No longer just a nickname for the third Terminator movie, "T3" is also the $2.4 billion Terminal 3 at McCarran International Airport.
"The visitor experience in Terminal 3 will be unlike any other in the country," said the president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Rossi Ralenkotter. "From the moment passengers step out of the plane, they will immediately have a unique sense of place and receive the type of Las Vegas welcome we want them to receive."
According to an article in on the MSNBC website that Las Vegas welcome starts with neon signs imitating the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign that greets travelers on Las Vegas Boulevard. Travelers will also find large-scale artwork and over 200 self-service kiosks that let them weigh, pay for, and tag their own bags. Flyers will also be able to scan their own boarding passes and self-board at the gates.
“We are unaware of any other large U.S. airport that utilizes the various technologies McCarran has deployed,” said Rosemary Vassiliadis, Clark County's deputy director of aviation. She went on to mention that this isn't the first time McCarran has been a pioneer. It was one of the first airports to introduce free WiFi access and radio frequency identification tags for checked luggage. Free wireless Internet will continue at the new terminal, as it does in the rest of the airport.
Using more than 900 large-screen digital signs to display flight and baggage information, as well as directions, will make travel easier. The technology can also make travel more exciting, since high-resolution photos of attractions at a flight's destination will be shown at the gates.
Beyond the gates, people will find 16 new shops and restaurants, and power outlets for recharging phones or laptops. In the midst of this modernity will be historical photographs. Also notable is a sculpture of two airplanes made out of 3,000 smaller sculptures of butterflies suspended on fine wires.
Since T3 is located so close to the Las Vegas strip and its many casinos, it makes perfect sense there are nearly 300 slot machines scattered throughout McCarran International Airport’s newest addition.
“We simply hope our customers will… leave McCarran with nothing but the good impressions that stem from a seamless travel experience at the airport,” said Vassiliadis.
On Wednesday and Thursday, sixteen international airlines will move their flights to the new terminal, and five domestic airline companies will begin flying out of T3 on July 31. Two more carriers -- United and Hawaiian Airlines -- will start service out of T3 in late August. With its 14 gates, the terminal is the largest modern public works project in Nevada. It's projected to serve over 11.3 million passengers each year.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
