David's flight advice and tips

Introduction
Unless you’re the adventurous type, we’d probably suggest that flying is the easiest and quickest way of getting to Las Vegas (please note the slight tone of sarcasm).  Thankfully, there are a range of flight options available from different airports in the UK (and Australia too Danny!).  Unfortunately, thanks to the pesky Icelandic ash cloud, the ever increasing cost of oil and increased taxes, flights aren’t as cheap as they used to be, especially when travelling long-haul.

In today’s economic climate, return economy flights from the UK tend to be in the region of £550-£600 (and good luck to you if you have the cash available to upgrade to business or first class!)  However, flight costs do have a tendency to fluctuate quite significantly and can often be found for a discount, especially if purchased during one of the airline's sales.

Flight plans
Although we've already booked our flights, we plan to keep an eye on prices and will let you know if we find any good sales or offers.   However, ultimately we will have to leave the task of booking flights with each of you individually.
 

As the likelihood is that majority of you that will be attending will be flying from either Manchester or London, there are a number of flight options available.  A direct flight to Las Vegas from the UK takes in the region of 10 hours.  The advantage of direct flights tends to be that the departure and arrival times tend to be favourable.  However, the option of booking direct flights is currently limited to the following airlines:

• Heathrow - daily flight schedule from Heathrow only.  Outward: Dept Heathrows 15:30; Arrive Las Vegas: 19:20.  Return: Dept Las Vegas 21:10, arrive Heathrow 14:00 (+ 1 day)

Consequently, as there is little competition between airlines for direct flights, the cost with these airlines tend to be more expensive than opting for an indirect flight with any of the major US carriers (American Airlines, Delta, United, US Airways, Continental). 

If you do fancy breaking up the flight and/or you’re hoping to pay slightly less for your flights (potentially £50 or more), an indirect option may be for you.   It really does come down to personal preference.  However, to give an indicative example, when Jacki and I flew to Las Vegas in September 2010, the flight times were as follows:

• Manchester - Chicago - Las Vegas
• Outward:  Dept Manchester 10am, change in Chicago, arrive in Las Vegas 4.30pm local time
• Return: Dept Las Vegas 10am, change in Chicago, arrive in Manchester 7.30am (+ 1 day)

Flight Summary

• Try to avoid travelling on weekends as these flights are generally more expensive.
• Aim to do as much investigation into flight routes (direct and indirect) and the associated costs to see how they are affected by changes in the day of the week.
• Once you have a specific route and dates in mind, try to sign-up for a daily alert email service (e.g. Kayak) to keep you informed of the cheapest available rate.
• If you spot a bargain (e.g. anything under £550), don’t hesitate – try and book it as soon as possible!