Review: Las Vegas McCarran Airport

Las Vegas McCarran airport recently came in third place on a wide-reaching customer satisfaction survey performed by JD Power that looked at the best airports in North America.

And with good reason. The airport functions well despite what the survey says is extremely high traffic: “Las Vegas McCarran Airport continues to set traveler volume records month after month.”

To deal with traffic, the airport deployed technology that helps maintain traveler flow through all aspects of the airport, including self-service passport control kiosks.

“That has really helped smooth things out for international travelers,” said Michael Taylor, director of the airport practice at J.D. Power. “McCarran has plans to double its number of international gates and take on larger aircraft. It’s going to need these improvements to handle those loads, but they’re definitely thinking ahead.”

Then, there are the intangible aspects: a clean airport with friendly employees who seem to keep their heads up despite the constant flow of travelers — a notoriously impatient bunch. And there’s something charming about being able to see the nearby mountains and Las Vegas skyline, as well as play slots or drink a bloody Mary or a beer at any time of day, right in the terminal.