Harry Reid International Airport

[edit] Logo under the airport's former name Aerial view of Terminal 1 Aerial view of Terminal 3 Aerial view in 2015 Origins[edit] George Crockett, a flight instructor, built Alamo Field in 1942 on the site currently occupied by Harry Reid Airport. Crockett named it in honor of his forefather Davy Crockett, who had fought in the Battle of the Alamo. The airfield opened in January 1943. It catered to general aviation and included three gravel runways, a flight school, and a terminal building. Meanwhile, all commercial airlines flew into the Las Vegas Army Airfield. They shared the facility with the Army Air Forces, which had been operating an air base there since the attack on Pearl Harbor. The base closed in 1946. With the onset of the Cold War, the military said it was amenable to reopening the base, but it wanted the airlines to move elsewhere. Crockett was willing to let them use his airfield, so the Clark County Commission entered into negotiations with him. In the meantime, the county held a bond election to fund construction work that would enable Alamo Field to handle commercial operations. Proponents of the bond issue, who included the chamber of commerce and casino executives, sought the economic benefits of both an air base and a modern airport capable of serving the increasing numbers of tourists that they expected to arrive. Voters approved the bond in 1947. With the help of U.S. senator Pat McCarran of Nevada, the county finalized a deal with Crockett to purchase his airfield the following year. On December 19, 1948, the airport was renamed McCarran Field and began receiving passenger flights. Expansion[edit] The growth of the Las Vegas casino industry during the 1950s fueled a rise in air traffic; the city went from receiving 36,000 passengers in 1948 to nearly one million in 1959. In September 1960, United Airlines became the first carrier to offer jet flights to Las Vegas. The airport was ill-equipped to handle the increasing passenger counts and the advent of commercial jetliners. Consequently, the county built a new terminal, which opened in March 1963. Another expansion project, which included adding Concourses A and B and lengthening the runways, ended in 1974. However, traffic levels had already rendered the project insufficient by the time it was completed. Airport officials therefore prepared for further expansion. The deregulation of the airline industry in 1978 led to an increase in the number of carriers at McCarran and prompted officials to accelerate their expansion plans. In October 1985, a central terminal, Concourse C, and a people mover between the two buildings opened. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, America West Airlines was the busiest airline at McCarran. The carrier began offering cheap night flights to Las Vegas in 1986. It ultimately developed a hub at the airport that functioned between 10 pm and 2 am every night. The strategy capitalized on the fact that Las Vegas was open 24 hours a day and enabled the airline to decrease costs. America West charged low fares because it was the only carrier operating such a large number of flights at that time of night. Most of its customers were tourists, while the remainder were changing planes. By the late 1990s, Southwest Airlines had overtaken America West as McCarran's largest carrier and occupied all the gates in Concourse C. According to contemporary reports, Southwest emphasized high-frequency service, low fares, and cooperative marketing with local resorts in the Las Vegas market. Multiple projects were finished during the 1990s. The Charter/International Terminal, later renamed Terminal 2, opened in December 1991. A cargo center was dedicated two years later. In 1994, a tunnel beneath the east–west runways that linked the airport to the Las Vegas Beltway opened. A nine-level parking facility was completed in 1996, and in June 1998, the first two wings of Concourse D were inaugurated. McCarran also gained its first scheduled flights to Europe and Asia. In November 1996, Condor launched a route to Cologne, and Northwest Airlines commenced service to its hub at Tokyo's Narita Airport in June 1998. With the backing of two casinos, National Airlines set up a hub in Las Vegas the following year. The company specialized in low-fare flights to cities on the East Coast. Other casinos responded by arranging package deals with larger airlines. This and other factors led to National's demise in 2002. Innovation and new terminal[edit] Concourse D in May 2009 with Terminal 3 under construction in the background Officials started to introduce new technologies. In the late 1990s, they began following a common-use strategy, where airlines share airport facilities. The airport first deployed computer systems known as common-use terminal equipment (CUTE) at gates and check-in counters. McCarran pioneered the use of CUTE in the domestic terminals of American airports. In 2003, it became the first airport in the country to install common-use self-service kiosks, which customers use to check in and obtain their boarding passes. With nearly 30 carriers serving McCarran, officials did not want to have separate sets of kiosks for each one. The airport's use of common-use facilities has been cited in industry publications as an early example of the common-use approach in the United States. It began implementing a baggage-tracking system based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) in 