Taxicab loadings last month at McCarran International Airport hit the highest level in the airport's 63-year history, and the current pace would result in a record annual total.
Airport officials said today that 322,322 taxis were loaded at McCarran's two terminals in October, breaking a record that had stood since March 2006.
Before this year, taxi loadings broke the 300,000 barrier three times. This year, going into last month, the 300,000 mark had already been eclipsed in March and May.
"We are pleased to see such robust numbers in our taxi traffic, since the number of cabs loaded is one strong indicator that the airlines are bringing an increasing number of visitors into Las Vegas," Randall Walker, Clark County's director of aviation, said in a release.
"Taxi numbers are up far more significantly than our passenger numbers, which have shown 4.5 percent growth year-to-date through September," Walker said. "This tells me the surge in taxi traffic not only reflects an increased amount of arriving travelers, but changes in the ground transportation preferences of many who arrive at McCarran."
Walker said the greater number of taxi trips hasn't decreased other ground transportation operations at the airport. Business at the McCarran Rent-A-Car Center has increased steadily over 15 months and limousine and shuttle bus traffic has remained flat over the first nine months of 2011.
McCarran officials said 2.8 million taxis were loaded at the airport in the first 10 months of the year, a 9 percent increase over 2010. If that pace continues, the airport would have a record of more than 3.2 million loadings this year.
Walker believes the increase is attributable to increased convention traffic and international service at the airport.
Taxis are the preferred mode of transportation for conventioneers, often traveling one to a vehicle. Taxi pickups at Terminal 2, where international flights arrive, has increased by 25 percent, thanks to increased flights or new service by WestJet, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Volaris and AeroMexico.