Flights increasing from Asia
Incoming traffic to McCarran International Airport was up 4.1 percent in December, according to a report last month by the Clark County Aviation Department. More than 3 million people passed through McCarran during the month, the highest jump in traffic since February 2012, a leap year.
The increase can be attributed to a later-than-usual Thanksgiving holiday, added to the usual rush at the end of the year, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Union Gaming has noted a double-digit uptick in international visitation for the year to date, thanks to Canadian carrier Westjet offering two weekly direct flights from Alberta to Las Vegas.
Long-term, Union predicts Las Vegas will benefit from more flights from Asia. “We would look for new long-haul flights to be announced into McCarran possibly in late summer/early fall with new routes beginning in spring 2015,” Union said in its Trend Tracker report.
McCarran International is the seventh busiest airport in the United States by number of arrivals. In 2012, McCarran marked almost 42 million in total passenger traffic. Spirit, American, and Virgin America are all adding capacity, though United/Continental may cut seats in April. Allegiant is also trimming capacity by more than 8 percent in a cost-cutting move.
Delta, the airport’s second largest carrier, reduced air seats for January and February due to slower winter traffic, but should add them back come spring.
