Service on the rise: Checking in bags at hotel, instead of McCarran

Monday, Sept. 10, 2007 | 7 a.m.

McCarran International Airport is on track to expand its off-airport baggage check-in service in the months ahead.

But American Airlines, the nation's largest airline and a major international carrier, is balking at signing on to McCarran's Airport SpeedCheck Advance service, saying it doesn't think the provider can generate sufficient volume to sustain it.

The service, operated from the Venetian, Luxor, the Las Vegas Convention Center and the recently opened McCarran Rent-a-Car Center, lets passengers check in bags as many as 12 hours before their flights.

Southwest Airlines and United Airlines are the only carriers on the system so far, but Delta Air Lines will join the program Sept. 23 , and Continental and Frontier are expected to come aboard by December.

Airport officials think once more airlines sign on , more hotels will embrace the program.

The service lets customers drop off their baggage and get their boarding passes before going to the airport, avoiding lines later.

Luxor officials say they want to add a second check-in location at the resort because of its popularity.

The service costs $20 per passenger for up to three bags. Bags To Go Enterprises, based in Florida, was contracted by McCarran to operate the off-site counters and take the baggage to a screening facility near the airport, from where the airlines collect the luggage.

Airport officials embrace the service because it reduces congestion at peak flight times and limits the need for more airline counters.

Randall Walker, director of the Clark County Department of Aviation, said McCarran has a goal of screening at least 10 percent of the total number of bags away from the airport .

Roy Braganza, manager of American Airlines' remote check-in program, said such services are essential but should not cost his airline.

McCarran officials say the reluctance might have more to do with American being aligned with Bags To Go's biggest rival, Bags Inc. That Florida-based company is a major player in Orlando, with a big contract with the Walt Disney Co.

Shielding airlines from the cost of the program may be impossible, officials say. McCarran has spent about $500,000 for computer equipment, kiosks and counter space at the four locations where SpeedCheck Advance is offered. Indirectly, that's paid for by airlines , which pay fees to operate at McCarran.