McCarran International Airport
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| McCarran International Airport | |||
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| 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 | |||
| Website | |||
| 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 | 609,472 (2007) | ||
| 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 (11 km2) 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; McCarran is also the largest operation base for both Allegiant and Southwest. It is named after the former Nevada Senator Pat McCarran.
In 2007, McCarran ranked 14th in the world for passenger traffic, with 47,595,140 passengers passing through the terminal. The airport ranked 6th in the world for aircraft movements (down from fifth in 2006), with 609,472 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 also cut another seven flights by the end of the year, resulting in a drastic decrease of the airline's operations at McCarran.[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 is somewhat unusual in that it has more than 1,300 slot machines throughout the airport terminals. The slot are owned and operated by Michael Gaughan Airport Slots. Reno/Tahoe International Airport also has gambling machines both airside and landside.
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.
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[edit] History
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.
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.
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, located 3 miles (5 km) from the terminals, opened with 5,000 parking spaces on 68 acres (280,000 m2) of land. A fleet of 40 buses provides transportation from the terminals to the facility which houses 11 car rental companies.[11] Advantage, Savmore, Payless, and Enterprise will use a new access control system. This system will be based on bar codes.[12]
[edit] Terminals, airlines and destinations
McCarran International Airport has two public passenger terminals. Other terminals service private aircraft, US government contractors, sightseeing flights and cargo.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Concourse A
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| US Airways | Baltimore [ends July 8], Boston, Calgary [ends June 2], Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Edmonton [ends May 10], Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK [ends May 10], Orange County, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR) [ends July 9], Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, Washington-Reagan |
| US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines | Fresno, Phoenix, Santa Barbara |
[edit] Concourse B
Concourse B has 20 gates: B1-B4, B6, B8-B12, B14, B15, B17, B19-B25.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | Albany, Albuquerque, Amarillo, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham (AL), Boise, Buffalo, Burbank, Chicago-Midway, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Denver, El Paso, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford/Springfield, Houston-Hobby, Indianapolis, Jacksonville (FL), Kansas City, Little Rock, Long Island/Islip, Los Angeles, Louisville, Lubbock, Manchester (NH), Midland/Odessa, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Ontario, Orange County, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), Providence, Raleigh/Durham, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma, Spokane, Tampa, Tucson, Tulsa, Washington-Dulles |
| Spirit Airlines | Detroit, Fort Lauderdale [resumes May 1] |
| US Airways | See Concourse A |
| US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines | See Concourse A |
| WestJet | Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna [seasonal], Regina [seasonal], Saskatoon [seasonal], Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, Victoria [seasonal], Winnipeg |
[edit] Concourse C
Concourse C has 20 gates: C1-C4, C5, C7-C9, C11, C12, C14, C16, C18, C19, C21-C26. It is a building connected by a people mover system and also accessed by a walkway.
| Airlines | Destinations |
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| Southwest Airlines | See Concourse B |
[edit] Concourse D
Concourse D has 47 gates: D1-D12, D14, D16-D26, D31-D43, D45-D55. Concourse D is a satellite gate building, which is accessed by a people mover system.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AirTran Airways | Atlanta, Milwaukee |
| Alaska Airlines | Bellingham [begins June 25][13], Portland (OR), Seattle/Tacoma, |
| Allegiant Air | Appleton, Bellingham, Billings, Bismarck, Bozeman, Casper, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Chicago/Rockford, Colorado Springs, Des Moines, Duluth, Eugene, Fargo, Fort Collins/Loveland, Fresno, Grand Forks, Grand Island, Grand Junction, Great Falls, Idaho Falls, Kalispell, Laredo, McAllen (TX), Medford, Missoula, Monterey, Pasco, Peoria, Rapid City, Redmond/Bend, Rochester (MN), Santa Barbara, Santa Maria (CA), Shreveport, Sioux Falls, South Bend, Springfield (MO), Stockton, Wichita |
| American Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK, St. Louis |
| Continental Airlines | Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark |
Delta Air Lines
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Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City
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| Frontier Airlines | Denver |
| Horizon Air | Santa Rosa/Sonoma County |
| JetBlue Airways | Boston, Burbank, Long Beach, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City [ends April 30] |
| Midwest Airlines | Milwaukee |
| Northwest Airlines | Detroit, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| Sun Country Airlines | Minneapolis/St. Paul |
United Airlines
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Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles
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| Virgin America | New York-JFK, San Francisco |
[edit] Terminal 2
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.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aeroméxico | Guadalajara [seasonal], Mexico City, Monterrey |
| Aeroméxico Connect | Hermosillo |
| Air Canada | Calgary, Edmonton [seasonal], Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver |
| Aviacsa | Guadalajara, Monterrey |
| BMI | Manchester (UK) [ends April 25] |
| Condor | Frankfurt |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Honolulu |
| Korean Air | Seoul-Incheon |
| Mexicana | Guadalajara, Los Cabos, Mexico City |
| Philippine Airlines | Manila, Vancouver |
| Sunwing Airlines | Calgary [seasonal], Edmonton [seasonal], Montreal-Trudeau [ends April 27], Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver [seasonal] [14] |
| Virgin Atlantic | London-Gatwick |
[edit] 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.
