Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Technology & Transportation:

Southwest expands mobile boarding pass program to McCarran passengers

McCarran

Sun file photo

Southwest Airlines planes sit at McCarran International Airport.

Airports accepting Southwest Mobile Boarding Passes

  • Albuquerque (ABQ)
  • Atlanta (ATL)
  • Austin (AUS)
  • Baltimore/Washington (BWI)
  • Chicago Midway (MDW)
  • Dallas Love Field (DAL)
  • Denver (DEN)
  • Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
  • Fort Myers (RSW)
  • Houston Hobby (HOU)
  • Kansas City (MCI)
  • Las Vegas (LAS)
  • Los Angeles (LAX)
  • Milwaukee (MKE)
  • Nashville (BNA)
  • New Orleans (MSY)
  • Oakland (OAK)
  • Orange County/Santa Ana (SNA)
  • Orlando (MCO)
  • Philadelphia (PHL)
  • Phoenix (PHX)
  • Sacramento (SMF)
  • San Diego (SAN)
  • San Francisco (SFO)
  • San Jose (SJC)
  • St. Louis (STL)
  • Tampa (TPA)
  • Source: Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines passengers flying out of McCarran International Airport now can use their cellphones to get through security checks and onto their flights, the airline said today.

Southwest, the largest carrier at McCarran, last year launched a pilot program in Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas, for its mobile boarding pass, an electronic document that enables passengers to pass security and board their aircraft by using their mobile devices.

Today, it announced the mobile boarding passes were available to passengers traveling from 28 of the Southwest’s cities, including Las Vegas. The airline eventually plans to make the passes available to passenger in all of the U.S. cities it serves.

Passengers flying out of the 28 approved cities can request a mobile boarding pass when checking in on southwest.com, the southwest.com mobile site by or by using Southwest’s mobile app for iPhone or Android.

Passengers using the Southwest websites can have the mobile pass sent to their smartphone by opting to have the pass e-mailed or sent via text message. The pass is not yet optimized for viewing on tablets, the airline said.

Passengers using Southwest’s smartphone app can request a mobile boarding pass by choosing one of three delivery methods: view in browser, e-mail or text message. From there, they are advised to save the boarding pass to their cellphone’s photo gallery.

Mobile passes are not available for all Southwest passengers. Infants, unaccompanied minors, passengers traveling on senior fares that need to be age-verified and those traveling on military fares are among those not eligible to receive a mobile pass, the airline said.

Southwest cautioned the mobile boarding passes were not yet available to passengers traveling on AirTran-operated flights or international flights.

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