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The major U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, were forced to offer passengers thousands of dollars in an attempt to lower the weight capacity on flights out of Harry Reid International Airport due to the extreme heat. U.S. travelers continue to face “heat dome” advisories throughout several parts of the nation. On Friday, Nevada faced one of its hottest days of the year, causing chaos for many major U.S. airlines. On Sunday, delays continued for major carriers across the United States.

U.S. Airlines With The Most Delayed Flights On July 26

Although the issues at Harry Reid International Airport have now been resolved, July 24 was a chaotic day for travel. Check-in lines were long, and passengers missed flights due to excessive delays at the airport, all caused by extreme heat restrictions on several flights.

Harry Reid International Airport Passengers Were Offered Thousands To Give Up Their Seats Due To Extreme Heat

Friday brought extreme heat, even by Las Vegas standards. According to the National Weather Service, the high was 114°F, with low relief overnight after sunset, with temperatures at 94°F.

Due to the extreme heat and humidity, air travel was affected on Friday at Harry Reid International Airport. The major U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines, were forced to take precautions and pack lighter on flights due to the extreme heat. With the weight restrictions, passengers were asked to volunteer to get off several flights.

Due to the heat restrictions, Harry Reid International Airport saw an increase in delays. According to FlightAware data, on July 24, the airport had the third most departure delays among all U.S. airports with 284, affecting 33% of its total flight volume.

Online, Jared Guynes posted about the experience. In this particular case, an American Airlines pilot was looking for at least a third of the flight to give up their seats.

“I’ve never seen this. The temperature is so hot in Las Vegas (114°) 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 $1500 voucher to anyone who does it. Man I’ve never seen the hands all come up so fast.”

Other passengers faced a similar situation on other flights throughout the day at Harry Reid International Airport. Chaos reigned not only at the boarding area but also throughout the U.S. hub, starting at the check-in counter.

How Passengers Reacted To The Disruptions At Harry Reid International Airport

Traveler Drew Myers shared a candid photo on X, showing the reality of just checking into a flight at Harry Reid International Airport on July 24. Baggage lines were extremely long, and delays at the ticket counter caused others to miss flights.

“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 Trish also experienced the weight restrictions on her United Airlines flight. The captain was looking for half the plane to get off, with a $2,500 voucher in exchange. Trish tells KSNC she arrived at the LAS airport on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m., but only made it home on Saturday.

“We got offered $2,500 to volunteer to deplane because of weight restrictions due to the weather, so that’s something I’ve never experienced before. The pilot was amazing; he came out and spoke to everyone and reassured everyone that safety was number one,” she said. “A lot of emotions, a lot of uncertainty, everybody is ready to get home.”

A tough day of travel throughout Harry Reid International Airport on Friday. However, the issues have cleared, as travel was much smoother throughout the weekend.

The Current Status Of Flights Across The United States

On July 26, there were 6,492 delays within, into, or out of the United States. Cancelled flights were low at 129 nationwide. At Harry Reid International Airport, delays were down compared to Friday. There were 161 departure delays and 111 arrival delays. In total, there were six cancellations at the hub.

As for the other major U.S. airports, there were no major cancellation issues compared to earlier in the week for the East Coast hubs.

U.S. Airports With The Most Cancelled Departure Flights On July 26

With another busy week of travel ahead, airlines and airports across the U.S. will be looking to minimize flight disruptions. However, millions are still under extreme heat advisories due to the “heat dome.” This included Texas, Missouri, Central Plains, Upper Midwest and other parts of the U.S., notably the Southwest, like Nevada.