How to use Uber at Las Vegas McCarran Airport in 6 easy steps

I flew into Vegas for a travel conference, and I have to admit I was quite confused when I walked out to the curb and couldn’t find my Uber driver.  I looked at the app and saw him stopped quite a bit away.  Only after I called him did I understand that there’s a designated pick-up location.

What not to do at Las Vegas Airport

Don’t be like me and follow the normal path to “Ground Transportation” and wait outside by the taxi lines and the shuttles to the car rental agencies.  All you will do is waste time… and if it is summertime, you’ll just get sweaty waiting in the Vegas heat.

On the bright side, drinking in public is completely legal in Las Vegas (at least the last time I checked), so you could be waiting with a nice cold beer or cocktail in hand, so it’s not a complete waste!

Get $15 off your Uber ride

Before you read on, if you’d like to save $15 off your Uber ride, use my Uber link and the promo code “uberBaldThoughts“.

How to use Uber at the Las Vegas Airport

Instead of standing around looking like a tourist, like I did for about 10 minutes, follow these simple instructions to make grabbing an Uber from Las Vegas’ airport Terminal 1 a breeze!

I flew into Las Vegas on Southwest from Orange County.  If you fly Southwest, or one of these other airlines, you’ll find yourself at Terminal 1 Baggage Claim after you get off your plane:

• Allegiant
• American
• Delta
• Omni
• Southwest
• Spirit Airlines

Step 1 – Get off the plane and head to Terminal 1 Baggage Claim

When you get to Baggage Claim, don’t go outside!  The only thing waiting for you is heat, taxis, and rental car shuttles.  If you don’t have checked luggage, go ahead and request your Uber ride as you’re walking off the plane.  Your ride should be here about the same time you get to the pick-up spot.

If you have to wait for Baggage Claim, then request your Uber as soon as you have recovered all of your bags.

Step 2 – Go towards the Parking Garage

When Uber was (finally!) allowed to pick up passengers at McCarran, there were certain accommodations made to keep the peace with taxi drivers and shuttles.  So, rather than picking up passengers curbside, like a normal person, everyone is inconvenienced by having to go to the parking garage.

Step 3 – Take elevator to the 2nd floor

Once you get to the elevator, take it to the 2nd floor.

Step 4 – Once you get off the elevator, cross the pedestrian bridge

The pedestrian bridge allows you to cross over all of the traffic below.

Step 5 – Take the elevator the “2M” Level

You want to take the elevator to the Mezzanine level of the parking garage.

Step 6 – Get off the elevator and turn right to the pick-up spot

When you get off the elevator, you’ll see a sign directing you to turn right.

When you see this sign, you’re almost there.  Just keep on walking!

And here are all the Uber drivers waiting for their passengers.  And, the passengers are waiting for Uber drivers if they waited too long to request a driver!

Conclusion

All of these pictures may make it seem like it takes forever to get to your Uber ride at Las Vegas’ McCarran Airport.  It really doesn’t.  Walking at a normal pace, you will get to your ride in about 5-10 minutes.  I waited outside of Baggage Claim for longer than that before I realized I was in the wrong spot.  I hope this tutorial helps you avoid some of the time I wasted by enabling you to easily find your Uber ride.

Don’t forget… if you want $15 off your Uber ride, use my Uber link and the promo code “uberBaldThoughts“.