People wait in the Southwest ticketing line at Harry Reid International Airport Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022.
Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023 | 2 a.m.
More than 115 million Americans are expected to travel over the Christmas and New Year holidays — more than a 2% increase from the same time last year and the second-highest end-of-year forecast since 2000, according to AAA.
AAA projects airports to be the busiest they’ve ever been for the winter holiday period, with a record 7.5 million air travelers, the organization said in a release this month.
The crush of passenger traffic will test the nation’s air travel system. But here in Las Vegas, Harry Reid International Airport is better situated to accommodate the rush because of its grip on tourism, said Joe Rajchel, spokesperson for the airport.
“For a lot of airports, Christmas and Thanksgiving are those big periods,” Rajchel said. “And you look at us and we have, two or three weeks later, CES and just all the other big special events that we host. And so, in terms of handling that volume of people traveling for the holidays, it’s something that we typically deal with year-round.”
Harry Reid typically sees an increase in the number of locals who travel through the airport over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, Rajchel said. That increase is reflected in demand at the airport’s parking garages, he added.
“We see that it may be people who don’t travel frequently — so those who maybe only travel for the holidays — so we have an increase in people who may not be at the airport frequently who come through here,” he said. “And so, with that we do our best to educate and put information out there about things that may have changed.”
The holidays last year came to a point when thousands of travelers were stranded nationwide because of a massive winter storm that resulted in a series of flight delays and cancellations — most notably by Southwest Airlines. Southwest representatives said the inclement weather left flight crews and planes out of place.
It was a lesson learned to travelers to leave early for their flights, have patience at the airport, and to consistently check their flight status.
In a statement to the Sun, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air advised customers to review both its website and airport websites prior to departure, in case of any last-minute changes to their itinerary.
“With a record-setting holiday travel season expected this year, we advise passengers to plan ahead for large crowds and give themselves extra time at the airport,” Allegiant said in a statement. “To ensure that passengers reach their departure gate on time, we recommend arriving earlier than usual to check in, check any bags, and complete security screenings.”
Efficiency is important for the airlines because the industry is so competitive, and anytime the plane is sitting at an airport terminal to actively board or deboard passengers, it is not generating income, said Jason Steffen, a physics professor at UNLV.
To increase air travel efficiency, Steffen conducted research on the boarding process of planes. The research, he said, produced a method that would accelerate the process by boarding people from back to front, every other row at a time, starting with passengers in the window seats and ending with those on the aisle.
That way, passengers have more space to quickly stow their luggage and sit down, increasing the efficiency of boarding overall.
“And now, an airplane can fly one more leg on a given day,” he said of a more efficient boarding process. “Or they can … make it so that a crew doesn’t have to stay overnight in a distant city. They can make it back to their home base and then they don’t have to pay the hotel or whatever. So it’s more than just saving five minutes per flight. It’s about taking the five minutes on a thousand flights and rearranging their flight plans so that they can get more use out of the airplanes and the crew.”
Though Harry Reid International has little to no effect on the operations of the airlines or their flight schedules, Rajchel recommended that travelers arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure, plan for parking accordingly and make sure they are familiar with Transportation Security Administration guidelines.
“Especially this time of year, we see inclement weather throughout the country,” he said. “And so delays and cancellations are something travelers always need to be prepared for. So, keeping track of the weather, checking with the airline on the status of their flights and when you’re traveling, be prepared. Have some of those essentials — child care items, medication, chargers, anything that you may need if you do face a little bit of a longer delay.”
Air travel is not the only way people are getting around this holiday season, however. AAA forecasted that almost 104 million people would drive to their destinations, an increase from last year and the second highest number on record.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada urged travelers to plan due to anticipated heavy traffic and delays over Christmas and New Year’s.
The RTC pointed to Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Primm as a road that is expected to be particularly busy and said that highest traffic volumes southbound on I-15 toward California are expected Dec. 26, Dec. 27, Jan. 1 and Jan. 2.
“The RTC is expecting an influx of visitors to our valley during the upcoming holiday season and recommends traveling outside peak hours to beat the rush,” the release stated. “For those traveling throughout the city, transit is always a convenient and stress-free option that eliminates the hassle of parking.”
