McCarran International Airport

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McCarran International Airport
IATA: LAS – ICAO: KLAS – FAA: LAS
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Clark County
Serves		Las Vegas
Location		Paradise, Nevada
Elevation AMSL		2,181 ft / 665 m
Coordinates		36°04′48″N 115°09′08″W / 36.08°N 115.15222°W / 36.08; -115.15222
Website		www.McCarran.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
1L/19R	8,985	2,739	Concrete
1R/19L	9,775	2,979	Concrete
7L/25R	14,510	4,423	Asphalt
7R/25L	10,526	3,208	Concrete
Statistics (2008)
Aircraft operations			578,949
Passengers			44,074,707
Based aircraft			129
Sources: ACI[1] and FAA[2]

McCarran International Airport (IATA: LAS, ICAO: KLAS, FAA LID: LAS) is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles (8 km) south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of 2,800 acres (1,100 ha) and has four runways. McCarran is owned by Clark County and operated by the Clark County Department of Aviation (DOA). It serves as a focus city for Allegiant Air, Southwest Airlines, and US Airways (Focus city ends January 31); McCarran is also the largest operation base for both Allegiant and Southwest. It is named after the former Nevada Senator Pat McCarran.

In 2008, McCarran ranked 15th in the world for passenger traffic, with 44,074,707 passengers passing through the terminal. The airport ranked 6th in the world for aircraft movements with 578,949 takeoffs and landings.^[1] McCarran and the DOA are completely self-sufficient enterprises, requiring no money from the County's general fund.^[3]

As of September 2008, Southwest Airlines operated more flights out of McCarran than at any other airport. Southwest also carries the most passengers in and out of McCarran. Southwest currently operates out of 21 gates, primarily in Concourse C. The US Airways night-flight hub operation, established in 1986 by predecessor America West Airlines, makes the carrier McCarran's second busiest airline. Due to the 2008 energy crisis the night hub was closed in September 2008. US Airways will close its focus city operations at McCarran on January 31, 2010. ^[4]

The top five largest scheduled airlines at McCarran in number of passengers carried in 2007 are Southwest Airlines (34.63%), US Airways/ US Airways Express (21.98%), United Airlines/ United Express (7.16%), Delta Air Lines/ Delta Connection (5.67%), and American Airlines/ American Eagle (4.84%).^[5]

McCarran Airport has more than 1,300 slot machines throughout the airport terminals. The slots are owned and operated by Michael Gaughan Airport Slots. Reno/Tahoe International Airport also has gambling machines both airside and landside.^{[citation needed]}

Maximum capacity for the airport is estimated at 53 million passengers and 625,000 aircraft movements. As McCarran is predicted to reach this capacity around 2017, Ivanpah Airport is planned as a relief airport.^{[citation needed]}

History

McCarran passengers wait for baggage with aviation history dangling above

American aviator George Crockett, a descendant of frontiersman Davy Crockett, established Alamo Airport in 1942 on the site currently occupied by McCarran International. In 1948, Clark County purchased the airfield from Crockett to establish the Clark County Public Airport, and all commercial operations moved to the site of this airport. On December 20, 1948 the airport was renamed McCarran Field for U.S. Senator Pat McCarran, a longtime Nevada politician who authored the Civil Aeronautics Act and played a major role in developing aviation nationwide.

By this time, the airport was serving 1.5 million passengers a year, the location for the present terminals was moved from Las Vegas Boulevard South to Paradise Road, opening in March 1963.^[6] The terminal, designed by Welton Becket and Associates and John Replogle, was inspired by the TWA terminal at JFK.^[6] It ultimately became the basis for the United Airlines terminal at O'Hare International Airport seven years later.

In 1978, Senator Howard Cannon pushed the Airline Deregulation Act through Congress. Airlines no longer had to get the federal government's permission to fly to a city, but instead dealt directly with airports to establish additional routes. Just after deregulation, the number of airlines serving McCarran doubled from seven to 14.

An expansion plan called McCarran 2000 was adopted in 1978 and funded by a $300 million bond issue in 1982. The three-phase plan included a new central terminal; a nine-level parking facility; runway additions and expansions; additional gates; upgraded passenger assistance facilities; and a new tunnel and revamped roadways into the airport. The first phase of McCarran 2000 opened in 1985 and was completed by 1987.

McCarran International Airport's main taxiway.

Between 1986 and 1997, Terminal 2 was built where two separate terminals had been in the 1970s and 1980s; one for American Airlines and the other for Pacific Southwest Airlines.

