Passengers Packing Las Vegas Airport

For the sixth consecutive month, McCarran International Airport registered a double-digit increase in its passenger count. Figures released last week show 2.85 million arriving and departing passengers in November, an 11.5% increase from the same month a year ago.

“It’s a lot more than we anticipated,” said Randy Walker, director of the Clark County Department of Aviation.

Airlines have increased the number of flights after the city’s hotel room inventory increased by 10,000 rooms in 1999. For instance, Southwest Airlines, the No. 1 carrier at McCarran, has added four new flights to Indianapolis; Omaha, Neb.; Columbus, Ohio; and New Orleans. In the latest expansion, Virgin Atlantic Airways has announced it will offer the first nonstop service between London and Las Vegas starting June 8. There will be two round-trips per week.