Summer’s last blast in Vegas: Warm, crowded with stars & football

Temperatures are a few degrees above normal for the Labor Day weekend and no rain is likely, according to the National Weather Service.

Daily highs around 104 are forecast through the holiday period and into next week. Winds may be elevated with gusts up to 18 mph on Monday.

Parking lots at Harry Reid International Airport were nearly full early Friday afternoon for those likely heading elsewhere for the holiday.

One good development for travelers is that United Airlines flight attendants will not be on strike.

Flight attendants for the sixth-busiest commercial air carrier at Reid announced Wednesday that they had approved a strike authorization vote with 99.9 percent affirmative votes.

By law, flight attendants can’t strike this weekend when millions of travelers hit highways and airports for the last three-day weekend of the summer.

Attendants held pickets at airports nationwide on Wednesday.

About 40 flight attendants and supporters, including pilots with United, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, marched in the midmorning heat at the airport Wednesday, carrying signs that read “Corporate greed doesn’t fly,” “United management No. 1 in operational ego,” “Pay us or chaos,” and “Contract now.”

While several pilots and mechanic unions have reached new contracts with the airlines, pay levels for flight attendants have been a longstanding issue. There have been several national stories about attendants facing extreme financial hardships during the early years of their careers as they struggle to get enough flight hours.

Busiest days at airport

A Reid representative said that Friday and Monday are expected to be the busiest days of the holiday weekend with 108,000 arrivals expected Friday and 107,000 Monday, the legal holiday.

Amanda Mazzagatti said the airport also is anticipating 108,700 departures on Monday.

Mazzagatti said airport parking will be in high demand with Thursday, Friday and Saturday anticipated to be the busiest days.

Plenty of stars, historic football game

There are several entertainment stars making appearances for the long weekend.

A stop on Kevin Hart’s new “Acting My Age” tour headlines Hartbeat Weekend at Resorts World. The concert is scheduled for 9 p.m. Sunday in the Resorts World Theatre.

Tickets start at $74; axs.com. The weekend also includes a takeover of Zouk Nightclub, with Saweetie on Friday, Lil Wayne on Saturday and Ludacris on Sunday. Admission starts at $20; zoukgrouplv.com.

And, of course, Allegiant Stadium is in on the holiday action with USC and LSU football fans in town for a 4:30 p.m. Sunday game featuring teams both ranked in the top 25.

The game is part of a new era in college football.

Conference alignments are drastically changed, players are capitalizing on their name, image and likeness, and the increase of players in the transfer portal makes it imperative for college football powers to stay competitive.

There’s also the matter of the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams beginning this season.

After the holiday

For the tens of thousands of visitors from Southern California who have streamed into the valley for the long weekend, the return trip looms.

Interstate 15 southbound is likely to be a slow slog back to the coast.

Riding on the shoulder in certain places is allowed, but the long hoped for widening of the route to three lanes remains elusive.

The hazardous material crash and fire that trapped travelers on I-15 and I-40 over a July weekend has brought renewed attention to the situation.

Nevada Department of Transportation Director Tracy Larkin Thomason met with officials from Caltrans, California’s transportation department, earlier this month to discuss the response to the July 26 crash involving a truck carrying large lithium ion batteries, which caused a fire and shut down I-15 northbound toward Las Vegas for 43 hours.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Review-Journal assistant business editor Richard N. Velotta, sports reporter Adam Hill and transportation reporter Mick Akers contributed to this report.