i hello, and welcome to flight path. i'm chris jones the chief marketing officer at mccarran international airport. year-end passenger volume increasednearly six percent in 2015, led by a four and a half percent jump in the number ofinternational travelers. to help keep pace with the growth we're building a tunnel and convertingseven existing gates to handle future international service.
let's take a look. this project will dramatically increase mccarran's capacity for international flights by connecting the north east wing of the d concourse with terminal 3. seven gates will be converted to process arriving international passengers. six will beable to receive wide-body aircraft including one with dual level jet bridgesto serve the airbus a-380. to accommodate that, we figured out the best way to do it-- to take north east wing of the d gates and create an environment that we can, in a sterile fashion, we could bring the passengers to the passenger screening at the customs at terminal 3.
arriving international passengers will travel from the d gates to the existing u.s.customs and border protection facility at terminal 3 via a new undergroundpassageway. to keep the airport operating efficiently during construction, the department of aviation works closely with airport partners. it's a lot of coordination between the faa, tsa, the doa staff, as well as the customs. we have very minimal impact to theairport activities. glass partitions, similar to those currently installed at terminal 3, will separate arriving international passengers from thegeneral public. self-boarding gates will also be added to match the equipment atterminal 3's international gates. physical
work on the 50 million dollar projectbegan in february 2016. when construction is complete in 2017, the number of narrowand wide body gates available to international carriers will havedoubled. did you know mccarran has non-stopinternational service from 30 markets in nine countries by 17 different carriers? when international passengers arrived in las vegas they must first pass through u.s. customs and border protection beforethey've officially entered the united states. thanks to terminal 3'suser-friendly design that process is easy.
luxurious resorts, top conventions,world-class entertainment and unmatched outdoor recreation bring visitors fromaround the world to relax, play and work in las vegas. as the aviation gateway tolas vegas and the desert southwest, mccarran international airport providesworld-class facilities on par with the community it serves and friendly staffto help passengers transit through with ease. as the only 100 percent commonuse airport in the united states, mccarran offers unparalleled flexibilityfor airlines and their passengers in las vegas. u.s. customs and border protection services are located in terminal 3, a
state-of-the-art facility designed toprovide customers short walking distances, a friendly atmosphere, and avariety of shopping and dining options. many gates offer dual jet bridges tohelp expedite the enplaning and deplaning process. the internationalarrivals experience in las vegas is one of the most efficient and unique in theunited states. iconic imagery, colorful artwork and friendly videos welcome ourinternational guests to the entertainment capital of the world. twenty-eight lanes are available forprimary united states customs processing, including several dedicated for crew andapec members. user-friendly global entry
and automated passport control kiosksare also available to expedite processing for participating passengers.the large baggage claim allows for quick baggage delivery to arriving passengers. multilingual ambassadors and other language services are available toassist if needed. for travelers transiting onward through las vegas on asingle ticket, luggage recheck is located just steps away from the customs andborder protection exit. the airport uses rfid technology in 100 percentof all printed bag tags to automatically sort luggage for delivery to partnercarriers. self-connecting passengers can check in with terminal 3 carrierslocated just upstairs on level two
or take the inner terminal shuttle toairlines in terminal 1. for passengers without checked luggage, passport readerson all self-service kiosks makes checking in fast and easy. for a list ofairlines and their locations visit mccarran.com. the security checkpointfeatures first class and crew lanes. las vegas inspired how-to videos helppassengers properly prepare for the checkpoint process. once in the gate areacomforts abound. passengers will find a variety of dining and shopping optionsincluding a large duty-free store. free wi-fi-- with plenty of places to rechargeelectronic devices-- helps passengers pass the time when they're not playing slotmachines or relaxing in one of
several airline lounges. eachinternational gate features self boarding equipment. with a simple scanof a pre-printed boarding pass or mobile device, verified passengers can immediatelyboard the flight. for passengers whose final destination is las vegas, terminal 3's vertical design separatesarriving and departing traffic allowing vehicles to get in and out of theairport quickly. from customs and border protection, it's just a short walk to numerousground transportation options where the
world-famous las vegas strip is justminutes away via taxi, limousine, shuttle, ride share, public bus or private vehicle. viva las vegas! for many, longer days and warmertemperatures mean summer vacation and time away from home. if you're planning atrip, here's what you need to know to make your airport experience ishassle-free as possible. passenger numbers are on the rise atmccarran and as more travelers take to the skies for summer travel, lines maybea little longer. but traveling like a pro is easy as long as you plan ahead.