2005. The technology was intended to facilitate luggage screening and decrease the chances of losing bags. McCarran and the Hong Kong airport were the first to use RFID on a large scale. In the 2000s, Allegiant Air moved its headquarters from Fresno to Las Vegas. The company also changed its focus to providing nonstop flights between small towns and vacation destinations and expanded the number of cities it served from McCarran to 35. In 2004, Philippine Airlines extended its flight between Manila and Vancouver to Las Vegas. The service was primarily targeted at tourists from western Canada, though the carrier also hoped to attract members of the large Filipino community in Las Vegas. The third wing of Concourse D, along with a ramp control tower, opened in April 2005. Two years later, a consolidated rental car facility began operations. The fourth and final wing of Concourse D was added in September 2008. In the same month, US Airways closed the night hub due to the 2000s energy crisis. The airline had merged with America West in 2005. US Airways shut its crew base at McCarran in 2010. By 2012, the company had eliminated all routes except for those to its hubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Phoenix and its focus city at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.New tower under construction, July 2013Fearing McCarran would soon exceed its capacity, the Clark County Commission began work on Terminal 3 in 2005. The economy was doing well, and Terminal 2 had become congested. Although the economy later entered a recession, the county chose to proceed with the project. The airport's cargo facility was located within the Terminal 3 site, so it was replaced by the Marnell Air Cargo Center, which opened in 2010. The new terminal was inaugurated in June 2012, replacing Terminal 2. It cost $2.4 billion and was the largest public works project in Nevada. In 2013, Philippine Airlines discontinued its route to Las Vegas. In 2016, Terminal 2 was demolished, and a new control tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control facility were completed. At 352 feet (107 m) tall, it was the second tallest in the country when completed. In 2017, the airport equipped seven gates in Concourse D to receive international flights and built a tunnel to connect them to the customs facility in Terminal 3. LATAM Airlines Brasil added a seasonal route to São Paulo, McCarran's first direct link to South America, in June 2018. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the control tower was closed for several days after a controller tested positive for the virus, leading to many delays and cancellations. The following month, the decrease in traffic caused by the pandemic prompted the closure of all the gates in Concourse B and Terminal 3. Concourse B reopened in the summer, and the E gates in Terminal 3 subsequently reopened in July 2021. In February 2021, the Clark County Commission voted unanimously to rename the airport after U.S. senator Harry Reid of Nevada. The commissioners believed that Pat McCarran had left a legacy of anti-Semitism and racism. The airport was officially renamed in December 2021.

[edit] Baggage claim carousels in Terminal 1 Slot machines in Concourse A Harry Reid International Airport has four runways: 1L/19R: 9,770 by 150 feet (2,978 m × 46 m) 1R/19L: 9,769 by 150 feet (2,978 m × 46 m) 8L/26R: 14,835 by 150 feet (4,522 m × 46 m) 8R/26L: 10,526 by 150 feet (3,208 m × 46 m) The runways are made of concrete. 1L, 26R, and 26L have a category I instrument landing system with distance measuring equipment. 8L/26R is the second-longest civil runway in the country, after 16R/34L at Denver International Airport. The airport has a total of 110 gates across two passenger terminals, which are numbered 1 and 3, and a satellite concourse called Concourse D. Terminal 1 contains three concourses labeled A, B, and C. Terminal 3 houses the E gates and handles international arrivals. Terminal 3 and Concourse D are able to receive international flights, and a tunnel links the international gates in Concourse D to the customs checkpoint. Of these international gates, Concourse D has a 3-jetway stand (D21/22) that can accommodate an Airbus A380. There is an airside tram system with three lines. The green and blue lines connect the central part of Terminal 1 with Concourses C and D, respectively. The red line runs between Terminal 3 and Concourse D. The airport's terminal gaming dates back to 1968. Under Nevada gaming laws, slot machines are permitted in the passenger terminals. The Las Vegas and Reno airports are the only two airports in the United States with slot machines. Terminal 1 and Concourse D also house exhibits of the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum, which covers the history of aviation in southern Nevada. Airlines unload their freight at the Marnell Air Cargo Center, which can handle 100,000 short tons (91,000 t) of cargo. Janet Air flights to secret military installations operate from a dedicated terminal building. The airport includes a public parking area commonly used as an informal viewing point for aircraft takeoffs and landings. Maverick Helicopters and Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters each operate their own terminal at Harry Reid Airport for sightseeing flights. The Maverick terminal covers 6,000 square feet (560 m2), and the Sundance terminal occupies 13,000 square feet (1,200 m2). The Papillon terminal was established in 1997.

