Avoid Using Delta At Las Vegas Until January
 

Total chaos at Delta's combined Delta/Northwest check-in counter at Las Vegas. Non-compatible computer systems creates two check-in lines with some staff having nothing to do, and others swamped. Worst line is the Delta First Class - Medallion Line. Delta's solution seems to be to have an employee stand there and shout at the customers as if the chaos was somehow the fault of the passengers. Employee told me they don't expect it get any better until January. Meanwhile, a few hundred feet away the Southwest Check-In is a model of efficiency and kindness.

Aren't mergers fun?

It is why I stopped flying America West and NEVER returned to USAIRWAYS

Even pre-merger Delta @LAS was a nightmare. Things, apparently, will only get worse until the DL and NW systems are completely merged.

Yes and hard to believe it could get worse, but it has. Not a good option for early morning long-haul flights. And amazing that Delta's solution is to simply have someone stand there and berate their customers every three minutes with a warning about how their luggage won't arrive if they fail to check in 45 minutes in advance. Especially since it could take that long to process through the regular lines. But the worst treatment is reserved for their best customers with the placement of the First Class / Medallion line.

Delta are just a nightmare... full stop!

Chaos in Vegas?? I thought it was crazy all over when it comes to morning check in, especially a sunday morning where it's just complete chaos. I remember my first shock when I arrived at the airport for my return. Flew USairs and it was not pretty (They also did the shouting thing, but it was actually quite helpful.) So I can't imagine what that delta/northwest mess might have looked like. But I have a trip to Vegas in a couple of weeks so it should be interesting.

McCarran International (LAS) is a perfect storm of travel headeaches. First you have lots of leisure travelers the majority of whom are infrequent travelers or are traveling for the first time or for the first time in a long time. Next is the design of the airport itself. The 45 minute checkin cutoff is necessitated by the fact that the check-in areas are literally miles away from the furthest gates. Passengers, too, have to trek a long way from check-in to gate and most have to take the inter-terminal train. Finally many people departing LAS are tired, groggy (probably went to bed @4AM and are catching a 7AM flight!), hung over, grumpy because they've lost money, or any combination of the above. And there never seems to be sufficient TSA staff to efficiently process all of those people.

It's just a mess and anyone who arrives for check-in (with luggage or without having checked in online first) less than 2 hours before their flight departs and expects to make that flight is deceiving themselves.

Plus, they just had to watch Wayne Newton, because they couldn't get tickets for anything else...