so we do recommend the passengers arrive two hours early. that way will give them time to park,check in at the ticket counters, get through the security checkpoints and getto their gates in ample time to make sure that they make their flightand get ready for boarding. properly packing your carry-on luggage can also make the security screening process more efficient. the tsa's website hasinstructions about prohibited items, the 311 liquids rule and identificationprocedures. the website also has information on thetrusted traveler program, tsa precheck and other programs thatmay be helpful to passengers.
also on the tsa.gov website is tsa cares. it's a program that allows passengerswith disabilities or people that need extra time or assistance, if they call thatnumber we can prepare for them and assist them to the checkpoint if we knowthat they're coming in advance. summer vacation can also mean morechildren on board airplanes and in the airport. restrictions on childrentravelling alone very by carrier, so make sure youcarefully review the unaccompanied minor policy for your airline of choice beforemaking a reservation. if your little loved one is flying solothere are some things you can do to
prepare for the trip so it will bepleasant, safe and carefree for you and your child. if you're traveling with kids, the first tipwe give is make sure you get to the airport early. if your children are travellingby themselves we suggest that you go on each airline'swebsites. if there's fees that you have to pay, pay those in advance. and a good tip to give your unaccompaniedminor traveling by themselves-- a cell phone or a communication device.depending on the length of the flight you want to give them activities to keepthem occupied for the duration of the
flight as well. if your flight operates from terminal 1, please pack your patience. our baggageclaim and ticketing areas are getting a makeover which we alter your usual path of travel.and as always, know before you go by visiting us at mccarran.com to learnwhere to park, which terminal to use and what amenities are near your gate area. for the second year in a row, mccarran international airport and the las vegasconvention and visitors authority co-hosted the 2016 capa aviation summit.the event brought airline ceos from around the world together in las vegas forcandid and high-level discussions about
the aviation industry. [faa tower communication]. last year, mccarran international airport served 45.4 million passengers, extending the recent trend of annual increases for afifth consecutive year and making 2015 the airport's busiest since the economicdownturn. maintaining that trend and establishingadditional air service is critical to the continued growth and development ofsouthern nevada. welcome. on behalf the las vegas resort industry, we want to welcome capa and the american aviation summit tothe american aviation summit in las vegas for the second year in a row. and we are very pleased that you're here. you are very important to thedevelopment and the growth of las vegas
as we move forward. the return of capa americas aviationsummit to las vegas is significant to mccarran international airport as wellas the community it serves. hosting such an important conference in las vegasprovides the unique opportunity to showcase the airport and destination toairline executives and top aviation planners. i think it's really important for thistype of audience, all these type of delegates from really, all around theworld, to hear from every perspective. hearing what we need, and
hearing what they need is just veryvaluable. the people that come to our event like to be here. there's a lot to do around the event andwe get a good cross-section of the airlines here at this event-- just really, quite a high level who want to participate in that sort of discussion and hear what their colleagues are saying and generally exchange ideas. prestigious events like capa give key airline decision-makers the opportunity to see mccarran's operation firsthand and to meet with airport executives to discussthe potential for future growth. capa has been very influential in theaviation community and over the last few
years we have established kindof a strong relationship that we come here very often. so it's a good event. increasing service to las vegas helps southern nevada's tourism based economy, gives visitors more convenient ways to get to las vegas and provides locals moreservice options to meet their travel needs. and that's why participating inthese global aviation conferences will continue to be an important part of ouroverall air service development efforts. friends and family picking up passengersat the airport will be pleased by a new addition to mccarran a cell phonewaiting lot. this has been one of the most requestedservices at mccarran since smart phones have
become an essential part of our everydaylife-- and now we're happy to provide it. the cell phone lot allows motorists to parkfor free near the airport and wait in their cars until their arrivingpassenger calls or texts to let them know they are ready to be picked up. mccarran's cell phone lot is located hereon the southwest corner of the terminal 1 economy lot on kitty hawk way. well, the cell phone lot is a convenientway for friends and family who are here at the airport to pick up arrivingpassengers--to go ahead and park and wait in their car. they don't have tocirculate on the roadway.