[edit] Passenger[edit] This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) AirlinesDestinationsRefs Advanced Air Gallup, Merced (ends June 30, 2026) Aer Lingus Seasonal: Dublin Aero Charter: Los Angeles–Van Nuys Aeroméxico Mexico City–Benito Juárez Seasonal: Guadalajara, Monterrey Air Canada Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver Air Canada Rouge Toronto–Pearson Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau Air France Seasonal: Paris–Charles de Gaulle Alaska Airlines Anchorage, Boise, Everett, Portland (OR), San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Seattle/Tacoma Seasonal: Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo[citation needed] Allegiant Air Appleton, Asheville, Belleville/St. Louis, Bellingham, Billings, Bismarck, Bozeman, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Chicago/Rockford, Cincinnati, Des Moines, Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Eugene, Fargo, Fayetteville/Bentonville, Flint, Fort Wayne, Fresno, Glacier Park/Kalispell, Grand Island, Grand Rapids, Great Falls, Idaho Falls, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Laredo, Lexington, McAllen, Medford, Memphis, Minot, Missoula, Moline/Quad Cities, Monterey, Omaha, Peoria, Phoenix/Mesa, Rapid City, Santa Maria (CA), Shreveport, Sioux Falls, South Bend, Spokane, Springfield/Branson, Stockton, Tri-Cities (WA), Tulsa, Wichita American Airlines Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York–JFK, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Washington–National Avianca El Salvador Seasonal: San Salvador Breeze Airways Akron/Canton, Eureka, Fort Myers, Grand Junction, Gulfport/Biloxi, Hartford, Huntsville, Jacksonville (FL), Lincoln, New Orleans, Norfolk, Orange County, Provo, Redmond/Bend, Richmond, Syracuse, Twin Falls British Airways London–Heathrow Condor Seasonal: Frankfurt Contour Airlines Merced (begins July 1, 2026), Page (begins July 2, 2026) Copa Airlines Panama City–Tocumen Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, Raleigh/Durham, Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma Delta Connection Orange County, San Diego Discover Airlines Frankfurt Edelweiss Air Seasonal: Zurich Flair Airlines Seasonal: Vancouver Frontier Airlines Atlanta, Austin, Boise (begins September 10, 2026), Burbank, Chicago–O'Hare, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, El Paso, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Memphis, Oakland (resumes August 20, 2026), Oklahoma City, Ontario (CA), Orange County, Orlando, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento,[citation needed] St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma, Tucson, Washington–Dulles Seasonal: Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St Paul, Philadelphia,[citation needed] San José del Cabo Hawaiian Airlines Honolulu, Kahului JetBlue Boston, Fort Lauderdale, New York–JFK, Newark, Orlando JSX Burbank, Dallas–Love, Denver–Centennial, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orange County, Salt Lake City, San Diego/Carlsbad, Santa Monica, Scottsdale Seasonal: Concord (CA), Reno/Tahoe KLM Amsterdam Korean Air Seoul–Incheon Porter Airlines Toronto–PearsonSeasonal: Edmonton (begins November 16, 2026) Qantas Seasonal: Sydney (begins December 29, 2026) Southwest Airlines Albuquerque, Amarillo, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham (AL), Boise, Bozeman, Buffalo, Burbank, Cancún, Chicago–Midway, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Columbus–Glenn, Dallas–Love, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, El Paso, Eugene, Fresno, Hilo (begins August 6, 2026), Honolulu, Houston–Hobby, Indianapolis, Kahului, Kailua-Kona, Kansas City, Lihue, Little Rock, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Louisville, Lubbock, Memphis, Midland/Odessa, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Ontario (CA), Orange County, Orlando, Palm Springs, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), Puerto Vallarta, Raleigh/Durham, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), San José (CR) (begins October 1, 2026), San José del Cabo, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, Seattle/Tacoma, Spokane, Tampa, Tucson, Tulsa, Washington–National, Wichita Seasonal: Albany, Anchorage, Fort Lauderdale, Grand Rapids Sun Country Airlines Minneapolis/St. PaulSeasonal: Eau Claire (resumes September 4, 2026), Milwaukee[citation needed], Williston[citation