How long does it really take to fly from Memphis to Chattanooga? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach Chattanooga, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.
Tuesday, 7:55 am: start in Memphis
drive for about 25 minutes
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 9:15 am at the latest
8:20 am: Memphis International (MEM)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 9:45 am
8:50 am: get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time
9:50 am: arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate
10:20 am: prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat
10:35 am: board Delta Air Lines Inc. flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
10:45 am: this is your scheduled departure time
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 12 minutes
10:57 am: so this is your actual departure time
it takes the plane an average of 18 minutes to taxi to the runway
11:15 am: wheels up! take-off from MEM
fly for about 51 minutes in the air
1:06 pm (local time): Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
Atlanta, GA is 1 hour ahead of Memphis, TN
so the time in Memphis is actually 12:06 pm
land at the connecting airport
taxi on the runway for an average of 6 minutes to the gate
1:12 pm (local time): arrive at the connecting airport
make sure you schedule enough time for your layover
there may be a minimum connection time for your flight
1:33 pm (local time): get to your connection gate
with the average delay, you have about 21 minutes
if your incoming flight was delayed, you may need to run
1:48 pm (local time): board ExpressJet Airlines Inc. connecting flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
1:58 pm (local time): scheduled departure time for connecting flight
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 53 minutes
2:51 pm (local time): actual departure time for connecting flight
it takes the plane an average of 19 minutes to taxi to the runway
3:10 pm (local time): wheels up again! take-off from
fly for about 25 minutes in the air
3:35 pm (local time): Lovell Field (CHA)
Chattanooga is 1 hour ahead of Memphis
so the time in Memphis is actually 2:35 pm
taxi on the runway for an average of 4 minutes to the gate
3:38 pm (local time): arrive at the gate at CHA
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 18 minutes to your destination
3:57 pm (local time): arrive in Chattanooga
Now finally, let's look at an example flight from MEM to CHA and figure out how long it would take to fly including take-off and landing, and time to taxi on the runway.
So now we can finally get an idea of the total travel time from Memphis to Chattanooga including time spent getting to/from the airports, an estimated wait time of 2 hours at the airport for TSA security lines and waiting at the gate, and the actual flight itself.
Total travel time: 4 hours
How far is Chattanooga from Memphis? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.
Flight distance: 269 miles or 432 km
Flight time: 1 hour, 2 minutes
Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 7 hours, 2 minutes.
Flying private is roughly 7x faster, and saves you about 6 hours in your total travel time.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula.
This is a relatively short flight in a private plane, but you might be planning to book a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.
Looking at flights on Delta Air Lines Inc. from MEM to ATL, and connecting flights on ExpressJet Airlines Inc. from ATL to CHA, here's a breakdown of the number of flights available each day:
Based on these statistical results, we chose Tuesday for the flight itinerary above.
The most common route is MEM to ATL, then connecting to CHA, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:
We picked Delta Air Lines Inc. for your main flight, and ExpressJet Airlines Inc. for your connecting flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:
Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Chattanooga. Trippy members can suggest things to do in Chattanooga like Ruby Falls. Check out some of the questions people have asked about Chattanooga like Is April a good month to visit Chattanooga? Click the button below to explore Chattanooga in detail.
The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from Chattanooga to Memphis, or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.
You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a Memphis to Chattanooga road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from Memphis to Chattanooga?
If you happen to know Memphis, don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about Memphis!