What are the cheapest flights to, from Las Vegas?
Las Vegas continues to hold its own as an inexpensive airline destination, according to a new analysis conducted by an expert who tracks airline ticket pricing and loyalty programs.
Alex Miller, founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, recently conducted a study that included 6,000 different flight itineraries, analyzing ticket prices and price per mile. The study also compared pricing for 2024 against 2023 prices.
The analysis shows some of the shortest routes from Harry Reid International Airport are among the most expensive per mile and have risen in cost the most. Miller used all itineraries in his analysis, not just nonstop flights.
“Despite sharp increases in ticket prices since before the pandemic, 2023 marked a record year for U.S. air travel. While there is some hope for relief moving into 2024, airline prices remain high,” said Miller in the report’s introduction.
“To help travelers navigate this new normal, Upgraded Points analyzed the most recent airfare data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics and calculated average ticket prices for every flight segment in the U.S.,” he said.
Miller said that compared with the early 2000s, today’s ticket prices are approximately 40 percent lower after accounting for inflation. For reference, the average airfare in early 2001 was $348, equivalent to more than $600 in today’s dollars.
The most popular destination to and from Las Vegas: Los Angeles, with an average 6,987 daily passengers. The report showed the average one-way fare to be $126.40, or 54 cents a mile, and the price of a ticket increased 8.8 percent from a year ago.
With 5,902 daily passengers, flights to San Francisco were second-most popular. The average fare was $146.77, or 35 cents a mile and ticket prices rose 7.3 percent from last year.
New York City was third on the list from Las Vegas with an average 4,385 daily passengers and an average fare of $321.46, 14 cents a mile, with ticket prices climbing 4.1 percent from a year ago.
Miller said shorter flights generally are more expensive than longer hauls per mile with the price flattening out at about 500 to 1,000 miles. He said it’s generally less expensive to drive on trips of less than 250 miles.
Other details about Las Vegas flights:
■ The lowest per-mile destination to and from Las Vegas was 4 cents, between Reid and Sanford International Airport, a secondary airport in Orlando, Florida.
■ The most expensive city pairing from Las Vegas was to and from Key West, Florida, with an average one-way airfare of $507.36, or 24 cents per mile.
■ The average cost of one-way airfare between Las Vegas and Key West, Florida, increased 6.9 percent year over year.
There were some flights to Las Vegas in which fares declined. Among them: San Antonio, Texas, down 12.3 percent to $216.28; Tampa, Florida, down 12.2 percent to $216.28; Orlando, Florida, down 8.8 percent to $223.10; Portland, Oregon, down 8.1 percent to $166.07; Washington, D.C., down 6.8 percent to $293.91; Miami, Florida, down 6.8 percent to $236.74; Charlotte, North Carolina, down 4.6 percent to $284.93; San Diego, California, down 2.1 percent to $113.82; and Boston, Massachusetts, down 1 percent to $320.74.
The biggest fare increase to and from Las Vegas was Reno, up 19.2 percent to $169.97, or 49 cents a mile.
The study found that seven of the 10 most expensive trips in the country were between New York City and Florida destinations and with flights to airports near the Colorado ski resorts of Aspen and Vail and to Sun Valley, Idaho.
At $770 one-way, the Aspen to West Palm Beach/Palm Beach. Florida, segment is the most expensive flight in the U.S. and is 25 percent more expensive than a year ago.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
