avelo's DTX page recommends arriving at least 90 minutes before departure. Its ticket counters open about two hours before a flight and close 40 minutes before takeoff. With only a handful of departures on any given day, the counter is staffed around each flight, not all day. Showing up three hours early won't get you through any sooner.
Food. On Oct. 5, the City Council approved one food-and-beverage operator, Creative Hospitality Solutions. Its stand in the seating area will sell coffee, tea, baked goods, packaged snacks and cold drinks. According to Community Impact's report on the council vote, the company's proposal includes a full coffee and specialty beverage bar serving coffee from North Texas-based Armor Coffee Company, plus a "McKinney Made" shelf of local goods. Expect snacks and coffee, not a sit-down meal.
Rental cars. Enterprise Holdings has the rental car contract, according to the same Community Impact report. Its counter space is near the terminal entrances, which matters if you have relatives flying in for the holidays.
On your way through, look for the two murals by Texas-based artists that Community Impact reported for the curbside area and baggage claim.
The codes and fares on your booking
Your boarding pass, bag tag and itinerary email will say DTX, and that's the code to search on airline sites and booking portals. TKI stays in use as the FAA identifier for general aviation, which is why the airport's older website is still flytki.com.
The $99 one-way fares in the launch coverage came with purchase deadlines. Avelo's September promotion for the new routes had to be booked by Oct. 12, 2026, which is today. The free first checked bag offer ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time tonight. After that, fares are whatever the airline is currently charging.
Eat before you get to the terminal
Since the terminal offers only a coffee-and-snacks counter, East McKinney is a good place to stop on the way. As Community Impact reported, Cafe LaFaye opened this summer inside the McKinney Flour Mill at 407 E. Louisiana St. It serves coffee, tea and pastries, including beignets, which makes it a fitting first stop for anyone on the Dec. 17 New Orleans flight.
The new terminal brings commercial flights to McKinney's east side for the first time, and the team at The Deann Abbott Group is following how it affects daily life in the neighborhoods around it. If you're curious what your home is worth as the city's first commercial flights take off, we'd be glad to put together a careful, local analysis for you. Get Your Complimentary Home Valuation.
