Las Vegas Vacation Blog Blog

Discount airlines are especially important for folks who want to book a Vegas vacation. It helps keep cash in their pocket – at least until they hit the casinos (or the gate, more on that a bit later).

Southwest Airlines already offers Portland, Ore. flights to Las Vegas. So too does classy Alaska Airlines. Come Sept. 22, add discount airline Spirit to the list. The competition is welcome because, according to the Port of Portland, “Las Vegas is our most traveled route, with some 450,000 passengers flying each year between PDX and Las Vegas.”

Spirit has scheduled a pair of daily roundtrips. Portland flights to Las Vegas depart at 7:30 a.m. and 6:10 p.m. and arrive at McCarran International Airport at 9:30 a.m. and 8:10 p.m. respectively.

Return Las Vegas flights to Portland depart at 3:30 p.m. and 8:55 p.m., getting to the gate at PDX at 5:30 p.m. and 10:55 p.m.

The remarkable thing about Las Vegas is that the gaming begins the moment you alight from the airplane. Slot machines populate the gate areas. Please, don’t take this to the bank, but this Cheapflights reporter has found one the best times to try your luck is early Sunday morning, after the Saturday night crowd has cleared out of the airport. That’s when the slots seem (could just be my wishful thinking) loosest.

Spirit picks and chooses the places it wants to fly carefully, and the market from PDX to LAS seems ripe. The discount airline is the quintessential “unbundled” carrier – you pay for what you want. Spirit lofts some 150 daily flights to an expanding route structure that, as of now, numbers 40-plus destinations.

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Have you been longing for a trip to Las Vegas this summer but have yet to confirm one?

Every Wednesday, ABC15.com features travel deals for Arizonans.

This week’s travel deals feature hotels in Sin City that don’t charge you those extra resort fees, according to AAA Arizona. Maybe these will give you a little motivation to plan your vacation!

Paris Las Vegas starting at $60* per night:
You and your fellow travelers can check out the Arc de Triomphe, a 50-story Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre where sophistication is all around. As the weather heats up, head to the two-acre rooftop pool area with a French Garden, outdoor pool, whirlpool, poolside services, and cabana rentals.

Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino starting at $69* per night:
This one’s all about the glamour! At Planet Hollywood, AAA Arizona says everyone is a celebrity.

Caesar’s Palace starting at $89* per night:
The 129,000-square-foot casino at this resort offers slot machines, table games, poker, keno, and a race and sports book. You can also check out a show at The Coliseum, which is a 4,000-seat stadium that’s home to Bette Midler, Cher, and other events. And, of course, don’t forget to walk around The Forum Shops that have tons of variety.

Contact 1-877-731-3938 or visit AAAAZ.com/travel for more information or to book your trip.

AAA Arizona Note: These deals are subject to change at any time without notice.

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Vision Airlines will stretch its route map by more than 1,000 miles when it inaugurates flights from Las Vegas to two cities in the Southeast starting in June.

Vision, the scheduled airline division of Las Vegas-based Vision Air Holdings, will fly four times a week from McCarran International Airport to Destin, Fla., starting June 2, and twice a week to Baton Rouge, La., starting June 3.

Vision, which is based in suburban Atlanta and started flying in December, has built its schedule to cover 24 cities in 14 states, almost all of them within 500 miles of its hub at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. Until now, Vision has not gone farther West than Houston.

The company’s management has closely followed the template of Allegiant Air, operated by Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co., which picks a resort city as the primary focus, then connects it to other cities with nonstop routes where other airlines previously required connections.

The fares are set to undercut competitors, with some promotional seats being sold as cheaply as $19 one way, but with separate charges for other items.

Vision Air Holdings, which started in 1994, has run charters to Gulf Coast casinos, Cuba and Afghanistan. Other divisions operate tours to the Grand Canyon out of the North Las Vegas Airport and sell vacation packages.

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Though Las Vegas knows how to cater to high rollers, it’s also a surprisingly affordable destination…so long as Lady Luck is on your side at the casino tables. And thanks to a floundering economy, many of the city’s hotels offer frequent sales to lure visitors. Right now, book a Las Vegas flight and hotel vacation package on Southwest Airlines for three or more nights and save $25 per night on travel from through Aug. 11.

Book by Thursday, and use the promo code LAS25PNFEB at the time of booking and save up to $125 on your package at any hotel. Or, book at select hotels and get even more for free. Stay at the Mandarin Oriental or Tropicana and get a free night, receive free upgrades at the Venetian or Las Vegas Hilton, or get a $50 dining credit at the Cosmopolitan. Twenty other hotels, including MGM, the Bellagio and the Luxor, are also offering discounts ranging from 25 to 30 percent off. Package prices for flights from Portland to Las Vegas plus three nights hotel for two start at around $800. That puts the cost of the hotel room at around $100 per night.

As always, details are subject to change, and blackout dates do apply, so check directly with the hotel and airline to confirm.

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LAS VEGAS – It’s the gift-giving season and Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) is offering its customers a limited time opportunity to fly free* to Las Vegas! Just purchase one air and hotel package with Allegiant by Dec. 20, 2010, and the second person flies free*.

With world-renowned resorts, spas, casinos and entertainment options for visitors of all ages, Las Vegas is one of the most dynamic travel destinations in the world. With an average of more than 37 million people visiting each year, the vast majority of these visitors come to experience the Las Vegas Strip. The famous 4.2-mile section of Las Vegas Boulevard is home to 19 of the world’s largest hotels—each with their own unique look, atmosphere and offerings. Those looking for a more serene getaway can spend time hiking or climbing at Red Rock National Recreation Area or exploring Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. Las Vegas truly presents a one-of-a kind vacation that can be enjoyed any time of the year.