needed] United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Cleveland (begins September 24, 2026), Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Washington–Dulles Virgin Atlantic London–Heathrow Seasonal: Manchester (UK) Viva Guadalajara, Mexico City–Benito Juárez, Monterrey Volaris Guadalajara, Mexico City–Benito Juárez WestJet Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver Seasonal: Kelowna,[citation needed] Regina, Saskatoon,[citation needed] Winnipeg Harry Reid International Airport passenger destinations Cargo[edit] Some of this section's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed. (December 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) AirlinesDestinationsRefs Ameriflight Phoenix–Sky Harbor FedEx Express Memphis, Oakland UPS Airlines Louisville

[edit] Gates at Terminal 3 of the airport. Main corridor at Terminal 3 of the airport. Check-in counters at Terminal 3 of the airport. Domestic arrivals area at Terminal 3 of the airport. Domestic arrivals area at Terminal 3 of the airport. In 2024, a record 58,447,782 million travelers passed through Reid Airport. The airport also had 613,973 aircraft movements and handled 252,898,593 pounds of cargo. Top destinations[edit] Busiest domestic routes from LAS (January 2025 - December 2025) Rank City Passengers Carriers 1 Los Angeles, California 1,219,310 Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country, United 2 Denver, Colorado 982,680 Frontier, Southwest, United 3 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 860,950 American, Frontier, Spirit, Sun Country 4 Seattle/Tacoma, Washington 839,790 Alaska, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit 5 San Francisco, California 831,810 Alaska, Frontier, Southwest, United 6 Atlanta, Georgia 814,790 Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit 7 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 781,640 American, Southwest, Spirit, United 8 San Diego, California 741,900 Alaska, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit 9 Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona 734,830 American, Frontier, Southwest 10 New York–JFK, New York 591,880 American, Delta, JetBlue This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2025) Busiest international routes from LAS (July 2022 – June 2023) Rank City Passengers Carriers 1 Toronto–Pearson, Canada 507,718 Air Canada, Canada Jetlines, Flair, Porter, WestJet 2 London–Heathrow, United Kingdom 370,436 British Airways, Virgin Atlantic 3 Mexico City–Benito Juárez, Mexico 354,991 Aeroméxico, VivaAerobús, Volaris 4 Vancouver, Canada 348,474 Air Canada, Flair, WestJet 5 Calgary, Canada 345,325 Flair, WestJet 6 Guadalajara, Mexico 189,774 Volaris 7 Edmonton, Canada 187,382 Flair, WestJet 8 Montréal–Trudeau, Canada 140,984 Air Canada 9 Amsterdam, Netherlands 118,900 KLM 10 Frankfurt, Germany 101,084 Condor, Discover Airlines Airline market share[edit] Largest airlines at LAS (December 2024 - November 2025) Rank Airline Passengers Share 1 Southwest Airlines 21,219,000 42.69% 2 Spirit Airlines 5,000,000 10.06% 3 Delta Air Lines 4,815,000 9.69% 4 American Airlines 4,271,000 8.59% 5 United Airlines 4,174,000 8.40% Other 10,225,000 20.57% Annual traffic[edit] LAS Airport Historical Passenger Traffic 1970–Present Year Passengers Year Passengers Year Passengers Year Passengers 1970 4,086,973 1985 10,924,047 2000 36,865,866 2015 45,318,788 1971 4,102,285 1986 12,428,748 2001 35,179,960 2016 47,368,219 1972 4,608,764 1987 15,582,302 2002 35,009,011 2017 48,430,118 1973 5,397,017 1988 16,231,199 2003 36,265,932 2018 49,646,118 1974 5,944,433 1989 17,106,948 2004 41,441,531 2019 51,528,524 1975 6,500,806 1990 19,089,684 2005 44,267,370 2020 22,200,595 1976 7,685,817 1991 20,171,969 2006 46,304,376 2021 39,710,493 1977 7,964,687 1992 20,912,585 2007 47,729,527 2022 52,668,109‡ 1978 9,110,842 1993 22,492,156 2008 44,074,642 2023 57,644,113‡ 1979 10,574,127 1994 26,850,486 2009 40,469,012 2024 58,447,782 1980 10,302,106 1995 28,027,239 2010 39,757,359 2025 54,989,185 1981 9,469,727 1996 30,459,965 2011 41,481,204 2026 1982 9,438,648 1997 30,315,094 2012 41,667,596 2027 1983 10,312,842 1998 30,227,287 2013 41,857,059 2028 1984 10,141,809 1999 33,715,129 2014 42,885,350 2029 ‡ = Revised data From 1970 to the end of 2025, 1,593,383,560 passengers (enplaned+deplaned) have passed through Harry Reid Int'l Airport, an annual average of 28,453,278 passengers per year.