| Airlines | Destinations |
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| Omni Air International | Honolulu |
| Thomas Cook Airlines | Belfast-International, Glasgow-International, Manchester (UK) |
| Skyservice | Toronto-Pearson |
[edit] Cargo
At McCarran, there is a terminal devoted to cargo airline operations for:
| Airlines | Destinations |
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| FedEx Express | Memphis |
| UPS Airlines | Louisville, Ontario |
In 2004, McCarran handled 201,135,520 pounds of cargo.
[edit] 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
[edit] Transportation
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources (ideally, using inline citations). Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009) |
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 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 consolidated rental car facility and Maryland Parkway
Rental cars can be picked up and dropped off at McCarran Airport's Consolidated Rental Car Facility, south of the main terminals at 7135 Gilespie Street. The airport provides free shuttle service to the rental car facility from both terminals.
[edit] Future
As the airport continues through the process of upgrading and expanding there is a list of projects due to be completed before 2011:
[edit] Terminal 3
The new $1.6 billion Terminal 3 will be built in one phase. Its planned opening in early-2012 would 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Other projects
- Aircraft apron reconstruction and Terminal 1 rehabilitation (ongoing)
- Reconstruction of 7R/25L continues until May 1 2009.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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
[edit] Airline lounges
US Airways operates a US Airways Club outside security, above the ticket counters in Terminal 1. Open from 5am to 12am daily.
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. Open from 5:30am to 12:30am daily.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Traffic Movements 2007 FINAL
- ^ FAA Airport Master Record for LAS (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2008-04-10
- ^ "Management's discussion and analysis" (PDF). 15. http://cms.mccarran.com/dsweb/Get/Document-101847/Comprehensicve+Annual+Financial+Report+June+30%2C+2005.pdf.
- ^ "Bigger cuts ahead for US Airways". In Business Las Vegas. 2008-06-20. http://www.inbusinesslasvegas.com/2008/06/20/feature2.html.
- ^ Total Enplanded and Deplaned Passengers Year to Date 2007
- ^ a b Peterson, Kristen (2007-11-26). "Airport's art zone". Las Vegas Sun. http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/do/2007/nov/26/566641878.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ a b "Everyone is a Winner with SpeedCheck at Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport; First Multiple-Airline Check In System Makes Public Debut Today". Business Wire (CNET). 2003-10-16. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2003_Oct_16/ai_108905497. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ^ "Las Vegas Airport Unveils SpeedCheck". Panacea Publishing International Limited. 2003-06-09. http://www.abtn.co.uk/Las_Vegas_Airport_Unveils_SpeedCheck. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ^ "First multiple-airline check-in system makes debut". Kiosk Marketplace. 2003-10-16. http://www.kioskmarketplace.com/article.php?id=13096&na=1. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ^ Thayer, Gary (2005-01-04). "Las Vegas airport launches U.S.' largest free Wi-Fi network". http://www.mobilevillage.com/news/2005.01.14/lasvegas_wifi.htm. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
- ^ "Car renters consolidate in building near airport". Las Vegas Review-Journal: p. 1D. 2007-04-04.
- ^ "McCarran Consolidated Car Rental Facility". http://www.ratevegas.com/blog/2007/04/mccarran_consol.html.
- ^ http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/04/06/daily30.html?ana=from_rss
- ^ Aviation.ca - Your Number One Source for Canadian Aviation News, Jobs and Information! - Sunwing adds Las Vegas
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: McCarran International Airport |
- McCarran International Airport, official web site
- Flight and checkpoint delays
- McCarran International Airport at WikiMapia
- McCarran International AirportPDF (58.9 KB) diagram from Nevada DOT
- FAA Airport Diagram(PDF), effective 09 April 2009
- FAA Terminal Procedures for LAS, effective 09 April 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