Allegiant is more than an airline, it is a full-service travel company that offers great value to its customers through its hotel and car rental packages. The company partners with more than 60 of Las Vegas’ most exciting hotel properties including: Planet Hollywood, Wynn Las Vegas Resort and Country Club, Bellagio, The Venetian Resort & Casino, Paris Las Vegas, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Caesars Palace, Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, The Mirage, Excalibur Hotel & Casino, New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter and Red Rock Resort & Spa. The company also provides low-cost car rental service through its partnership with Alamo Rent a Car.
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JetBlue Airways has its eye on Las Vegas for future growth as the airline rebrands its vacation offerings and considers the expansion of McCarran International Airport.

The New York City-based airline is far from the largest at McCarran and competes for the same customers attracted to the airport’s dominant carrier, Southwest, by low fares.

JetBlue officials were in town last week, officially as part of a 10th anniversary tour of the 63 cities the airline serves, but also to meet with local officials to talk about the future.

“I’d like to think that we’ll be a significant tenant in Terminal 3 as it comes on line in 2012,” JetBlue President and CEO Dave Barger said. “People are going to keep heading to Las Vegas. It’s a significant destination, not just for domestic, but international traffic.”

Las Vegas is doing the right thing in building a new terminal despite the poor economy, Barger said in an exclusive interview in the airline’s employee break room shortly after he met with Clark County Aviation Director Randall Walker.

“Most airports are always behind the power curve in terms of infrastructure, so I really applaud what Randy and the team is doing here, it’s important,” he said.

JetBlue came to Las Vegas in 2002, it’s 19th destination after beginning service in 2000. The airline flies between Las Vegas and New York; Boston; Long Beach, Calif.; and Burbank, Calif.

Like other airlines, JetBlue pulled back its Las Vegas schedule during the recession, but less than other companies, it claims. Since 2007, JetBlue has reduced the number of seats in and out of McCarran by 6 percent, while other airlines reduced their available seats 18 percent, it said.

“It’s no secret that the economy impacted Las Vegas really significantly in 2009, probably more so than most parts of the country,” Barger said.
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The Palms Casino Resort & Hotel in Las Vegas is offering a Faber vs. Mizugaki package for fight week, and it’s a pretty tough deal to beat. For $519, you’ll get one night in a Palms Deluxe room, two great tickets to the fight, and two free drinks at any casino bar.

The price of a normal Deluxe room on fight night is $463, so this is quite the deal for those looking to save some money while watching the fights in style.

Go book your reservation. And if you do, let us know on Twitter so we can be on the lookout for you.

Oh, and one more thing: we’ll be giving away two tickets to Faber vs. Mizugaki later in the week. Make sure you’re following us on Twitter if you want to win.

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The holidays are coming up, which means it’s time to focus on others, sharing, and giving. Before that all sets in though, you might want to take one more trip to indulge in yourself. Travel to Las Vegas to enjoy world-class dining, luxury hotels, renowned nightclubs, 24-hour casinos, and ultimate spa experiences.

Now, when you book your stay through Delta Vacations, you have the option of staying in either the lavish Venetian or upscale Palazzo Las Vegas. Both hotels are known for their ambiance, dining, and amenities.

Also included in this flight and hotel package are:
• $20 off a purchase of $100 or more at Canyon Ranch Spa
• 20% off at Dal Toro
• $25 of a minimum purchase of $50 at Dos Caminos
• 25% off at Postrio
• 2-for-1 well drinks at Salute lounge
• 2-for-1 drinks at Tao nightclub
You’ll also earn 250 bonus miles through Delta’s SkyMiles program.

No promotion code is needed. Book by Oct. 30 and travel until Dec. 31.  Price is per person based on double occupancy.

Packages start at just $322 from Los Angeles, and when we checked from an east coast city (Boston) for a five-night stay, the price went up to $857.

Usually, round-trip flights from the east to Vegas can range from $200-$400, and hotels can reach $200 per night. Technically, you’re getting the flight and hotel for less than what you would pay at a premier hotel on the Strip.

So roll the dice and hop on board your flight to Las Vegas.

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Hawaiian Airlines has started its twice-weekly, nonstop service between Maui and Las Vegas.

Hawaiian Airlines, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: HA), is servicing the route with 264-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft, according to a prepared statement. The flights depart from Kahului Airport on Mondays and Thursdays at 8 a.m. and arrive at McCarran International Airport at 4:35 p.m. Return flights to Maui depart from Las Vegas on Sundays and Wednesdays at 6:25 p.m. and arrive in Kahului at 9:25 p.m.

This is Hawaiian Airlines’s third nonstop flight added to its schedule this year between Maui and the Mainland, according to PBN research. In June, the airline launched nonstop flights between Maui and Oakland and Maui and San Diego.

Hawaiian Airlines is the second-busiest airline serving Hawaii.

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A rare snowfall blanketed Las Vegas on Wednesday, canceling all flights in and out of the city, snarling traffic and dusting palm trees and marquees along the Las Vegas Strip with accumulations that were expected to reach 3 inches overnight.

Other locations were forecast to receive as much as 8 inches of snow in the second winter storm this week to drop snow on the desert city.

Snow piled up around the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign on the south end of the Strip, as visitors parked and posed for pictures wearing hooded jackets. In other parts of the Las Vegas valley, snowfall toppled trees, blanketed rooftops and delighted residents who rarely get to see winter weather.

“Sometimes you have to travel to the mountains to see the snow, and now you don’t have to,” said Jose Villeda, 38, as he stuck his tongue out to catch snowflakes outside of Lavo, a restaurant and nightclub at the Palazzo hotel-casino.

Snowfall is common in nearby mountains hills, but not on the Strip or surrounding neighborhoods.