[edit] Vehicles reach the airport via Paradise Road and Russell Road from the north and via the Harry Reid Airport Connector, which branches off from the Las Vegas Beltway, from the south. A 5,000-space consolidated rental car facility is located three miles (5 km) away and is linked to the terminals by shuttle buses. Shuttle service exists between Terminals 1 and 3. The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada's public bus system serves the airport on Level 0.

[edit] On November 15, 1956, Trans World Airlines Flight 163, a Martin 4-0-4, crash-landed at then McCarran Field during an attempted single-engine go-around after takeoff returning to the airport. Out of 38 passengers and crew, 16 received minor injuries. There was no fire, but the aircraft was destroyed. On the evening of November 15, 1964, Bonanza Air Lines Flight 114, a Fairchild F-27 turboprop flying from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to McCarran International Airport, crashed into the top of a hill in desert country about eight miles (13 km) SSW of Las Vegas in poor weather conditions, all 26 passengers and three crew perished. The probable cause was the misreading of a faulty, outdated approach chart by the captain which resulted in a premature descent before impacting terrain. On April 16, 1965, a Bonanza Air Lines Fairchild F-27 on a training flight, cartwheeled off the runway at LAS because of an asymmetrical flap condition on takeoff. Both occupants survived, but the aircraft was substantially damaged and was written off. On December 9, 1968, a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner operated by Fly By Night Safaris crashed back onto the runway at LAS during takeoff when a partial loss of power forced the pilot to carry out a belly landing. Parts of the propellers broke off as they contacted the runway, puncturing the fuselage. There were no fatalities among the 104 passengers and crew on board, but the aircraft was destroyed. On October 24, 1978, a Learjet 24 operated by Qualitron Aero Services Inc. crashed at LAS because of a premature rotation when one engine was cut after V1 speed after takeoff. Both occupants survived, but the aircraft was substantially damaged and written off. On August 17, 1999, a British Aerospace 125 operated by DP Air was severely damaged after it was forced to land at LAS with the landing gear retracted because of a loss of its hydraulic systems to extend the gear. All eight occupants survived with no injuries, but the aircraft was destroyed. On September 8, 2015, British Airways Flight 2276, a Boeing 777-200 destined for Gatwick Airport, suffered an uncontained left engine failure during the takeoff roll because of a cracked compressor disk, and the pilots aborted takeoff. A fire broke out in the affected engine after the aircraft stopped, and an evacuation of all 170 passengers and crew was performed on the runway. There was one serious injury and 19 minor injuries during the evacuation. The aircraft was severely damaged by the engine fire, but the plane was repaired and later placed back into service. On October 5, 2024, a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 operating as Flight 1326 from San Diego, caught fire while landing. The pilots declared an emergency and the flight landed without injuries to its 197 occupants.

[edit] Harry Reid International Airport - under its former name, McCarran International Airport - appears in the 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas. In game, it is often referred to as Camp McCarran, due to the presence of New California Republic troops using it as a military base. Additionally, the airport appears at the end of the 1988 film Midnight Run, and the end of the 2007 film Ocean's Thirteen.[citation needed]