At the end of June, 15 international carriers at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas began operating out of the E Gates at the swanky new Terminal 3.
Now that the dust has (hopefully) settled from that switchover, it’s time to move operations for many of the domestic carriers over to Terminal 3 as well.
Ready? Next Tuesday, July 31, five airlines – Alaska, JetBlue, Frontier, Sun Country and Virgin America – will switch over to Terminal 3. Next month – on August 22nd – bag claim and ticketing for Hawaiian and United Airlines will move over to Terminal 3, although those two airlines will still use the D gates for flights.
16 international carriers will move their flights to T3 on Wednesday, June 27th and Thursday June 28th. Five domestic carriers (Alaska, Frontier, JetBlue, Sun Country and Virgin America) will begin service out of T3 on July 31st. And United and Hawaiian will begin operating out of T3 in late August.
The 14-gate terminal, the largest modern public works project in Nevada, is expected to serve more than 11.3 million passengers annually and includes many high-tech features and other amenities designed to increase efficiency and help make what officials consider to be the front door to the city as exciting as the city itself.
“The visitor experience in Terminal 3 will be unlike any other in the country,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, President and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). “From the moment passengers step out of the plane, they will immediately have a unique sense of place and receive the type of Las Vegas welcome we want them to receive.”
Setting the tone will be neon signs emulating the iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign that greets travelers on Las Vegas Boulevard, large-scale artwork and new technology that allows airlines to invite passengers to weigh, pay for and tag their own bags at more than 200 self-service kiosks and to scan their own boarding passes and self-board at the gates.
“We are unaware of any other large U.S. airport that utilizes the various technologies McCarran has deployed,” said Rosemary Vassiliadis, Clark County Deputy Director of Aviation. She added that over the years McCarran has also been among the first airports in the country to introduce amenities such as free wireless Internet access, radio frequency identification tags for checked luggage and other technological processes.
New technology will make it easy to get around T3. Flight, baggage and wayfinding information is displayed on more than 900 large-screen digital signs. And, at the gates, digital signage on pylons displays high-resolution photographs of iconic attractions passengers might see at their flight’s destination.
Like the rest of airport, T3 has complimentary wireless service, but it also offers travelers 16 new shops and restaurants, plenty of power outlets for recharging gadgets, historical photographs and artwork that includes a sculpture of two airplanes made out of 3,000 smaller sculptures of butterflies suspended on fine wires.
And for those visitors who want to get right down to business upon arrival – or who want to continue gambling until they absolutely must leave for home – there are almost 300 slot machines scattered throughout McCarran International Airport’s new terminal.
“We simply hope our customers will remember the good times they had while in Las Vegas, and leave McCarran with nothing but the good impressions that stem from a seamless travel experience at the airport,” said Vassiliadis.
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is officially opening its new $2.4 billion, 14-gate Terminal 3 on Wednesday, June 27th.
16 international carriers will move their operations over to T3 on Wednesday; five domestic carriers (Alaska, Frontier, JetBlue, Sun Country and Virgin America) move over on July 31st; and United and Hawaiian are waiting till late August to make the switch.
The high-tech terminal has more than 200 self-service kiosks that allow airlines to invite passengers to weigh, pay for and tag their own bags and to scan their own boarding passes and self-board at the gates.
There’s also some lovely public art, including “Sunset Mirage” by Barbara and Larry Domsky
Sunset Mirage
Peter Lik’s panoramic photo of Red Rock Canyon, called “Almighty” –
"Almighty"
And this fun mural called “Follies in Flight,” by Terry Ritter
In preparation for the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show, which will be held in Las Vegas January 6-9, McCarran International Airport partnered up with Samsung Electronics America to install a giant 100-screen video wall in the airport’s D Concourse. There are also smaller, 10-screen displays on the A, B and C Concourses.
Until something bigger comes along, the 33-foot-by-19-foot screen may be the largest-known video wall in a U.S. airport. Big enough, airport officials hope, to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.
While we wait to find out, the airport will work on figuring out what to do with this giant screen. In addition to running ads (of course) airport spokesperson Candice Seeley says “The airport is considering the idea of hosting video game challenges on the wall as an added amenity for passengers who want to pass time playing their favorite Nintendo Wii or Sony PlayStation games.”
Or maybe they could show videos of all those old Elvis movies.
Starting on July 4th, waiting on line at a security checkpoint at San Diego International Airport (SAN) will be a bit more entertaining.
The airport is rolling out a series of “info-tainment” videos featuring popular San Diego mascots offering tips to travelers about what can and cannot be taken through the checkpoints.
SAN isn’t the only airport to feature celebrity videos at the security checkpoints. In Las Vegas, McCarran International Airport partnered with the local Convention and Visitors Authority to create almost a dozen short videos featuring Las Vegas “luminaries” such as Wayne Newton, Rita Rudner, Carrot Top, magicians, aliens, and acrobats demonstrating the proper way to go through the security checkpoints. You don’t even need to be on line at the airport to see the videos: they’re on the airport’s website under Traveler Tips.
