McCarran lands new global nonstop routes to Las Vegas in 2019

Over the last year, a slew of nonstop international flights have solidified the “international” in McCarran International Airport.

Nonstop flights between Las Vegas and Paris, Amsterdam, Israel, Germany and Mexico all were added in the past year.

Those new nonstop flights represent more than just additional planes landing at McCarran, as the international traveler is a lucrative market, according to H. Fletch Brunelle, vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

“International travelers tend to stay longer and spend more money,” Brunelle said. “Continuously adding nonstop routes that make access to Las Vegas as convenient as possible is incredibly important,” Brunelle said.

“The average spend per international visitor per trip is $960, while the domestic counterpart to that number is $790,” he added. “We currently welcome more than 44,000 nonstop international seats each week from 24 cities in 10 countries, and adding nonstop international flights is key to growing that lucrative visitor segment.”

The new flights are already showing promise, though some are still in their infancy.

“Overall it was a great year for our international network growth,” said Chris Jones, McCarran spokesman. “KLM’s loads have been exceptional for a new route, and we’re hopeful it may grow in frequency in the near future. El Al was a great addition, and we’ve seen solid loads on both its inbound and outbound flights.”

Two airlines, Level and Eurowings, have been flying from Las Vegas for only a few weeks, but Germany, which Eurowings serves, has historically been a leading market for Las Vegas, and Paris, served by Level, offers two-way appeal for travelers, Jones said.

“So these are key markets for the community’s economic growth,” he said. “There aren’t many domestic markets that don’t already enjoy nonstop service here, and while we’re always eager to add upon those existing routes, it is fun to put a new point on our route map, and increasingly those opportunities fall outside of the United States.”

With more convention space coming online next year with the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion, Caesars Forum and other major projects slated to be completed, the growth is expected to continue.

“Las Vegas adds convention space and attractions such as those we’ll see at Allegiant Stadium and the MSG Sphere, it’s natural that more and more non-U.S. travelers will want to fly here,” Jones said.

Jones said a focus will be adding nonstop service to Japan, given its high number of one-stop visitors Las Vegas sees today and other markets overseas.

“Across the Atlantic, we obviously want our new markets to continue to develop and strengthen,” he said.

With the reductions in seats from the U.K. this year — led by Thomas Cook’s collapse, Norwegian’s withdrawal and Virgin Atlantic’s planned retirement of its 747s — looking to bring those lost seats back to Las Vegas is also of importance.

“Each of those factors contributed to lessen our lift from England, which we’d like to see come back in time,” Jones said. “For two decades the U.K. has been a great feeder market for Las Vegas, so we know the demand is there and the carriers will move to capture it as conditions allow.”

A little closer to home, adding new nonstops to cities in North America is also important, as the leisure market both in and out of Las Vegas can’t be ignored.

“Canada and Mexico always remain among our top markets with many operators and destinations in those neighboring countries,” Jones said. “We look forward to seeing what’s in store there in 2020 and beyond.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.