Harry Reid International Airport
Few big airports sit this close to the city they serve: from the kerb at Harry Reid International to the Bellagio fountains is about ten minutes by car. It is simple once you know that it has two separate terminals, that the D gates hang off Terminal 1 by tram, and that taxis to the Strip run on flat fares set by the state.
The 30-second version
Check which terminal you fly from before you set off: Southwest, American, Delta, Allegiant and Sun Country use Terminal 1, every foreign airline plus United, JetBlue, Alaska and Frontier use Terminal 3, and the two are not walkable from each other. Arriving, take a taxi from the rank outside baggage claim: the flat fare is $22.25, $26.25 or $30.25 to the Strip depending on the zone, plus a $2.40 airport fee. Leaving, give yourself two hours for a domestic flight and three for an international one, and if your gate is a D gate, allow time for the tram. Through December 2026 the airport connector tunnels have lane closures, so add a few minutes to the ride.
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Southwest, American, Delta, Allegiant, Sun Country
The older and busier terminal. The A and B gates and the C gates have their own checkpoints; the D gates, a satellite concourse, are reached by tram after the C/D checkpoint, which is open around the clock.
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Aer Lingus, Air France, KLM, Condor, Discover, Edelweiss, Korean Air, Air Canada, WestJet, Aeroméxico, Volaris and other foreign airlines, plus United, JetBlue, Alaska, Frontier, Hawaiian and Breeze
Every international arrival and the customs hall. The E gates are in the building, and a tram runs from here to the D gates airside.
Every foreign airline lands at Terminal 3, home of the customs hall. Visa Waiver visitors need an approved ESTA, which CBP asks you to get at least 72 hours before you fly. Returning ESTA holders, US citizens, green card holders and Canadian visitors can use CBP's free Mobile Passport Control app, and Las Vegas is a Global Entry airport.
There is a currency exchange on Level Zero of Terminal 3 near the customs exit, another on Level 2 by the international check-in desks, and ATMs around the airport. Set up an eSIM before you fly and your phone works from the moment you land.
At Terminal 1 the rank is on the east side of baggage claim, outside doors 1 to 4; at Terminal 3, outside baggage claim by door 52. Airport staff run the queue, every company takes cards, and the fare to the Strip is a flat zone fare set by the Nevada Taxicab Authority.
App cars pick up in the garages. At Terminal 1 take the lift near door 2 to Level 2, cross the footbridge and turn right. At Terminal 3 take the lift near door 52, 54 or 56 to Level 1, cross the bridge, then go down to the Valet Level.
Walk-up limousines wait outside doors 7 to 10 of Terminal 1's baggage claim and at each end of Terminal 3's Level Zero. A pre-booked private transfer meets you inside, so you skip both queues.
RTC's route 108 and the Red Line stop on Level Zero of Terminal 1: go down from baggage claim, cross at the crosswalk and bear right. From Terminal 3, take the free inter-terminal shuttle first.
The airport asks for two hours before a domestic flight and three before an international one, more on weekends, holidays and convention weeks. It posts live TSA wait times on its website and on the flight screens; liquids follow the 3-1-1 rule, 100ml containers in one clear bag.
Terminal 1 has three: A/B gates, 3:15am to 1am; C gates for Southwest, 3:05am to 10pm; and C/D gates, open 24 hours. Terminal 3's main checkpoint for the D and E gates is on Level 2, 3:30am to 1:30am, with the Innovation Checkpoint on Level Zero, 5am to 1:30pm.
The D gates are a satellite concourse: from Terminal 1 clear the C/D checkpoint and take the tram; from Terminal 3 clear security on Level 2 and ride down. The airport publishes no walking times, so count the tram as part of the journey.
The US has no exit passport control: your airline checks your passport at the desk or the gate, so an international departure means TSA screening and nothing more.
The D gates have most of the lounges, the kids' play area and the Vegas Born bar; the E gates have their own branch of The Club. Slot machines are everywhere, for anyone 21 and over.
The pay-at-the-door lounge for the D gates, with runway views and a full bar; book ahead for midday.
The one lounge for the evening flights to Europe, which leave in its busy window: pre-book.
The pick for Amex Platinum holders at the D gates; Amex shows the current wait on its lounge page, so check before the walk.
The smaller Amex space, with restaurant-style food, for when the main lounge is full.
A socket at every seat, a relaxation room and a sunset champagne toast.
The only lounge at the C gates, which makes it the pick for Southwest flyers with the card.
Free bar, light snacks and Wi-Fi; useful for United flyers leaving from the D gates.
Vegas Born Bar & GrillTerminal 1, D gates near D52, airside
An 89-seat bar and grill themed on the Vegas Golden Knights ice hockey team: the place to watch a game before a late flight.
