LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Tens of thousands of visitors have descended upon the valley for Formula 1 weekend. Transportation officials are already planning for the mass exodus whenever those visitors leave after the race.
According to the Transportation Security Administration, they are anticipating 98,000 travelers will go through Harry Reid International Airport on Sunday and another 94,000 travelers on Monday. They added the busiest hours are projected to be on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
"There has been no shortage of anticipation and planning leading up to this event when tens of thousands of additional travelers will depart [Harry Reid International Airport]. We have planned for them, are expecting them and we will be prepared," said TSA Federal Security Director for Nevada Karen Burke. "The entire TSA team will be focused on our security mission to ensure that every departing traveler and their belongings are screened in the most efficient manner to ensure a safe and secure trip home, whether they came to town for the race or something else."
During peak hours, TSA officials said they will have 51 lanes open across both airport terminals, in five different checkpoints to screen departing travelers. In addition to the usual checkpoints in Terminal 1 and 3, TSA will also staff the Innovation Checkpoint and training checkpoint, which is located on the "0" level in Terminal 3. Checked baggage screening operations will also be conducted overnight.
"The reason we're keeping the checkpoints open overnight Saturday night into Sunday is we don't want to, when we normally open at 3 a.m., have a huge queue of people who have been at the race all night and have come to the airport. By keeping the checkpoints open, we're not going to have that bottleneck," said TSA of Nevada spokesperson Lorie Dankers.
Regular checkpoint hours will resume on Monday morning.
TSA officials have tips for travelers planning on going through Harry Reid International Airport this weekend.
- Arrive early.
- Be aware of the contents of carry-on luggage to avoid bringing prohibited items to the security checkpoint.
- Make sure liquids in carry-on luggage are 3.5 ounces / 100 ml or less. Anything over that quantity should be placed in checked luggage.
- Place souvenir programs in your carry-on luggage. TSA officials said placing programs in checked luggage may cause the security screening equipment to "unnecessarily alarm and potentially cause delays" in checked baggage operations.
TSA officials said you can also download the MyTSA App, which shows what you can and can't bring in carry-on luggage.
While it will be a busy couple of days, officials said they aren't expecting to break a single-day record. That happened on Oct. 29, 2023, which is when 103,400 travelers went through the airport.
