McKinney's Own Airport Starts Flying Nov. 11. Is It Worth Skipping DFW for the Holidays?

"It's faster, it's easier and it's just simply better in terms of when you're on the ground to get on the plane," Avelo Airlines founder and CEO Andrew Levy said in September about flying out of McKinney National Airport. On the ground, the case holds up. The parking is cheaper and the terminal is small. The bigger limit for a McKinney household planning Thanksgiving is the weekly flight calendar. Every route flies on set days, and none of them fly on Tuesdays.

The City of McKinney says the new passenger terminal is on schedule to open on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. When you book, the airport appears under its code, DTX. Before you give up the DFW habit for the busiest travel weeks of the year, compare your trip with the schedule.

The Wednesday Before Thanksgiving Has One Route

Avelo starts with five nonstop routes, all launching in November. Here are the days of the week Avelo lists for each one:

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26 this year. Laid against the table, that means Fort Myers is the only November route scheduled to fly from DTX on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Orlando, Las Vegas, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale all skip Wednesday, and the whole airport goes quiet on Tuesday, Nov. 24, because the city and Avelo say DTX service runs Wednesday through Monday.

That calendar works for some trips and not others. If you leave Monday, Nov. 23, you can take any of the four routes that fly on Mondays. Coming home on Sunday, Nov. 29 works for Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. A Fort Myers trip runs Wednesday to Saturday. A trip built around a Tuesday departure has to go through DFW or Love Field.

The airplanes matter as well. The city says Avelo will base three 184-seat Boeing 737-800s at DTX. Community Impact reports the terminal expects about 200,000 passengers in its first year. With a few departures a day on a few days a week, holiday seats are limited. A missed flight may not have another one on the same route until two or three days later.

What $15 a Day Buys Against DFW and Love Field

The terminal's public lot has 980 spaces. Airport Director Ken Carley says parking will cost $15 a day, paid contactlessly. The lot sits right at the terminal, so there is no remote lot or shuttle.

DFW's posted rates took effect Oct. 1, 2026, so the comparison uses current figures. Here is what a four-day Monday-to-Friday trip costs at each airport, using each lot's daily maximum:

DFW's rate pages show the October 2026 prices. The Love Field figures are the rates currently posted on the airport's garage page.

The table shows that DTX's $15 rate costs about the same as DFW Remote. The savings over DFW come from skipping the drive, the shuttle and Terminal parking. If you usually park at Terminal, four days at DTX costs about $90 to $100 less. If you already use DFW Remote, the daily rate barely changes. What changes is that you walk from the lot to a four-gate building.

Where the Fare Actually Lands

Avelo's fare includes one personal item up to 17 by 13 by 9 inches. A carry-on up to 22 by 14 by 9 inches costs $52 to $75. A checked bag up to 50 pounds and 62 linear inches costs $47 to $75. Avelo also says bags bought during the initial booking cost less than bags added later at the airport.

For a family of four on a Thanksgiving trip, bag fees can match the parking savings. Four carry-ons at even the lowest $52 price come to $208 each way, which is more than a week of DTX parking. Families who already travel with backpack-sized personal items will feel this much less.

Avelo's September announcement includes one current fare promotion. It offers $99 one-way fares for DTX travel Dec. 1 through Dec. 17, 2026, and Jan. 7 through Jan. 31, 2027, plus a free first checked bag on DTX trips finished by Jan. 31, 2027. Both require booking by Oct. 12, 2026. The terms are on Avelo's announcement page. The fare windows run up to Christmas week but not through it.

Curb to Gate on FM 546

Directions matter here because sources list two different addresses. The terminal is at 1910 FM 546, McKinney, TX 75069, according to Visit McKinney. A dedicated terminal-parking road runs off FM 546, and Visit McKinney says you can reach the airport from Highways 380 and 75. Avelo's DTX destination page lists 1508 Industrial Blvd instead. For drop-off and parking, the city and Visit McKinney use the FM 546 address.

The basics at the terminal:

• Arrival time: Avelo recommends arriving at least 90 minutes before departure. Ticket counters open about two hours before each flight and close 40 minutes before takeoff.
• Size: The terminal and its associated infrastructure cost $79 million. The building covers 46,000 square feet and opens with four gates. Carley says it has room for a fifth and sixth gate.
• Rental cars: On Oct. 5, 2026, City Council approved Enterprise Mobility for the terminal's rental-car service.
• Food and drink: The same council meeting approved Creative Hospitality Solutions for food and beverage. Plans include specialty coffee, tea, baked goods, snacks, prepared grab-and-go food and a limited-service bar where approved.
• Art: Two murals by Texas artists greet travelers, one at the curb and one at baggage claim.

The airport's own FAQ still says parking rates would be posted by September, so the $15 figure from the Sept. 24 briefing is the most recent number available.

December Adds Four Routes, and Christmas Is Friday

The calendar gets wider in December. Atlanta and Denver start Wednesday, Dec. 16, with flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Nashville and New Orleans start Thursday, Dec. 17, with flights on Thursdays and Sundays. A Community Impact story lists Denver on Sundays instead of Saturdays. The city's release and Avelo both say Saturday.

Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday. On the published schedule, Atlanta and Denver fly Monday, Dec. 21, Wednesday, Dec. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 26. Nashville and New Orleans fly Thursday, Dec. 24 and Sunday, Dec. 27. The Florida and Las Vegas routes keep their November days. For many families, a holiday trip built around Wednesday and Sunday flights now fits.

A Thanksgiving Week Built Around the DTX Calendar

If family is flying in rather than out, the schedule works in reverse. Here is one way the week could go:

1. Monday, Nov. 23: Guests from Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale or Las Vegas land on a Monday flight, a day before the airport's Tuesday pause.
2. Mid-November onward: The AC Hotel McKinney, a 137-room hotel at 7600 SH 121 with Good & Proper Wood Fired Bistro on the fifth floor, is expected to open in mid-November. That timing could give overflow guests a room before the holiday.
3. Friday, Nov. 27: Home for the Holidays, a free festival, opens in Historic Downtown McKinney with the tree lighting at 6:15 p.m. The festival runs through Nov. 29.
4. Sunday, Nov. 29: Return flights to Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale are all on the schedule. Fort Myers guests fly home Saturday.

Every date above follows Avelo's published schedule as of late September, and the terminal opening is still a plan until Nov. 11. Check the days on AveloAir.com before you commit a family's travel to them.

The Fort Lauderdale route launching Nov. 19 connects two markets we serve. At Mendez RE Group, we work with families who split time between Collin County and South Florida and buy and sell homes in both. If a five-day-a-week nonstop has you considering a move in either direction, Get Your Free Home Valuation, and we'll walk you through what your McKinney home is worth today, in English or Spanish.