Vegas air traffic causing congestion concerns
Record traffic levels at the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas shows a healthy tourism market but officials there are increasingly concerned about worsening congestion.
That’s particularly the case because a second international airport planned nearby is still more than a decade away.
“We’re designing and building McCarran as fast as we can. Our only concern is that the growth is going to outpace our ability to get these facilities implemented,” Clark County Aviation Director Randall Walker told the Las Vegas Review Journal.
The airport has more than $2.4 billion in capital improvements planned or underway.
Airport officials are concerned that may not be enough in the face of steadily growing numbers of travelers.
For the second consecutive year, McCarran posted a record with more than 44 million air travelers departing and arriving.
That number was up 6.8% from 2004.
The congestion concern also involves record numbers of taxi pickups and parked vehicles.
Ten years ago, McCarran had daily slowdowns from midnight to 6 a.m. Some daylight hours also had shutdowns. But the later no longer exist.
That makes it difficult to close parts of McCarran for repairs and maintenance.
One area of help is coming this spring when off-site baggage check-in will begin at The Venetian. Several other hotels are set to adopt the system and it’s hoped 10% of all local air travelers will eventually use it.
Despite the growing congestion, Mr Walker said it was a “good problem” because it is bringing huge volumes of visitors to an area economy that has long been dependent on tourists.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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