they can use short term parkingstill if they want to park and go inside to baggage claim, but if they don't wantto do that and they want to park and just wait for a text or a phone call they can now use the cell phone lot todo that. once motorists are notified the arriving passenger is ready to be picked up they simply exit a lot and proceed tothe passenger pickup area at terminal 1 or terminal 3. the cell phone lot is environmentallyfriendly. it is a place where vehicles can pull in, drivers can pull in and theycan go ahead and park and shut the
engine off instead of recirculating onthe roadway continuously. the 115-space parking lot is open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. and is free to use. trash cans and ash bins are provided for customer convenience inthe paved and lighted lot, but no restroom facilities are available. remember that when using the lot youmust stay with your vehicle at all times. and be sure to visit fly mccarran.com tocheck the status of your party's flight. as part of a two-phased project, the clarkcounty department of aviation resurfaced mccarran's longest runway, 7 left/25 right. on april 27th, the project was completed and the runway reopen ahead of schedulein advance of the summer travel season.
the runway had been closed to airtraffic since october 28, 2015, when crews began thesecond phase of a 65-million-dollar project to replace the runway's asphalt with more durable concrete. it took less than six months to remove theremaining asphalt and pour new concrete. over the course of the project more than200,000 cubic yards of concrete were poured to create the new 22-inch deep runway. over the course of its two phases, this project supported approximately 250 full-time equivalent construction jobs including surveyors, contractors,fabricators, engineers and other service
providers. the project was financed through acombination of federal aviation administration grants and airportgenerated funds, not local tax dollars. at a length of more than 14,500 feet,runway 7 left/25 right is mccarran's longest runway and typicallyhandles one-third of the airport's annual traffic. now all four of mccarran's runways are concrete. the airport saw tremendous growth in passenger traffic at mccarran in 2015despite the longest runway being closed for nearly half the year. with carefulplanning and coordination,
the work was completed with minimalimpact to the airlines and our customers. to reach out to our growing number ofhispanic customers, each episode of flight path features a segment inspanish with english subtitles. here is gabriela muro to tell us more about themccarran rent-a-car center. to maintain a high level of customer service the airport has a dedicated team of skilled carpenters that build, assemble and maintain many ofthe facilities our customers, tenants and co-workers use. their talent and hard work is the glue that keeps our airport together. and that's why our carpenters are atyour service. mccarran's carpenters are one of themost versatile teams at the airport, able
to complete a variety of different tasksfrom repairing countertops to building cabinets. flipped on its side, this may not look familiar, but when it'sput back into place the surface of this ticket counter will once again be usedby the airlines and our passengers. airline podiums in the ticketing areasand at the gates get a lot of wear and tear as passengers' bags and whells bumpinto and scuff up the surfaces. and the edging breaks off, peels off. i go in there and repair it to try to make itlook good again. using their construction skills the carpenters also build, fix and maintain many of the facilities
passengers may not see like cabinets andcountertops and work spaces and break rooms. you don't think about it but all yourlaminate countertops that you're writing on or anything like that--we fix allthat any time it gets chipped or broken. in addition to repairing broken items,the team also helps update and modernize the look of airport facilities. they've been working on replacing andrefinishing the displays at the howard w. cannon aviation museum in terminal 1. well one of the things i'm working onright now, right here, is some of the
museum pieces. this is our fabric panels. all the museum pieces you see up there-- somebody had to build them or fix them, you know, to keep them in good repair. carpenters use specialized equipment tocut and shape wood, plastic, fiberglass or other materials. they commonly use hand tools, includinglevels and chisels, as well as many power tools such as standard circular saws andnail guns. using the right tool for each job reduces waste saves time and ensuresprofessional results. these skilled employees take great pridein their craft on and off the job. whenever i go out to restaurants oranything i'm always looking up at the
