McKinney's Hometown Airport Starts Flying. Here's How Its Week Actually Works.

Avelo Airlines is the only carrier at the new terminal on FM 546, and every route has its own set days. None of them flies on a Tuesday. So the first step in planning a trip out of DTX is checking which days your destination is served.

The commercial terminal was scheduled to open on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, with a flight to Fort Myers as the first departure. Avelo is basing three 184-seat Boeing Next-Generation 737-800s here, and the City of McKinney's September announcement said it will "operate on Wednesdays through Mondays from DTX." Three planes is a small fleet, and that's why the route calendar matters more here than at almost any other airport in North Texas.

Every Route Has Its Own Days

On Oct. 15, Avelo added Sarasota/Bradenton and West Palm Beach, bringing its DTX network to 11 destinations. The routes the airline has published by day of week fall into a few patterns:

Las Vegas has the most frequent service. Avelo had originally planned four Las Vegas flights a week, on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Its October announcement added Wednesday and Saturday flights "to meet strong demand for Las Vegas travel" during the peak holiday season, bringing the route to six a week. Atlanta and Denver each fly four times a week.

The twice-weekly routes are where the calendar matters most. Nashville, New Orleans and West Palm Beach all fly only on Thursday and Sunday. That suits a long weekend, out Thursday and back Sunday, and it rules out a Monday-to-Friday work trip. Sarasota/Bradenton flies Wednesday and Saturday, so every nonstop trip there starts and ends on one of those two days. Check the current schedule at AveloAir.com before you request time off.

November Is a Florida-and-Las Vegas Airport

Until mid-December, the DTX schedule covers Las Vegas and four Florida cities. Avelo set Fort Myers for Nov. 11, Las Vegas and Orlando for Nov. 12, and Tampa and Fort Lauderdale for Thursday, Nov. 19.

That shapes Thanksgiving week. Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26, which is a week after Tampa and Fort Lauderdale start. Anyone flying out of McKinney for the holiday has five choices: Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas. If family is in Atlanta, Denver or Nashville, Thanksgiving still means a drive to one of the larger airports. Those routes start Dec. 16 and 17, just in time for Christmas and New Year's travel.

The city expected the holidays to be the first real test. In the same City of McKinney release, Director of Aviation Ken Carley said the community appreciates "how easy it will be to travel from their hometown airport during the upcoming holidays and beyond." In Avelo's October announcement, CEO Andrew Levy said the airline would "now serve 11 nonstop routes from DTX." Eleven of them are on the map by mid-December. In November there are five.

Getting to the Terminal

The passenger terminal's address is 1910 FM 546, McKinney, TX 75069. The airport's October 2026 fact sheet describes a dedicated terminal access road off FM 546. This is a different trip from the one most residents know if they've been out to the airport's general aviation side.

The airport's directions page still lists the classic routes. From the north, take US 75 to Exit 41, go east on US 380 for about 2.3 miles, turn south on Airport Drive, then turn east on Harry McKillop Boulevard. From the south, take Exit 38C toward SH 5 and turn east on Harry McKillop Boulevard. From the Sam Rayburn Tollway, continue on SH 121 east of US 75 and turn onto Harry McKillop Boulevard about 2.3 miles past the highway. The airport's own advice is to type 1910 FM 546 into a GPS or navigation app for the most accurate route. That's the better instruction while drivers are still learning the new terminal loop.

If you're coming up SH 5 from the south side of town, allow extra time this season. Utility relocation along SH 5 between Elm Street and US 380 was about 80% complete in September, and Community Impact reported that localized lane closures and detours were expected as the work continues into early 2027.

One Lot, Four Prices

DTX has a single public parking lot directly in front of the terminal, with 980 spaces. It's first come, first served, and you can't reserve a space ahead of time. The posted rates are:

• Free for up to 30 minutes
• $5 for 30 minutes to 1 hour
• $10 for 1 to 2 hours
• $15 for 2 to 24 hours

The free first half hour covers most curbside pickups. Waiting an hour for a delayed arrival costs $5. Leaving the car for a full travel day costs $15. The lot has no ticket booth. Cameras read your license plate when you enter and leave. You scan a QR code on the lot or terminal signs, register your plate and a payment method, and drive out, and the charge goes through automatically. Frequent flyers can sign up once for SwiftPass by Inflow, which opens the gate as you pull in and texts a receipt when you leave.

The airport also offers complimentary parking for vehicles with a qualifying Disabled Veteran or eligible Meritorious Military Honor license plate, with eligibility determined under Texas law. The parking page asks anyone with questions about a specific plate to contact the airport before their trip.

If you'd rather not leave a car, Uber and Lyft pick up in designated areas outside the terminal. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has counters inside the terminal, with an exit straight to the rental-car lot. That's useful for visiting family flying in from Orlando or Las Vegas.

Inside a Four-Gate Building

The terminal is 46,000 square feet and opens with four boarding gates. It's built to expand to six gates and to serve more than 2 million passengers a year. On the airport's terminal map, the parking lot sits directly south of the building, with three passenger entrances along that side. The security checkpoint is in the middle of the terminal, and the gates are beyond it. In a building that size, the walk from your car to the gate is short.

The airport still recommends arriving 90 minutes before departure, especially if you're parking and checking bags. Food and drinks are past security, with vending machines near the gates. According to the local newsletter What's On McKinney, City Council approved Creative Hospitality Solutions, LLC as the terminal's food-and-beverage concession operator at its Oct. 5 meeting.

DTX was certified for commercial service before the first flight. On Oct. 23, the city announced that the airport had received its Airport Operating Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration and was prepared to welcome commercial passengers beginning Nov. 11. The terminal also has a de-icing area for winter weather. That matters once Denver and Atlanta flights start in the middle of December.

The First Holiday Weekend on the Ground

The airport's first Thanksgiving falls during one of downtown McKinney's busiest weekends. Home for the Holidays runs Nov. 27 to 29 on the historic square, and the Community Christmas Tree lighting is Friday at 6:15 p.m. According to a city announcement carried by North Texas e-News, 2026 is the 46th year of the festival and the first with a City Hall shuttle. If you have relatives landing from Orlando or Fort Lauderdale that week, the tree lighting is a short drive from the terminal on FM 546. Check their flight days against the route chart first, though. Nothing flies on Tuesday.

Plenty of McKinney homeowners spent years planning trips around a drive to DFW or Love Field. Now there's a closer option, as long as your destination's days line up with your plans. If your household is weighing how much the new airport adds to daily life on the east side of town, Integrity Plus RE follows McKinney street by street and is glad to talk it through. When you're ready to see what your home is worth in a McKinney with commercial air service, Get Your Instant Home Valuation.