Flights to Vegas - Guide on how to plan to get the best price

Introduction

There are a range of flight options available from different airports in the UK. Unfortunately, there seems to be an ever increasing trend upwards in the cots of flights to Vegas. Gone are the days when I was able to get a return indirect flight for just over £400. Today, you can expect to pay in the region of £550 upwards as a benchmark price. Of course this figure can vary drastically depending on a number of factors:

Time of year – off peak times typically less expensive

Day of flying - weekends typically more expensive than week days

Airline – some airlines (e.g. British Airways) are typically more expensive than others.

Route taken – direct or indirect. Typically indirect flights are less expensive. 

Direct or Indirect Flights?

This may sounds like an obvious decision - surely flying direct is preferable?

Well in theory, yes, flying direct will mean you reach Vegas quicker, that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t consider flying indirect. Also, when I say flying direct, this implies that you board only one flight before reaching Vegas, i.e. hopping on a shuttle flight from Manchester to London and then on to Vegas would not be considered as direct.  A change is a change after all, regardless of whether it’s after an hour or 8.

Direct flights are typically more expensive than indirect flights, and can often be £100-£200 more per person. A direct flight to Vegas takes around 11 hours with an indirect flight typically taking an extra 2-3 hours if you schedule your onward connection efficiently.

Direct scheduled flights are available from London (Heathrow and Gatwick), Manchester and Glasgow with British Airways, Virgin or Thomas Cook Airlines. Therefore, unless you’re planning to fly from one of these airports, it may be preferable to fly from a regional UK airport direct to the US and change there, rather than changing in London before you’ve even left the country.


Direct flights to US cities are available from a range of other UK airport with onward flights available from the hub you’ll land at, typically New York, Washington, Chicago, Philadelphia or Atlanta.


Flying indirect can also have the benefit of breaking up the flight at the stopover destination in the US whilst also clearing customs en-route at your first city of entry. This will enable you to simply grab your bag off the carousel once you do reach Vegas rather than having to wait in line at customs once you get there.  And speaking from first hand experience, if you've been sat at the back of a 747 and the last to leave the plane, the wait to get through customs can be a long one!

In summary, whether to fly direct or indirect really does come down to personal preferences. You need to consider what’s most important to you in terms of time saved versus cost and any other personal factors (preferred airline, originating airport etc).
Indirect flights are available with a number of US carriers, namely Delta, American Airlines and United which will head towards their hub destination in the US from where you will connect.

Regardless of which option you would prefer to opt for, assuming you’re planning your trip in good time (i.e. months in advance) I would offer some key bits of advice as aiming to book the right flight at the right price really can become something of an art form.


Flight Research & Monitoring

For those of you interested in doing some hands-on research into flight times and schedules, there are a number of websites available where you can enter your preferred itinerary details to obtain a breakdown in costs (Kayak and Sky Scanner are extremely good for this and are available as smart phone apps). You can then refine your searches to see how specific days affect the costs of flights.

Kayak also offers a very useful facility where you can receive daily emails notifying you of the cheapest flight options available at that time. This is an extremely useful tool if an airline suddenly offers a sale as you should see a significant drop in the price. Please bear in mind that regardless of whether travelling direct or indirect, weekend flights tend to cost more than those on a weekday.

If you’re less inclined to investigate flight details for yourselves I'd recommend a travel agent like Trail Finders who are extremely helpful and well informed in providing quotes for all the major airlines and will be able to help you piece together any multi-centre itineraries.

Please bear in mind though, that in all likelihood Trail Finders (or any other travel agents) will only be able to match (at best) the cost of flights you’d otherwise be able to book for yourselves online. Therefore, it may be advisable to only book through a travel agent like Trail Finders / The Flight Centre once you know an airline has a sale, or the prices have taken a sudden dip.

Choosing the right flight

As mentioned, direct scheduled flights are only available from London (Heathrow and Gatwick) with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

There are also seasonal direct charter flights available from Manchester with Thomas Cook, but beware by any headline prices on these flights, as luggage costs and meals cost extra.

Combining a Stopover

It may also be worth pointing out that an indirect flight would enable you to spend a couple of days in the connecting city (e.g. New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta etc) if you wished to combine this in your itinerary. One other slight advantage of indirect flights is the requirement to clear US customs (which is always a pleasant experience!) in the transfer city. Therefore, when you do eventually arrive in Vegas, you can simply collect your bags and be on your way!

For those of you that would like to do some hands-on research into flight times and schedules, there are a number of websites available where you can enter your preferred itinerary details to obtain a breakdown in costs (Kayak is extremely good for this and is also available as an iPhone app). You can then refine your searches to see how specific days affect the costs of flights.

Note: We would advise against booking through a travel agent such as Thomas Cook as staff are generally less well informed when it comes to sourcing good deals on commercial airlines.

In 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 £500), don’t hesitate – book it as soon as possible!

- Tweak your search criteria to assess the impact, e.g. moving a flight date by a day or two, checking costs between direct and indirect flights etc.

Monitor flight costs on a daily basis to monitor trends, and be ready to pounce when the time is right!

- Flight costs literally can vary on a daily basis. As a general rule, flights are cheapest the further in advance you book them. However, if you’re patient and monitor flights over a few months, you will soon learn what a benchmark price is, and if the price dips below this, my advice would be to book without hesitation and don’t look back!