Narrative:

Flight from las to lax requested push from gate X from las vegas ramp control on frequency 124.4. Las vegas ramp control cleared flight for pushback. After pushback and engine start complete, then requested taxi clearance. Las vegas ramp control instructed flight to taxi via the ramp northbound to spot X for runway 19L. The captain began the taxi north along the ramp area. The airport diagram (xxy and xxz pages from the commercial charts) show 2 teardrop hold pad areas along the ramp area in the direction of the taxi. The captain continued to taxi the aircraft north on the ramp when I noticed it appeared visually and from the commercial charts he was taxiing towards the 2 hold pad areas. The airport ramp commercial charts are a little deceiving because they show almost a straight taxi north along the ramp, but actually the ramp turns a little to the right toward the international terminal and you need to taxi between the international terminal and the north teardrop hold pad to reach spot X. I told the captain to stop because the aircraft was actually almost between the 2 hold pad areas at spot Y instead and just to the west of this position was txwys D and south. The captain stopped the aircraft. I told him he would need to turn the aircraft and taxi to the right side of the north hold pad area which had an aircraft parked on part of it in order to get to spot X. The captain instructed me to tell ramp control our situation. Ramp control saw that flight was near spot Y between the 2 hold pad areas next to taxiway D. So ramp control then instructed us to continue on to taxiway D and contact las vegas ground control on 121.1. Then contacted ground control and told him we were just joining taxiway D for taxi. He instructed us to continue taxi to runway 19L and stay on his frequency for release time for flow to lax. The flight was then released and departed to lax. Neither the ramp control or ground control (las vegas) at any time said they had a problem or seemed to make a big deal about the aircraft taxiing to the wrong spot/location. At no time did it appear that the aircraft actually taxied or protruded on to an active taxiway without permission. Initially when ramp control was contacted about being at the wrong location/spot he was told there was some confusion on the ramp layout. I believe part of the confusion was due to the airport diagrams, but also the taxi-lines, markings, and signs are difficult to see on the ramp area. Recently there has been a lot of construction around the concourses and ramp area which has been finished. If confused on a position either ask for progressive taxi or definitely stop the aircraft before continuing. Also during the event there were no other aircraft in the general vicinity that were taxiing on the ramp or to runway 19L that were a factor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A B737-300 WERE CONFUSED AS TO THE PROPER TAXI RTE TO RAMP HOLDING SPOT DUE TO THE TXWY LINES, MARKINGS AND SIGNS WERE HARD TO SEE BECAUSE OF CONSTRUCTION IN THE RAMP AREA.

Narrative: FLT FROM LAS TO LAX REQUESTED PUSH FROM GATE X FROM LAS VEGAS RAMP CTL ON FREQ 124.4. LAS VEGAS RAMP CTL CLRED FLT FOR PUSHBACK. AFTER PUSHBACK AND ENG START COMPLETE, THEN REQUESTED TAXI CLRNC. LAS VEGAS RAMP CTL INSTRUCTED FLT TO TAXI VIA THE RAMP NBOUND TO SPOT X FOR RWY 19L. THE CAPT BEGAN THE TAXI N ALONG THE RAMP AREA. THE ARPT DIAGRAM (XXY AND XXZ PAGES FROM THE COMMERCIAL CHARTS) SHOW 2 TEARDROP HOLD PAD AREAS ALONG THE RAMP AREA IN THE DIRECTION OF THE TAXI. THE CAPT CONTINUED TO TAXI THE ACFT N ON THE RAMP WHEN I NOTICED IT APPEARED VISUALLY AND FROM THE COMMERCIAL CHARTS HE WAS TAXIING TOWARDS THE 2 HOLD PAD AREAS. THE ARPT RAMP COMMERCIAL CHARTS ARE A LITTLE DECEIVING BECAUSE THEY SHOW ALMOST A STRAIGHT TAXI N ALONG THE RAMP, BUT ACTUALLY THE RAMP TURNS A LITTLE TO THE R TOWARD THE INTL TERMINAL AND YOU NEED TO TAXI BTWN THE INTL TERMINAL AND THE N TEARDROP HOLD PAD TO REACH SPOT X. I TOLD THE CAPT TO STOP BECAUSE THE ACFT WAS ACTUALLY ALMOST BTWN THE 2 HOLD PAD AREAS AT SPOT Y INSTEAD AND JUST TO THE W OF THIS POS WAS TXWYS D AND S. THE CAPT STOPPED THE ACFT. I TOLD HIM HE WOULD NEED TO TURN THE ACFT AND TAXI TO THE R SIDE OF THE N HOLD PAD AREA WHICH HAD AN ACFT PARKED ON PART OF IT IN ORDER TO GET TO SPOT X. THE CAPT INSTRUCTED ME TO TELL RAMP CTL OUR SIT. RAMP CTL SAW THAT FLT WAS NEAR SPOT Y BTWN THE 2 HOLD PAD AREAS NEXT TO TXWY D. SO RAMP CTL THEN INSTRUCTED US TO CONTINUE ON TO TXWY D AND CONTACT LAS VEGAS GND CTL ON 121.1. THEN CONTACTED GND CTL AND TOLD HIM WE WERE JUST JOINING TXWY D FOR TAXI. HE INSTRUCTED US TO CONTINUE TAXI TO RWY 19L AND STAY ON HIS FREQ FOR RELEASE TIME FOR FLOW TO LAX. THE FLT WAS THEN RELEASED AND DEPARTED TO LAX. NEITHER THE RAMP CTL OR GND CTL (LAS VEGAS) AT ANY TIME SAID THEY HAD A PROB OR SEEMED TO MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT THE ACFT TAXIING TO THE WRONG SPOT/LOCATION. AT NO TIME DID IT APPEAR THAT THE ACFT ACTUALLY TAXIED OR PROTRUDED ON TO AN ACTIVE TXWY WITHOUT PERMISSION. INITIALLY WHEN RAMP CTL WAS CONTACTED ABOUT BEING AT THE WRONG LOCATION/SPOT HE WAS TOLD THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION ON THE RAMP LAYOUT. I BELIEVE PART OF THE CONFUSION WAS DUE TO THE ARPT DIAGRAMS, BUT ALSO THE TAXI-LINES, MARKINGS, AND SIGNS ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE ON THE RAMP AREA. RECENTLY THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION AROUND THE CONCOURSES AND RAMP AREA WHICH HAS BEEN FINISHED. IF CONFUSED ON A POS EITHER ASK FOR PROGRESSIVE TAXI OR DEFINITELY STOP THE ACFT BEFORE CONTINUING. ALSO DURING THE EVENT THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT IN THE GENERAL VICINITY THAT WERE TAXIING ON THE RAMP OR TO RWY 19L THAT WERE A FACTOR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.