What is the Deal With LAS? The Vegas Airport Code Explained

You are booking a Vegas trip, you type in Las Vegas, and the search shows LAS. That is Harry Reid International Airport – though honestly, most locals still call it McCarran. Here is the story behind those three letters and what you should know about the airport.

Why LAS? It is Not Complicated

IATA – the group that assigns airport codes – usually goes with something obvious. LAS comes from Las Vegas. Same reason LA gets LAX and Atlanta gets ATL. No mystery here, just practical naming.

Fun fact: the code stuck around even when they renamed the whole airport. It was McCarran International for decades (named after a Nevada senator), then became Harry Reid International in December 2021 after another Nevada senator. Changing an airport code is apparently a massive headache – airline systems, luggage routing, booking platforms – so they just… did not. LAS it stays.

Quick Timeline

• 1948 – Opens as McCarran Field
• 1968 – Becomes McCarran International as it expands
• 2021 – Renamed Harry Reid International
• Forever – Still LAS on every ticket

Your luggage tag says LAS, your boarding pass says LAS, the departure boards say LAS. Nobody is confused.

Why Should You Care About Airport Codes?

Honestly? You probably do not need to. But they are useful for a few reasons. When you are searching flights, typing LAS is faster than Las Vegas Harry Reid International. Luggage handlers use them to route your bags. If you are tracking a flight, knowing the codes helps.

Also, some cities have multiple airports. Vegas does not really – there is a small one called Henderson Executive, but 99 percent of commercial passengers go through LAS. In cities like NYC (JFK, LGA, EWR) or DC (DCA, IAD, BWI), knowing your codes actually matters.

About the Actual Airport

LAS is massive. We are talking:

• Four terminals
• Around 130 gates
• One of the top 10 busiest airports in the country
• Basically handling every tourist and convention-goer heading to Vegas

And yeah, there are slot machines in the terminal. Because of course there are – you are in Vegas before you are even in Vegas.

What Makes LAS Different

Tourist volume is insane here. Vegas gets around 40 million visitors a year, and most of them come through this airport. Add in all the convention traffic – CES, trade shows, whatever – and you have got an airport that has to handle wild fluctuations in passenger numbers.

Weekend flights are packed. Sunday evenings leaving Vegas? Good luck. The airport is built for this chaos though. Lots of gates, multiple terminals, usually moves pretty efficiently despite the crowds.

Modern Airport Stuff

LAS has embraced technology like most major airports now. Mobile check-in, digital boarding passes, TSA PreCheck lanes. They have also been working on sustainability initiatives – electric vehicle chargers, energy efficiency programs, that sort of thing.

Security can be rough during peak times, so give yourself cushion. TSA PreCheck is worth its weight in gold here, especially on busy travel days.

Code Trivia If You are Into That

LAS makes sense. Some codes do not. ORD for Chicago O Hare comes from Orchard Field – the airport original name. YYZ for Toronto? The Y means it is in Canada (all Canadian codes start with Y), and YZ was just available when they needed one. Airport codes have weird histories.

If you fly a lot, you start thinking in codes. Flying LAX to LAS Friday, connecting through DFW sounds normal after a while.

Bottom Line

LAS equals Las Vegas. That is the main thing. Whether you call it Harry Reid International, McCarran, or just the Vegas airport, your booking will show LAS. Find it, fly there, gamble responsibly. Or do not – I am not your mom.