China’s Hainan Airlines will become the first carrier to fly directly from China to Las Vegas after the US Department of Transportation officially approved the route this week.
From 2 December 2016, Hainan Airlines will fly three times a week – each Monday, Wednesday and Friday – with economy fares ranging from US$650 to US$1,100 return.
It is estimated that around 300,000 Chinese visit Las Vegas each year, with the new route to allow around 10% of these passengers to arrive directly. However, Union Gaming analyst John DeCree said he expected other carriers to follow suit in the near future.
“Ultimately, we believe the Hainan Airlines Beijing-Las Vegas route is just the tip of the iceberg as it relates to direct service between Las Vegas and China. We would expect more carriers to begin connecting Las Vegas to other Chinese cities with direct flights in the coming months,” he said.
