Question of the Day 2021-11-06

Leave it to kids to ask the obvious question. My family was transiting the airport last week and on the way in the shuttle, my wife thought we were leaving from Terminal 3, while I thought it was Terminal 1. After hearing about Terminal 3 and Terminal 1 for a while, one of my kids said, "Are you sure it's not Terminal 2?" And the driver said, "There is no Terminal 2." And my other kid said, "Why isn't there?" The driver didn't know. But I'm sure you do.

We answered this question a couple of years ago, but it's worth repeating, because as you say, it's an obvious question that we're sure other readers have wondered about.

There used to be a Terminal 2. Terminals 1 and 2 serviced McCarran International between 1963 and 2012, when Terminal 3 was completed. Terminal 3 was built from scratch at a cost of $2.4 billion over a period of more than 10 years. It remains one of the largest public-works projects in Nevada history.

As soon as the sleek new 14-gate Terminal 3 opened, Terminal 2, which had been home to international (and charter) arrivals and departures, was rendered obsolete, so it was shut down. Actually, it was considered obsolete long before Terminal 3 opened, too dilapidated to be upgraded for further use as a concourse. And it was finally demolished in 2016.

A new terminal building might be built on that site someday, although there are currently no plans that we know of to do so. When we ran this answer in 2019, we wrote, "If a new terminal building is ever built there, logic would probably dictate that it be named Terminal 2."

A commenter took exception to that, saying that any new terminal would probably be named 4, since logic would dictate a new Terminal 2 would be younger than Terminal 3.

What do y'all think?

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Comments

Dave_Miller_DJTB Nov-06-2021

T1 is older?

It sounds like you’re suggesting that T1 was built before T2. And that makes sense by the numbers.

If so, what happened that caused T2 to become obsolete first? And how much life does T1 have left?

thebeachbum Nov-06-2021

Can't Be 2

If a new terminal is named 2, kids won't be curious.  Kids need a curious moment or two in life.  Keeps the parents challenged.

Adam Nov-06-2021

Same story in Phoenix

As a newer growth city in the West, there are a lot of similarities between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

At Phoenix Sky Harbor, we also used to have a terminal 1 and 2. We just finished demolishing terminal 2 earlier this year. The two terminals that remain are 3 and 4.

It's probably going to take several growth years in the airline industry for either airport to worry about what the next terminal number would be.  I think a super-regional airport expansion would be more likely in either case than full-on terminal construction. Phoenix Sky Harbor already has a competitor in Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Maybe a second airport in metro Vegas would be next?

Ray Nov-06-2021

O'Hare

In Chicago, O'hare has Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 5. We don't have a Terminal 4

Brent Peterson Nov-06-2021

Logic

They should do what's logical for people traveling to and from the airport. Passengers aren't going to know, or care, the history of the numbering. they just want to be able to get to where they're going.

Of course, an airport renaming itself after Harry Reid, I doubt logic is something in their wheelhouse.

Question of the Day - 06 November 2021

Comments