Total passenger traffic in July was just over 3.9 million as compared to nearly 4.3 million in July of 2007. Out of the top five carriers servicing McCarran, only American Airlines was able to eek out a gain in passengers with a 3.6% growth over last year. Southwest fell 5.6%, United was down 8.9% and US Airways suffered the largest percentage drop at 17.3%.

While the January report looked like an indication that tourism traffic may be softening, the February numbers at McCarran airport helped ease fears that Las Vegas blew that fear out of the water. Passenger traffic in MCarran rose 3.2 percent from February 2007 to February of this year, with over 3.5 million people arriving and departing Las Vegas. The February surge put the city back on track for passenger growth for the year, albeit a small 0.2 percent increase for the year to date. All eyes will be on the March numbers to see of the growth can continue.Read the entire report: McCarrans’ February Passenger Report (pdf)

Both the federal government and the airlines are making efforts to keep Thanksgiving airline passengers on time.

There are some things you can do to make your air travel go a little smoother.

• Pack light – if you just bring a carry-on, you can easily change flights.
• Find out in advance how your airline will handle if you are stuck somewhere due to weather or mechanical issues.
• Always check the status of your flight before heading to the airport.
• Try to book flights through hubs where weather won’t be a problem.

In Sept., Las Vegas ranked 25th out of 32 cities when it came to on time departures. That is down slightly from a year ago.

You can also check out flights to see what their on time history is like.