On This Page
- Collin County gets a commercial airport
- TKI or DTX? The airport has two codes
- Where Avelo flies from McKinney
- What McKinney buys you is the ground leg
- How the pickup works at a brand-new terminal
- TKI is still our home FBO
- Matching the car to the trip
- Request your McKinney airport quote
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More McKinney & airport guides
Collin County gets a commercial airport
For years McKinney National has been a private-aviation field. On November 11 it becomes something else as well.
McKinney National Airport opens a commercial passenger terminal on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Avelo Airlines is the launch carrier and, as of mid-October, the only airline with announced scheduled service there. The first departure — Veterans Day, to Fort Myers — is the first scheduled commercial flight from the field. The airport earned its FAA Part 139 certificate on September 24, 2026, the first Texas airport to do so since 2005.
The part that matters to anyone living between Plano and Celina is not the terminal. It is the drive. A McKinney family flying to Orlando has, until now, had one realistic option: SH-121 to DFW International, thirty to forty minutes on a good morning and considerably worse on a bad one. From November they have a second option roughly ten minutes from their driveway.
That does not make DFW the wrong airport. DFW serves hundreds of destinations across every major alliance; McKinney serves a short leisure list on one carrier. But when Avelo happens to fly where you are going, the whole trip gets shorter at both ends — and the ground leg is the part QTS has been running in this corridor for years.
TKI or DTX? The airport has two codes
This trips people up on day one, and it will keep tripping them up.
Both codes are correct and they belong to the same airport. TKI is the FAA identifier — what pilots, charter operators and FBOs say, and what this site has used for private aviation for years. DTX is the IATA code — what appears on an airline ticket, a booking site or a bag tag. If you are buying an Avelo seat you will see DTX. If you are flying privately you will hear TKI.
| Code | Type | Where you will see it |
|---|---|---|
| DTX | IATA | Avelo tickets, flight search, bag tags, booking confirmations |
| TKI | FAA identifier | Flight plans, FBO paperwork, charter quotes, ATC |
Tell dispatch either one and we will know what you mean. The only time it genuinely matters is when you are searching for flights: a search for “TKI” on a consumer booking site may return nothing at all.
Where Avelo flies from McKinney
A leisure-weighted list, heavy on Florida, with Las Vegas and a handful of Southeast and Mountain West cities.
Avelo has announced roughly a dozen nonstop destinations across November and December 2026, flown on Boeing 737-800 aircraft based at the airport rather than routed through it. The list has been revised several times since the first announcement, so treat the table below as orientation and confirm the current schedule on Avelo's own booking site before you plan a ride around a specific date.
November 2026
| Destination | Code | Announced start |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers / Southwest Florida | RSW | Nov 11 — inaugural flight |
| Las Vegas | LAS | Mid-November |
| Orlando | MCO | Mid-November |
| Fort Lauderdale | FLL | Mid-to-late November |
| Tampa | TPA | Mid-to-late November |
The November 11 terminal opening and the Fort Myers inaugural are agreed by every source. Published start dates for the other four routes differ between outlets, so they are given as windows here rather than as fixed dates — check Avelo for the exact day.
December 2026
| Destination | Code | Announced start |
|---|---|---|
| Denver | DEN | Dec 16 |
| Atlanta | ATL | Dec 16 |
| Sarasota / Bradenton | SRQ | Dec 16 |
| New Orleans | MSY | Dec 17 |
| Nashville | BNA | Dec 17 |
| West Palm Beach | PBI | Dec 17 |
Sarasota/Bradenton and West Palm Beach were the most recent additions, announced in mid-October. Several of these routes run two to four times a week rather than daily, which is worth knowing when you are choosing between a McKinney departure and a DFW one.
What McKinney buys you is the ground leg
McKinney National sits just off US-75 in north McKinney. For most of Collin County that is a different category of drive from SH-121 to DFW.
| From | To McKinney National (DTX) | To DFW International |
|---|---|---|
| McKinney | ~10 min | ~30–40 min |
| Melissa / Princeton / Anna | ~15–20 min | ~45–55 min |
| Allen | ~15 min | ~35–45 min |
| Prosper / Celina | ~20–30 min | ~40–50 min |
| Frisco | ~20–25 min | ~35–45 min |
| Plano | ~20–25 min | ~30–40 min |
Planning estimates for ordinary conditions, verified by QTS Dispatch for routing and distance. They are not predictions of traffic on your travel day, and construction on US-75 and SH-121 moves regularly.
There is a second, quieter advantage. A short ground leg is a forgiving ground leg. When the drive to the airport is ten minutes rather than forty, a delayed pickup, a missed turn or a wreck on the tollway stops being the thing that costs you the flight.
