LAS has two seperate runway systems, 1/19 L&R and 7/25 L&R. It has been hurt somewhat by the death of Reno Air, which made up a good amount of the traffic there, but Southwest and America West have stepped things up to fill the void. Vegas winds are unpredicitable, and runway directions will often change several times over the course of the day, but the 25's seem to be the most used. The facilities are exactly what you'd expect in Vegas...lots of lights, lots of noise, and LOTS of slot machines!

Southwest 737 touching down on 1R. View from the Parking Garage.

INDOORS:
-Concourse B, Gate B21: Great view of takeoffs on 19 or 25 and landings on 1 or 7. Windows in this terminal are REALLY tall, perhaps 20 feet tall!
-Concourse B, Gate B12: Another great place for the action on 7/25.
-Concourse A, Gate A18: A nice view of takeoffs in either direction on 1/19.
-Concourse C, Gate C12: The best place to see landings on 25, the most active runway. View is not terrific...parking garage is much better.
-Tropicana Hotel: Get a room on a high floor of the south side of the larger of the two towers (I can't remember if it's the Island Tower or the Paradise Tower) and you'll get a complete view of the entire airport.

United 747 on departure roll on 7R. View from the Parking Garage.

OUTDOORS:
-Sunset Rd. Spotters' Lot: On Sunset Rd., which runs along the south side of the airport, there is a spotters' lot near the east end of the runway. The lot is very close to the touchdown point on 25 and offers an awesome view of the action on the 7/25's.
-Texaco Station, Corner of Sunset and Las Vegas Blvd.: Near the corner of the Sunset Rd. and Las Vegas Blvd. (a.k.a. "The Strip") there is a Texaco station. Next to the Texaco station there is an open lot which is elevated high enough to see over the fence. Great views of approaches on 1, plus takeoffs on 25 fly directly overhead and takeoffs on 7 blow jetwash right in your face!
-Parking Garage: A really nice spotting garage. From different sides of the garage you can see all the airport. It's a bit distant from the runways, especially the 7/25's, but the view of both the airfield and the "Strip" is terrific.

Southwest 737 on short final for 25L. View from the Sunset Rd. Spotter's Lot.

PRE-9/11 SECURITY REPORT:
-Security maintains a strong presence in the parking garage, but they seem to be very tolerant of spotters. They are very easy to see...they ride bicycles and wear bright yellow shirts. Just keep an eye out for them and you'll be fine. Around the perimeter of the airport, security is not as tight. You can stand around the perimeter, which some people like to do on Eastern Ave. along the east side of the field, and security doesn't seem to mind.

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