Vegas airport shatters annual visitors record

LAS VEGAS - It appears everyone wants to see if what happens in Vegas really stays in Vegas.

The city's airport hosted more than 41.4 million travelers last year, smashing the previous record and making it one of the nation's busiest airports.

"The airport is a reflection on how the city is doing. If the hotels are doing well, then the airport is doing well," said Randall Walker, Clark County director of aviation.

Southwest Airlines was McCarran's busiest carrier last year, serving just under 13 million passengers, a 10.8 percent increase from the year before. America West, the airport's second-busiest airline, increased its passenger count 12.5 percent for the year with 6.8 million passengers.

Both airlines are expected to add more flights in and out of McCarran this year.

In December, 3.3 million passengers arrived and departed at McCarran, an average of almost 107,000 travelers a day. That was an increase of 13.2 percent from the previous December, when 2.9 million passengers were recorded.

Walker said airport officials won't know until March or April how McCarran ranks nationwide.

In 2003, only four U.S. airports reported more than 40 million passengers, according to the Airports Council International-North America, a Washington-based trade group.

They were Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson (79 million), Chicago O'Hare (69.5 million), Los Angeles International (54.9 million) and Dallas-Fort Worth (53.2 million).

That year, McCarran International Airport was the seventh-busiest airport with 36.3 million passengers, trailing both Denver International and Phoenix Sky Harbor.