The first non-stop flights between Las Vegas and Mainland China will kick off on December 2. Hainan Airlines will initially start with three flights a week on its 213-passenger Boeing 787 Dreamliner, including 36-lie flat business class seats. Fares will start at 0 round trip for non-peak periods and rise to ,100 round trip over holidays.
Some experts say at least 300,000 Chinese visit Las Vegas each year, arriving through connecting flights in other U.S. cities. It’s estimated that 10 percent of those visitors would opt to fly directly to Vegas. While there is some question whether the flights will result in incremental business, Union Gaming is enthusiastic about the service.
“The direct route is a positive for both incremental visitation and ultimately higher spend as Chinese visitors arriving in Las Vegas on a direct flight would be able to stay longer and spend more money compared with those visiting on broken trips,” Union Gaming wrote in a note to investors.
The flights are a positive sign for Las Vegas, however, which has spent years trying to increase international visitation. Terminal 3 at McCarran International Airport was built specifically to welcome international visitors. McCarran welcomed 2.6 million visitors in 2011, which has risen 35 percent to 3.5 million last year.