How the pickup works at a brand-new terminal
Honest answer: McKinney National's commercial ground-transportation layout is new, and QTS is not going to describe it from guesswork. Dispatch confirms the current McKinney National pickup and drop-off point for your vehicle when you book, and your chauffeur meets you there. We will not copy DFW's lower-level roadway procedure or Love Field's Garage C procedure onto a terminal that has its own.
What does not change is the part QTS controls. Your flight is tracked, so an early arrival or a delay moves the pickup rather than leaving you standing. You get a named chauffeur and a direct dispatch line rather than an app and a queue. The rate is agreed when you book.
For the outbound leg the calculation is simpler than it is at DFW. A ten-minute drive means the pickup at your door is close to the time you actually want to leave, instead of an hour-plus buffer built around the tollway.
TKI is still our home FBO
None of this replaces what McKinney National already was. TKI has been QTS's home airport and the prime FBO for Collin County executives for years, and we provide tarmac pickup and drop-off at most facilities, coordinated with the FBO so the car is at the aircraft rather than at a terminal door.
The commercial terminal simply adds a second kind of passenger at the same field. If you are flying privately out of TKI on Tuesday and your family is flying Avelo out of DTX on Friday, that is one airport, one dispatch team and one account.
More on the private side: airport & FBO chauffeur service. Flying commercial out of the big two instead? DFW Airport car service and Dallas Love Field car service.
Matching the car to the trip
Executive SUV
Up to six or seven passengers with luggage. The default for a family flying out to Florida for a week.
Mercedes Sprinter
Larger families, multi-generational trips and small corporate groups, with room for bags and golf clubs. Details →
Corporate account
One invoice across the team, with dispatch holding the flight details. Details →
Request your McKinney airport quote
Give us your flight and your group size. Dispatch builds the plan around both and confirms the meeting point.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (945) 212-1412 — dispatch is live 24/7.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does McKinney National Airport open to commercial flights?
The commercial passenger terminal is scheduled to open on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Avelo Airlines operates the first departure that day, to Fort Myers in Southwest Florida. The airport earned its FAA Part 139 certificate on September 24, 2026, the first Texas airport to do so since 2005.
Is McKinney National Airport TKI or DTX?
Both, and the difference matters when you book. TKI is the FAA identifier, which is what pilots, charter operators and FBOs use and what this site has always used for private aviation. DTX is the IATA code, which is what appears on an airline ticket or a flight-search result. If you are buying an Avelo seat you will see DTX; if you are flying privately you will hear TKI. Same airport.
Which airline flies out of McKinney National Airport?
Avelo Airlines is the launch carrier and, as of mid-October 2026, the only airline with announced scheduled passenger service at McKinney. Avelo is basing Boeing 737-800 aircraft at the airport rather than simply routing flights through it.
Where does Avelo fly from McKinney?
The announced network is leisure-weighted and mostly Florida, Nevada and the Southeast. November adds Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. December adds Denver, Atlanta, Sarasota/Bradenton, New Orleans, Nashville and West Palm Beach. Routes and dates have been revised several times since the first announcement, so confirm the current schedule on Avelo's booking site before you plan a ride around it.
How far is McKinney National Airport from McKinney, Plano and Frisco?
McKinney National sits just off US-75 in north McKinney, about ten minutes from most McKinney neighbourhoods. Allen is roughly fifteen minutes, Plano, Frisco, Prosper and Celina roughly twenty to thirty. For comparison, the same McKinney pickup runs thirty to forty minutes to DFW International via SH-121. Those are planning estimates for ordinary conditions, not guarantees.
Where does a car service pick up at McKinney National Airport?
The terminal is brand new and its commercial ground-transportation layout is not something QTS will describe from guesswork. QTS dispatch confirms the current McKinney National pickup and drop-off point for your vehicle when you book, and your chauffeur meets you there. We will not copy DFW's lower-level roadway procedure or Love Field's Garage C procedure onto a terminal that has its own.
Do you still handle private aviation at TKI?
Yes, and nothing about that changes. TKI is our home airport and has been our prime FBO for Collin County executives for years. We provide tarmac pickup and drop-off at most facilities, coordinated with the FBO. The commercial terminal adds a second kind of passenger at the same field; it does not replace the first.
Should I fly from McKinney or DFW?
It depends on where you are going. DFW International serves far more destinations and all the major alliances. McKinney serves a short leisure-weighted list on one carrier. What McKinney buys a Collin County traveller is the ground leg: ten to thirty minutes instead of thirty to fifty, on local roads rather than SH-121 at rush hour. If Avelo flies where you are going on the day you want, the whole trip gets shorter.
Can you book a group or a corporate account through McKinney?
Yes. Executive SUVs cover up to six or seven passengers with luggage. Mercedes Sprinters handle larger families and small corporate groups, and anything above an SUV is arranged as a chartered vehicle. Corporate accounts are billed on one invoice. Tell dispatch your flight and your group size and the plan is built around both.