ceilings and looking at what type offinishes and they're like, "what are you looking up there for?" it kind offollows you into your personal life. part skill, part art, what these team members do is carved from passion and polished in perfection. and that's why these highlyskilled carpenters are at your service. mccarran is more than just the gatewayto las vegas for millions of travelers. it's also home to a variety of shops,restaurants and other businesses which create economic opportunities for localentrepreneurs. to help spread the wordabout airport business opportunities, department of aviation staff hostseminars, participate in job fairs and attend
outreach activities in the localcommunity. events like these give small business owners important informationon how to partner with one of the nation's busiest airports. mccarran is one of the airports that support as many locals as they can. however, the local people have to dotheir share of work too. they have to have a product which actually competes. if youdo not really provide a better quality, better service you've got to work on thatbecause all your competition are begging in mccarran and the rest of theairport. to help local entrepreneurs gain valuable exposure to potential clients
the airport hosted a "doing buiness" fairat the airport. airport tenants, including concessionaires and airlines, were invited to attend the fair so they could sample local products andmeet small business operators in person. that was a great experience. we got tomeet a bunch of local vendors and work with them and understand, sort of,what the products they carry and how they may work within our stores. we got to meet chieti coffee and we'vestarted a relationship with them. we're actually going to be carrying them in five of our stores so that we're ableto have a local offering within the
airport. being part of hudson group was my dream. business opportunities at the department of aviation are abundant. fromconstruction and engineering to concessions and advertising, working withmccarran international airport is an ideal way to partner with localgovernment. the airport has a dedicated doingbusiness website, mccarran.com/doing businesswhere you can learn about concession, construction and purchasingopportunities. the website also lists upcomingbusiness outreach events.
for the third year in a row team membersfrom the department of aviation's landside operations divisionparticipated in their semi-annual volunteer event in the las vegas valley. the ongoingcommunity volunteer service is just one more way the airport is growing green. the events are coordinated with otherlocal volunteer agencies including get outdoors nevada and outside las vegas.this year the team donated their time to help clean up the clark county =wetlandspark. this area, located in the southeast part of the valley, provides lushhabitats for over 300 species of plants and animals while improving the quality oflas vegas's water supply. the cleanup was
a great opportunity for airportemployees to come together with a common goal. one that helped beautify thisvaluable community gem. i like to get to know the different departments and different people that come here. this is the first time, and i thought it was a goodopportunity to come and get to know different people. past volunteer activities included cleanup efforts at red rock canyon, lorenzi park and a vacant lot near the airport. events like this are scheduled onsaturday mornings and allow employees, their spouses, children and friends toassociate outside of work while gaining some knowledge about their surroundingcommunity and helping the environment.
we're trying to clean up some trash. andhelp the community a little bit. he's got to get out and learn to do thata little bit. we had no idea that this existed actually. we had a little bit ofhistory that this wash goes through downtown, which is awesome, this is just in the middle of the desert. i never knew this was here. trash bags were filled with debris,mostly left behind by careless visitors. with rollers in hand employees put abrand new coat of white paint over graffiti. tools are usually supplied bythe outside agency, as well as water, snacks and lunch. when these items arenot supplied, the landside management
team steps in to donate them. i thought it was very important to kindof meet people all together at outside work. and what a better way to do it in helping the community. the events have proven to be a great way to develop teamwork and camaraderiewhile giving back to the community and are just another way the airport isgrowing green. to enrich the travel experience for ourcustomers, mccarran boasts a variety of sculptures, photographs, paintings, and artwork creatively displayed throughout the terminals and on the grounds.