In the 1990s all gates and check in counters were upgraded to use a common set of computer hardware. CUTE, Common Use Terminal Equipment. This eliminates the need for each airline to have their own equipment and allows the airport to reassign gates and counters without having to address individual airlines' computer systems. While portions of Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport deployed CUTE prior to McCarran, as of 2008 it remains the only major airport in the USA that is 100 percent common use. (White Plains, N.Y., is also a 100 percent common use airport, though it has only eight gates.) McCarran's CUTE system also supports several airlines' use of the Cockpit Access Security System, or CASS. In Europe, and to some extent the Asia-Pacific rim, CUTE has been widely prevalent for much longer.

In 1998 the D Gates SE and SW wings opened adding 28 gates. The D Gates project is a modification to the original McCarran 2000 plan.

On October 16, 2003, the airport installed SpeedCheck kiosks which allow customers to obtain a boarding pass without having to go to a specific airline kiosk or counter. McCarran was the first airport in the US to provide this service and the first in the world to provide the service to all airlines from a single kiosk.^[7][8][9] At the same time, 6 kiosks were activated at the Las Vegas Convention Center allowing convention attendees to get boarding passes on their way to the airport.^[7] This system was enhanced to add printing of baggage tags in 2005.

Slot machines at the baggage claim

In 2003 the airport announced it was implementing a baggage-tracking system that will use Radio-frequency identification (RFID) bag tags from Matrics Inc. to improve air safety. The decision to implement the tracking system makes McCarran one of the first airports to use the RFID technology airportwide.

On January 4, 2005, the airport started offering wireless internet service at no charge. The signal is available in the boarding areas and most other public areas. The airport was the first to provide this as a free service for the entire facility^{[citation needed]}. At the time, this was the largest (2 million square feet (180,000 m²)) free wireless Internet installation in the world.^[10]

In 2005, the D Gates NE wing opened adding 10 gates.

On April 4, 2007, the Consolidated Rent-a-Car facility opened, located 3 miles (5 km) from the terminals (see Transportation section). The distance from the airport (including a segment of US Interstate 215) requires the facility be permanently linked via bus to the airport.

Due to Continental Airlines moving into the Star Alliance, along with cost-cutting moves at US Airways because of the 2008 night-flight hub closure, the US Airways Club was closed on September 13, 2009. All passengers flying on US Airways or United Airlines can access the Presidents Club in Concourse D starting on October 25.^[11] Delta Airlines' Crown Room lounge had previously closed in 2001.

V Australia has recently applied to begin service to McCarran International Airport.^[12]

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Destinations with direct service from McCarran

McCarran International Airport has two public passenger terminals. Other terminals service private aircraft, US government contractors, sightseeing flights and cargo.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 handles most flights and contains 96 gates in four concourses. People movers connect concourses C and D with the Terminal 1 check-in and baggage claim areas.

Concourse A

Concourse B

Southwest Airlines passenger gates

Concourse B has 20 gates: B1-B4, B6, B8-B12, B14, B15, B17, B19-B25.

Concourse C

Concourse C provides 20 gates: C1-C4, C5, C7-C9, C11, C12, C14, C16, C18, C19, C21-C25. The Concourse is part of terminal 1 and provides access between gates and baggage claim via a people mover system. Concourse C has a security checkpoint shared with Concourse B located adjacent to the Southwest Airlines counter.

Concourse D

Welcome to McCarran airport sign in the D gate concourse

Concourse D has 45 gates: D1-D12, D14, D16-D26, D31-D43, D50-D58. Concourse D is a satellite gate building, which is accessed by a people mover system.

* = Allegiant Air Scheduled Charter Flight

Terminal 2

USGS-image of the airport (circa 1994)

Also known as the Charter International Terminal, Terminal 2 contains eight gates (T2-1 through T2-8), four of which are for international flights. All international arrivals must go through Terminal 2 (although WestJet precleared flights disembark at Terminal 1) so passengers can clear customs. Terminal 2 also handles most charter flights.

Charter

Besides scheduled services, McCarran is a major hub for sightseeing flights. As such, many charter airlines, usually using Terminal 2, are regular users of McCarran.

Cargo

At McCarran, there is a terminal devoted to cargo airline operations for:

In 2004, McCarran handled 201,135,520 pounds of cargo.