Beer UnionTerminal 1, B gates, airside
Local brews with burgers, pizza and small plates, the best sit-down choice before a Southwest or American flight from the B gates.
Vegas Baby BarTerminal 1, A gates, airside
Craft spirits with a local twist, opened in 2025: one last Vegas cocktail at the gate.
Tacos LocosTerminal 1, B Concourse, airside
Breakfast quesadillas, burritos, bowls and street tacos, quick and good value for an early flight.
Crafted BarTerminal 3, Level 2, landside
Handmade cocktails, draft beer and Farmer's Fridge salads and sandwiches across from the international check-in desks, so whoever drove you can stay for a drink.
Natalie's Candy JarTerminal 1, D gates, airside
Fresh chocolates, retro sweets and local gifts: the last-minute present for whoever fed the cat.
Harry Reid's two terminals have separate kerbs, separate garages and separate check-in halls, and the airport says plainly that they are not walkable from each other. Landside, a free shuttle runs between Level Zero of each about every 20 to 30 minutes and takes about 10 minutes. Airside, a tram links Terminal 1, the C gates, the D gates and Terminal 3. So if a friend drops you at the wrong terminal, you lose half an hour.
The second catch is temporary: from August to the end of December 2026 the airport connector tunnels, the quickest road between the terminals and the Strip, are down to two lanes each way by day and one overnight while they are repaved. The airport asks everyone to allow extra time.
For a dawn flight from the D gates, use the C/D checkpoint in Terminal 1, which never closes. At Terminal 3 the Innovation Checkpoint on Level Zero, 5am to 1:30pm, is a second way through for a morning flight.
Zoox runs driverless electric rides between the airport and selected Strip addresses: book in its app and board on Level Zero of either terminal. The Las Vegas Monorail does not serve the airport. The Club's lounges can be booked up to a year ahead.
The kids' play area is at the D gates, and both terminals have private nursing suites. TSA asks no ID of under-18s on domestic flights, though airlines set their own rules. In The Club, under-2s are free and under-18s must be with an adult. The enclosed smoking lounges at the B, C, D and E gates are worth avoiding when you choose a seat.
Wheelchair help is free: book it with your airline, and at the airport dial 7874 from any white courtesy phone. The airport runs the Sunflower scheme for hidden disabilities, with lanyards requested online, family care restrooms, visual paging on the flight screens and the free MagnusCards app for autistic travellers. The Club at the D gates is fully wheelchair accessible.
Under the US Department of Transportation's 2024 refund rule, if your airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you do not accept the alternative, you get your money back within 7 business days on a card. Flying home to Europe, EU rules apply to the Las Vegas departure only if an EU airline operates it. If you are already in The Club when your flight is delayed, you can stay until it closes.
There is no hotel inside the airport, and with the Strip ten minutes away there is no need for one. For a dawn departure, the C/D checkpoint in Terminal 1 is open 24 hours, the A/B checkpoint opens at 3:15am and Terminal 3's at 3:30am, and The Club opens at 5am in both terminals.
Eight of our ten are on the Strip, typically 9 to 12 minutes by car from the terminals, and all eight are in the Taxicab Authority's flat-fare zones: the Four Seasons in Zone 1, Bellagio and The Cosmopolitan in Zone 2, and Caesars Palace, The Venetian, Wynn, Fontainebleau and SAHARA in Zone 3. Circa, downtown, and Red Rock Resort, in Summerlin, go on the meter. Our transfers page has every option, timed and priced, and the way we would go to each hotel.
Questions people ask
Southwest, American, Delta, Allegiant and Sun Country fly from Terminal 1. All foreign airlines, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Aer Lingus, plus United, JetBlue, Alaska and Frontier, fly from Terminal 3.
A flat $22.25 to Zone 1 (south Strip, including the Four Seasons), $26.25 to Zone 2 (Tropicana to Flamingo, including Bellagio) and $30.25 to Zone 3 (Flamingo to the STRAT, including Caesars Palace and Wynn). The Taxicab Authority adds a $2.40 airport fee, 3% excise tax and $3 if you pay by card.
At least two hours before a domestic flight and three before an international one, and more on weekends, holidays and convention weeks. Check the live TSA wait times on the airport's website before you leave.
Yes: The Club LAS, at the D gates and in Terminal 3 by gate E2, sells passes at $60 a person pre-booked, and takes Priority Pass. The other lounges are for Amex, Capital One, Chase Sapphire or United members.
No. A free shuttle runs between them landside about every 20 to 30 minutes, taking about 10 minutes, and a tram links them airside through the D gates.
RTC's route 108 leaves Terminal 1's Level Zero about every half hour on weekdays, $2 a ride, and runs up Paradise Road to the Sahara Monorail Station and downtown. It runs parallel to the Strip rather than along it.
Image credits: Another Believer (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Harrison Keely (CC BY 4.0) · Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0)