let's take a closer look at twoinstallations at terminal 3 by local artists barbara and larry domsky. terminal 3's ticketing and check-in area features high ceilings and lots ofnatural light-- a perfect spot for large-scale art. witha keen eye for color that mimics the landscapes of southern nevada, barbaraand larry domsky collaborated to create two stunning works of art. both piecescapture the beauty of the desert's ever-changing skies. well, we worked with metal and glass tocreate both of the sculptures. the glass was made in kilns by aprocess called glass fusion where we
melt multiple layers of color andshimmering dichroic glass on the top surface. each dichroic fused glass and metalsculpture measures 90 feet wide by 19 feet tall. "cloud nine" features soft iridescentcolors formed into billowy spheres that appear to float on the wall. vibrant colors of "sunset mirage" shimmerin the terminal's natural light, evoking the fiery hues of nightfall insouthern nevada. i think the the glass reflects different colors at different angles. and it's very durable, very easy
to clean. it's gonna last forever, but people willstill be enjoying it. showcasing a variety of art enhances thecustomer experience and reinforces the sense of place at the airport. it's a wonderful conversation piece. wecan tell people with pride that we have two pieces hanging at mccarran airport. i think it speaks volumes to the airporton really caring for its visitors, wanting them to feel very welcomed andfor them to give them insight to the talent that's here in las vegas. toshare a little bit of their pride of the
people that they represent here. it took the pair more than four years tofabricate and execute their design but their labor of love was worth all theeffort. i think "cloud nine" is my favorite. i love the clouds. i love the way it looks in the terminal. i like the way it moves. seeing it up there and knowing that wehad met this challenge and that we'd been given this grand opportunity andthat our work was going to be there forever for people to see. it stillmakes me get emotional, really it does. the domsky's contemporary sculptures arejust a few of the many pieces of art that beautify the airport canvas andprovide busy travelers a place for quiet
reflection. to learn more about these andother works of art at the airport visit mccarran.com and click "relax" in then"airport art." each year the u.s. travel associationdedicates a week in may for communities and travel organizations across thenation to recognize the importance of the travel industry and the impact ithas on our economy. here's a look at what the airport did toparticipate in national travel and tourism week. the travel and tourism industrysupports more than 368,000 jobs in southernnevada and generates 14.9 billion dollars in local wages and salaries. toremind arriving and departing passengers
of the importance of the travel andtourism industry to our local community, mccarran participated in thecelebration by placing the logo on digital signs throughout the airport. the theme for this year was "travel '16"which was also displayed on buttons airport employees wore throughout theweek. [applause] [employees from mccarran international airport that are some of our hospitalityheroes as well. would you all stand to be recognized?] the week was also the perfecttime to thank those frontline employees whose outstanding service keeps visitorscoming back. once again, the department of aviation nominated two outstandingemployees for the las vegas convention
and visitors authority's "hospitalityheroes" program. mccarran is without a doubt a world-class airport and we enjoy seeing our tourists comingto town. i'm a people person and i love helpingpeople and making sure that they're comfortable. and i love working atmccarran. their commitment to airport customers was recognized at the board of county commissioners meeting where lvcva board chair and two show girlspresented each outstanding employee with a "hospitality hero" award. to help welcome passengers as soon as they arrive at the airport we've launched a music campaign we call "voices of vegas." recently, "mark and
the martinis" provided the perfectold-school vegas vibe for passengers and national association of broadcastersattendees. let's take a listen. welcome once again, ladies and gentlemen, to voices of vegas at the wonderful mccarran international airport. [music/singing] "you are nobody til somebody loves you." i love performing here at the airport.vegas is a very unique town and there's nowhere else in the world that they canget what they get here. it's the you can get everything you want here andyou start by landing here at the airport
and you walk off the plane and there's entertainment. it's classic vegas. it's what people want 24/7. they want to have music, so it'sdefinitely perfect when they got off the flight. it was fun. we had some people dancing. [music/singing] it's wonderful. that's what we were looking for. yeah, exactly. we came for this music, for this feeling.yeah, it's wonderful. we were not expecting for this at the airport.
[music/singing] "luck be a lady tonight." now you're ready to pack your bags andfly the skies, so have a great trip. and remember to check us out on facebook and followus on twitter and use all the resources of our website, mccarran.com thanks for joining us and we'll see you nexttime on flight path. yeah