Airport
Mccarran Airport in Las Vegas
Mccarran Airport in Las Vegas
McCarran Airport General Tips
McCarran Airport is great in our book! It’s easy to get around, the employees are pretty friendly and efficient—plus, there’s a good selection of things to do when your flight is delayed. It is located very close to the strip which makes getting there a breeze even without a renting a car.
Be aware that because Las Vegas hours are different than most towns the airport has different hours as well. There are a huge amount of flights coming and going here between 11pm and 1am. So if you have a flight leaving Vegas at midnight—don’t assume that you can get there late because the airport won’t be crowded. That couldn’t be farther from the truth! You’d better plan on getting there 1 ½ to 2 hours early because you will be astonished at how crowded the airport will be– especially on the weekends.
If you want to avoid crowds at the airport or anywhere in LV for that matter, travel during the week. Mondays through Thursdays are best for crowd avoidant tourists.
If you can pack a carry-on do so if possible. If McCarran has a problem, it’s in the baggage handling department. We’ve waited as long as an hour and 45 minutes for our bags and more commonly about 45 minutes.
Hint: get some Travelers gear from Chicos in plain black. We’ve packed a whole week’s wardrobe in a carry-on with no problem. Most of the ladies we know pack way too many shoes!!! Bring some good comfortable walking shoes, one pair of dressy shoes and maybe some flip flops and you will be good to go!
If you are going to be picked up from the airport by relatives or friends, here is a great trick that our family uses. Since the police don’t let you stop for even ONE minute at passenger pick up the trick is for the “picker upper” to get there just after the party has arrived. So, if you call your “picker upper” the minute your plane lands it will give them just enough time to start driving to the airport and meet you at passenger pick up without having to park or keep driving around the terminal. Of course, stuff happens like traffic jams or long baggage claim waits, but 90% of the time this plan works perfectly.
If you are arriving during a busy weekend, taking a taxi to a strip or near strip hotel, and want to save some money, tell the taxi driver that you DON’T want to travel on Las Vegas Blvd. The boulevard is so crowded on the weekends that it could add as much as 15-20 minutes to your taxi meter. All of the taxi drivers know short cuts around the backs of the hotels so insist that you are not a tourist and need to take the fastest route. Of course, if you ARE a tourist and want to take in all the magic of the strip tell the driver to give you the tour!
The airport provides bus rides that leave about every 5 minutes to the huge rental car center located 2 miles south of the strip. ALL of the rental car companies are at this center. Hint: to bypass huge lines at the rental counters sign up for the preferred customer club of the company you use. This is free and allows you to go to the front of the line at the counter.
McCarran Airport at a Glance
McCarran has 2 terminals—Terminal A with 4 concourses services domestic flights and Terminal B services international and charter flights
Terminal A concourses are full of amenities. Following is a list including but not limited to some of the amenities to be found in each concourse:
- Concourse A: Shopping—Brookstone, Ethel M Chocolates, Fossil. Dining—Moe’s Southwest Grill, Cinnabon, Chilis 2, Starbucks, Burger King, Budweiser Brewhouse, Mrs. Fields
- Concourse B: Shopping—Candy Shoppe, Brookstone, Ethel M Chocolates, Fossil. Dining—Cinnabon, Chilis 2, Fox Sports Skybox, Starbucks, Burger King, Vienna Beef, Flatbreadz, Pretzel Maker, Port of Subs.
- Concourse C: Shopping—T Shirts LTD, Brighton Collectables. Dining—Subway, Pizzeria Uno, Cinnabon, Carvel Ice Cream, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Jose Cuervo Tequilaria, Blue Burrito Grill, Wendy’s, Corcoran’s Irish Pub, Las Vegas Sports Lounge, Popeye’s, Sammy’s Beach Bar and Grill.
- Concourse D: Shopping—Everything $10, Crabtree & Evelyn, Tags, Brighton Collectables, Xpress Spa, Bose, Brookstone, Bijoux Turner, Body Shop, Purfumemania. Dining—Pizza Hut Express, Auntie Anne’s Pretzel, California Pizza Kitchen, Quizno’s, Home Turf Sports Bar, Kirby’s Dinette.
- Esplanade: Shopping—Marshall Rousso, various hotel gift shoppes, Border’s Books, Brighton Collectables, Havana Honey’s Cigar Shop, Kid’s Wear and Toys, PGA Tour Shop. Dining—Budweiser Racing Bar and Grill, Don Alenjandro’s Texan Grill, Starbucks.
- Terminal 2 amenities: Shopping—T Shirts LTD, Ethel M Chocolates, Sparkle Plenty, PGA Tour Shop. Dining—Cinnabon, Pizza Hut Express, TCBY, Burger King, Bar and Cocktails.
“Fun Facts” about McCarran Airport
It’s named after Nevada senator Pat McCarran
It was ranked 15th in the world in 2008 for the most passenger traffic.
In 2008 McCarren was ranked 6th in the world for aircraft movements.
Southwest services 34% of the passengers traveling through McCarran using 21 gates.
McCarran has 1300 slot machines owned by Boyd Gaming.
McCarran was one of the first public facilities to offer free wireless internet.
There is an aviation museum located on the esplanade level open 24 hours per day. Admission is free.
