Las Vegas Airport

As a frequent visitor to the States I have found Vegas airport to be the most pleasant to pass through. I generally arrive and depart through the D gates and this terminal is one of the cleanest I have been in. The choice of food outlets and shopping is plentiful and many of the gates have views of the strip! The only drawback seems to be baggage reclaim which is painfully slow especially when you just want to get to the casino!

We flew into Las Vegas for a 4 day trip from Toronto and where our arrival went smoothly our departure was a different story. Our check in at Westjet was fine but there were serious problems with airport security. Out of at least a half dozen stations they only had one station open although there were at least 4 different flights leaving at the time so there was a very long lineup. There were numerous security personnel standing around doing nothing at all so the problem wasn't staffing. They were without exception extremely rude to everyone coming through they seemed to be working deliberately slowly - perhaps a work to rule situation? There was a a large group of Japanese travelers with many seniors and they were treated terribly. Despite the fact that they all seemed to have their things in order the personnel were extremely rude to them barking out orders and behaving in a very boorish manner. When it got to be our turn we were treated in a similar manner. I have no problem accepting that there is a need for good airport security and am happy to cooperate. Rudeness is bad enough but the incompetence displayed made me realize that passengers are not being protected properly. This whole ordeal certainly left a bad taste in our mouths and undoubtedly did the same for the others who were unfortunate enough to be there that evening. We pay money in airport taxes to at least in part be protected from whatever threats may be there and certainly deserve much better than this.

We are becoming frequent visitors to Las Vegas and in many respects I see it as a hassle free alternative to LAX and a a cheap alternative to PSP depending of course on your overall itinerary. The new combined Car Rental Centre is absolutely excellent and the associated shuttle service far more cohesive. This was of course one of the proposals for LAX voted down by mean minded politicians and NIMBY residents. T2 however is a different story. It is still a dump as reported below. It should be ashamed of its entirely inadequate eating facilities. All services from T2 are obviously regarded as entirely secondary to those from T1.

Flew into LAS international terminal. Flights from Gatwick use Virgin 747-400. Sit as near the front as possible so as to disembark as soon as possible. I was seated in row 35 but still had long wait to clear passport control. The luggage carousel was very long providing plenty of space to access the bags. Mine must have been one of the first as the staff took it off the carousel before I arrived and it was put against the far wall with several others. I only found it when I complained it had not arrived and started to use words like 'lost' to the staff. Short walk to the main domestic terminal where it is possible to check in for many of the hotels. At the time of my visit there were no self service terminals in the check in area and the keen Virgin staff made sure all bags were not overweight - 23kg in economy although it was possible to travel with two items of checked luggage. I understand the staff in the domestic terminal are also strict about a 50lbs weight limit too.

LAS is a popular international destination and has some catching up to do. International arrivals is not designed to cope with multiple arrivals and indeed these are scheduled separately. When we arrived on Maxjet we were on time and Virgin were late so their passengers were just ahead of us. Having said that every possible line was open and they were working pretty fast. The immigration official was even quite charming in a curmudgeonly sort of way. The Alamo shuttle was tardy. For departure T2 is not the place to be. Check-in was fine. Bad design means that the security line which was not actualy that long easily backs up on to the escalator which is potentially dangerous. TSA procedures border on the bizarre overkill but at least they are beginning to admit that. Through security facilities are absolutely minimal and as Maxjet don't yet have a lounge quite inadequate.

I break the long journey from Sydney to London in Las Vegas. Its a great place to stop for the night the only concern is if you are to arrive into Terminal D (United Airlines/Delta/American etc) you always expect about 30-45 minute wait for your luggage to arrive at the baggage claim. You would be advised not to bother rushing off the plane and down to the tram which takes you to the main terminal as you will only end up waiting for ages for your luggage to arrive. Take your time.. Vegas is also notorious for losing bags. The free wireless internet is a bonus though just need to enter your email adress (very safe). You SHOULD take the freeway if you're going downtown; and maybe the extreme north strip (Stratosphere area.) The freeway may also be the best route to off-strip properties such as Rio Gold Coast and the Palms. But if you're staying in the popular mid to south strip area (between Mandalay Bay on the south and Wynn Venetian or Treasure Island on the north) the freeway just adds unnecessary mileage and about $5 extra to the fare. The honest cabbie will take Swenson to Tropicana and then either Koval Lane or Paradise to an east strip property (Paris & Ballys area) or Las Vegas Blvd. or Industrial Ave. for west strip properties (Caesars Monte Carlo Mirage etc.) Taking the freeway loops you around the south side of the airport and then takes you about a half mile west of the strip so you have to double back to the strip"

I was just back through there last week. Most of my comments from three years ago still apply with the following caveats: (1) There are self- service check-in machines throughout the lobby and most airlines are part of that system. That has really helped with the lines around the ticket counters. Southwest's in particular was quick to navigate. (2) The security checkpoints are remarkably efficient for the volume of passengers that go through them. This is even more important now that the "secret" checkpoint in the middle of concourse C is no longer there. They have video clips featuring Vegas entertainers to provide passenger instructions before they reach the checkpoints but the volume needs to be louder. (3) Checked baggage service remains horribly slow.

My wife and I had to transfer flights in LV on our way to San Jose from Montgomery. We were on a Continental flight and there was no information on the Departure screens about our connecting flight. We asked a Continental agent and were told there was no information available because the flight was departing from another terminal. She told us to go to the AB terminal to get the information. We took the tram to the AB terminal but the signage was so confusing we ended up exiting the terminal and entering a large area full of slots. Couldn't find our way to the AB terminal and had to ask another airline's agent for assistance. If it wasn't for her specific directions the way to the terminal was not obvious at all. After having to go through security again we finally found the correct terminal. I travel a lot and have been through many airports (most of the majors) and have to say that McCarran was the most confusing I have ever experienced. It is ridiculous that information on all flights at the airport is not available from any terminal.

Arrival: can be a long walk from gate to baggage claim. Baggage area very crowded and chaotic but that's the way Vegas works and is a good introduction. Hotel check in and shuttle booking near belt one saves a lot of time. Departure: airport is a quick $15 taxi ride from the strip. Drop off zone appears quite chaotic but everyone seems to cope without fender benders. Check in and security were extremely busy but delay was minimal. Not too many food concessions available airside. Departure information can be flaky. Some monitors showed my flight some didn't. Just head for the assigned gate to make sure there have been no changes.

Not a bad airport to depart from. Smoking laws are very lax and available in many places unlike the rest of the US so those who have gone through security will be happy to know they will still be good once they have gone through security. Slot machines give a different way to be able to spend your time and money before a flight even that chance to win. I was suprised that I was able to win 80 extra dollars before my Ted Flight to SFO.