Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) has seen a steep decline in passengers during both June and the first six months of 2026. The airport closed out 2025 with one of its strongest years to date. However, this year, the airport has faced several disruptions, including heat issues, that resulted in offering passengers incentives to cancel their flights. Beyond weather-related issues, Vegas continues its downfall with Canadians, as both Air Canada and WestJet have reported decreases in passengers flying to Harry Reid International Airport. All these issues have led to struggles at LAS this year.
Harry Reid International Airport Lost Almost 2 Million Passengers In The First 6 Months Of The Year
Harry Reid International Airport finished 2025 as its third-busiest year ever. According to the airport’s website, nearly 55 million passengers connected to more than 170 destinations in 2025.
The airport wrote, “Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) closed 2025 with nearly 55 million passengers, marking the third-highest annual total in the airport’s history, following two record-setting years. LAS maintained direct connectivity to more than 170 markets, reflecting the airport’s diverse air service portfolio as a key origin-and-destination airport.”
The current reality is different at Harry Reid International Airport. According to new data released by airport officials last week, the passenger count was at 4.28 million in June, a drop of 9.3% compared to the same month last year. Looking at the big picture, the drop is steep: 6.7% compared to the first half of last year.
First 6-Month Comparison For Passengers At LAS In 2025 And 2026
|
Year |
Passengers |
|---|---|
|
2025 |
27.66 million |
|
2026 |
25.79 million |
The slip is for both domestic and international flights. Domestic flights have cooled off by 6.4%, while international flights decreased by 10.8%.
Although the decrease is alarming, there are factors that have contributed to the recent downfall. Among the reasons are extreme heat that has disrupted flights, which has made visitors think twice about visiting Vegas.
Weather Uncertainties Have Caused More Issues Among Passengers And Airlines
In some cases, it has been too hot to fly out of Harry Reid International Airport. Due to the extreme heat, flights out of the airport have reduced passenger capacity.
Speaking with The Review Journal, Southwest Airlines spokesperson Chris Perry confirmed that changes were made to LAS flights on the warmer days. The carrier has the highest volume of flights out of LAS.
“Sometimes, this might mean adding an extra fuel stop on longer flights, such as flights from Las Vegas to Hawaii. We operate an all-Boeing fleet, and the airplanes are certified to fly safely out of hot, high-altitude airfields as long as the airplane is loaded and configured according to Boeing’s performance charts.”
Not only has Southwest Airlines been affected by the heat, but the same has held true for the other major airlines. Additionally, even the customers themselves visiting Las Vegas had been taken aback by the rising temperatures.
Jared Guynes was one of the many passengers to experience a heat-related disruption at Harry Reid International Airport recently. The American Airlines customer witnessed the airline offering passengers thousands to relinquish their seats in an effort to reduce the flight’s weight due to the heat.
“I’ve never seen this. The temperature is so hot in Las Vegas (114° degrees) that the pilot demanded 33% of the passengers on a sold out flight volunteer to not board so the plane could take off on a shorter runway with less weight!!! There was a large audible gasp from the crowd at LAS when the stunning announcement was made. At the end of the speech she said AA would award a $1,500 voucher to anyone who does it. Man, I’ve never seen the hands all come up so fast,” Guynes wrote on Instagram.
Regarding other passengers, there were complaints about the heat, which led to disruptions at the airport. One passenger experienced an issue at the checked bag line and later missed their flight because of it.
“Today’s conditions included: Extremely long baggage check lines, delays at the ticket counters, missed flights despite arriving well in advance. I arrived two hours early, my flight was delayed, and after waiting another hour… I still missed my flight,” traveler Drew Myers wrote on X.
Along with the weather-related disruptions, Harry Reid International Airport has also been hurt by the decrease in Canadian travelers. A once-staple market for those north of the border, Canadians have now cooled off on U.S. travel.
Harry Reid International Airport Is Also Dealing With Fewer Canadians
The slump has continued. Looking at data specifically in March, WestJet flew 50,090 passengers to Harry Reid International Airport, a decrease of 21.8% compared to the same month last year. The dip was similar with Air Canada in March, with a decline of 19.8% during the pivotal spring break period.
WestJet in particular has cut several U.S. routes in 2026 for summer.
WestJet’s Cancelled U.S. Routes This Summer
- Atlanta (ATL) – Edmonton (YEG)
- Boston (BOS) – Vancouver (YVR)
- Chicago (ORD) – Edmonton (YEG)
- Las Vegas (LAS) – Toronto (YYZ)
- Las Vegas (LAS) – Winnipeg (YWG)
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Toronto (YYZ)
- Nashville (BNA) – Vancouver (YVR)
- Nashville (BNA) – Winnipeg (YWG)
- Orlando (MCO) – Vancouver (YVR)
- Raleigh-Durham (RDU) – Calgary (YYC)
- San Diego (SAN) – Vancouver (YVR)
- San Francisco (SFO) – Edmonton (YEG)
- San Francisco (SFO) – Vancouver (YVR)
- Seattle (SEA) – Edmonton (YEG)
- Seattle (SEA) – Kelowna (YLW)
The airline added that it is always monitoring demand. If a shift occurs, WestJet may once again alter its U.S. schedule.
“WestJet continuously evaluates and adjusts its schedule to meet demand, and we remain committed to reviewing opportunities for direct service on these routes in the future,” the airline said in a statement.
Las Vegas’ tourism sector hasn’t given up on Canadians despite the decrease, with at-par offers. It remains to be seen what traffic will look like at Harry Reid International Airport for the rest of the year. For now, despite the decrease, the airport is still expecting to surpass the 50 million mark by the end of the year.
