McCarran Airport reopens today

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2001 | 10:34 a.m.

McCarran International Airport began coming back to life today.

Las Vegas' airport, which serves nearly half the tourists that visit the city's casinos and has been closed for two days, began limited operations this morning.

McCarran was closed for a second day Wednesday while airlines made plans today to ferry their aircraft to other cities for an orderly startup when federal authorities allow it.

McCarran officials said they received the green light from federal authorities to open today, but spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said airlines probably would not fly passengers out of Las Vegas until late this afternoon or evening at the earliest. She said airport officials were to meet with airline representatives late this morning to coordinate efforts.

Grey said most planes flying in and out of McCarran today were flights that had been diverted to Las Vegas when the FAA grounded them Tuesday or planes that were being repositioned for an orderly startup. There were two such flights Wednesday night -- a Southwest Airlines plane that arrived and a Federal Express cargo plane that departed.

Federal aviation officials said they would allow air travel in the United States to resume this morning, but cautioned travelers to expect slower operations and tight security.

In a televised address this morning, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said the nation's airports would be opened gradually and that travelers would encounter security measures that they have never seen before in U.S. airports.

When the FAA grounded commercial airliners Tuesday morning in the wake of a terrorist attack on the East Coast, 74 planes -- 64 passenger and 10 cargo carriers -- landed at McCarran.

"Technically, we're open," Grey said this morning. "We were one of the first airports to clear all the security directives."

Travelers are still being discouraged from coming to the airport without first contacting their airlines.

Airport officials, meanwhile, gave additional details about heightened security measures that would be initiated when the nation's airports open. Experts say the new measures could lead to numerous delays for passengers.

Here's what passengers departing from McCarran will experience:

* A 300-foot perimeter has been established for parked vehicles. That means cars can't be left within 300 feet of the terminal building. Since McCarran's short-term parking lot -- known as the Silver Garage -- is a part of the main terminal structure, about 300 spaces normally used for short-term parking are unavailable.

Grey said there are some short-term spaces available in the Gold Garage, which houses the long-term parking. Passengers parking at the airport, she said, would be directed to the Gold Garage. If that fills to capacity, the airport will open overflow lots east of the parking garages and run shuttle buses between the lots and the terminal building.

Normal parking rates will prevail. The airport has about 9,950 total parking spaces. The new parking perimeter rule will not affect parking at the international and charter terminal.

* Curbside check-ins have been suspended under the new security measures. Grey said the FAA also is banning off-site check-ins, meaning that the operations of Certified Airline Passenger Services have been suspended.

* There will be more frequent hand searches of carry-on baggage. In fact, some airlines are saying they may review their carry-on baggage policies and discourage passengers from bringing much aboard with them.

* There will be an increased presence of plainclothes and uniformed security officers. Grey said the airport's private security company, Argenbright Security, contracted by the airlines, would have more uniformed guards and Metro also will station more officers at the airport. Grey did not know how many additional Metro officers would be deployed. Lawmakers have said they may propose legislation that would station a U.S. marshal aboard domestic flights. Grey said McCarran has not requested federal marshals to be stationed at the airport.

* Passengers will be required to show a ticket for a flight and identification in order to pass through security checks to the gates. Passengers with electronic tickets will be required to show a computer printout or airline documentation showing a flight confirmation matching a departing flight. Grey recommended that persons with electronic tickets check in at airline ticket counters for a paper ticket to use to get to the gates.

* Persons greeting arriving passengers won't be allowed to go past the security check point.

The 32 commercial air carriers serving McCarran first began making plans to restart operations Wednesday after being told airports nationwide were to open that morning. But when a noon EDT startup time came and went without an order to open, the airlines modified their plans.

Southwest Airlines, the busiest carrier at McCarran with 169 daily flights, was among the first to announce that it was calling off all Wednesday flights. Late Wednesday, it also canceled all Thursday flights.

Las Vegas-based National Airlines, which had planes stranded in seven cities when the directive was given to ground all fleets, had hoped to begin flying Wednesday afternoon. A spokesman for the airline said they were hoping to restart operations by noon today.

America West Airlines, which operates a Las Vegas hub and is the second-busiest carrier at McCarran, also said they were planning a noon startup.

All three carriers indicated they plan to start with a limited schedule gradually increasing to normal levels.