Other terminal operations

• Fixed Base Operators
  • Signature Flight Support, owned by BBA Aviation Services Group, provides services for private aircraft using McCarran. It also provides equipment and support to other airlines for aircraft types that do not normally fly into McCarran.
  • The Las Vegas Executive Air Terminal, owned by Eagle Aviation Resources, is being purchased by Macquarie Infrastructure Company. It provides services for private aircraft using McCarran.
• Helicopter Companies:
  • Heli USA Sightseeing
• The EG&G Airlift Terminal, operated by defense contractor EG&G Technical Services. EG&G flies a variety of aircraft (including Boeing 737s) from McCarran to various military facilities in southern Nevada and eastern California. The civilian contractors who use this service (callsign JANET) work at the Tonopah Test Range, the Nevada Test Site, and reportedly at Area 51.
• Hughes Aviation
• Quail Aviation
• Scenic Aviation Sightseeing

Transportation

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Ground transportation to McCarran Airport is from Tropicana Avenue (State Route 593) to the north or the Las Vegas Beltway (Interstate 215) to the south. Vehicles enter the airport via the McCarran Airport Connector, which includes Paradise Road/Swenson Street and the airport tunnel.

The airport is served by the ubiquitous taxicabs of Las Vegas operated by various firms. The airport is further served by RTC Transit, the public bus service of the Las Vegas valley. RTC Buses stop at Terminal 1 outside the Zero Level.

• Route #108 provides service to Downtown Las Vegas
• Route #109A services the South Strip Transit Center, the consolidated rental car facility and Maryland Parkway.
• "The Deuce" bus service along the Las Vegas Strip connects with Route 109A (south) at the South Strip Transit Center; there is no direct bus service from the airport to The Strip. Both Route #109A and "The Deuce" operated 24 hours a day as of late 2009.

The Consolidated Rental Car Facility, located 3 miles from the airport at 7135 Gilespie Street, provides 5,000 parking spaces on 68 acres (280,000 m²) of land. A fleet of 40 buses provides free transportation from the terminals to the facility, which upon opening housed 11 car rental companies.^[16] The Facility is not accessible from the Strip, and is accessed both by buses and customers primarily via US Interstate 215. Rental firms strongly advise customers to allow additional time to account for locating and driving to the facility, and the bus ride back to the airport. Advantage, Savmore, Payless, and Enterprise will use a new access control system. This system will be based on bar codes.^[17]

Future

As the airport continues through the process of upgrading and expanding there is a list of projects due to be completed before 2011:

Terminal 3

The new $1.6 billion Terminal 3 will be built in one phase. Its planned opening in early 2012 will provide 14 additional gates, including six designated for international travelers. Once the terminal opens, McCarran will have 117 gates. Like Terminal 2, it will be all inclusive providing bag claim, ticketing and parking facilities.

Las Vegas Monorail Connection

A plan to extend the Las Vegas Monorail to McCarran is under consideration. This proposed extension will add underground stations at Terminal 1 and at Terminal 3.^{[citation needed]} The part of the extension north of the airport will be elevated.

Other projects

• Aircraft apron reconstruction and Terminal 1 rehabilitation (ongoing)

Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum

The Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum is located on the Esplanade, Level 2, above the baggage claim area. This small museum is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and concentrates on Las Vegas airline history. Items on display include a copy of the first emergency vehicle that was used on the airfield. Admittance is free. A small branch of the museum is located at the D gates, and some of the other concourses and check-in areas also have small displays.

Airport public art

Some of the public art displays in McCarran Airport includes:

• Murals in McCarran International Airport D Gates (artists include Tom Holder, Mary Warner, Robert Beckmann, Harold Bradford)
• Greg LeFevre's Flights Paths — in the D Gates rotunda’s terrazzo floor
• Tony Milici's steel and glass sculpture at McCarran's D Gates
• McCarran's D Gates feature wall tiles of international skylines by sixteen Clark County fourth graders
• Wildlife sculptures of Clark County wildlife at the D Gates, by David L Phelps

Airline lounges

The airport operates a VIP room in Terminal 2 for full fare first class passengers.

On July 12, 2008, Continental Airlines added a Presidents Club in Terminal 1, Concourse D located between gates 33 and 35 on the 3rd floor. This club is open from 5:30 AM to 12:30 AM daily. All US Airways Club members can use the Presidents Club in Concourse D starting on October 25.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: McCarran International Airport

• McCarran International Airport, official web site
• Flight and checkpoint delays
• McCarran International AirportPDF (58.9 KB) diagram from Nevada DOT
• FAA Airport Diagram(PDF), effective 22 Oct 2009
• FAA Terminal Procedures for LAS, effective 22 Oct 2009
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KLAS
  • ASN accident history for LAS
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KLAS
  • FAA current LAS delay information