When Irish skies are flying: Las Vegas welcomes first flight by Aer Lingus
Passengers aboard Aer Lingus’ first flight to Las Vegas may be hoping some of the luck of the Irish came with them aboard Friday’s inaugural trip to Harry Reid International Airport.
The nearly filled 317-passenger, twin-engine Airbus A330-300 jet touched down just as the sun was setting and the lights of Las Vegas were coming up.
Passengers were greeted by about 10 members of the Southern Nevada chapter of the Sons and Daughters of Erin, the group that puts on the annual St.Patrick’s Day parade in Henderson, as well as four Vegas showgirls — appropriately dressed in two shades of green — who danced at the baggage claim area to “Viva Las Vegas.”
Reid International Senior Director of Aviation James Chrisley and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Vice President of Marketing Fletch Brunelle welcomed arriving passengers with green champagne and cookies featuring an image of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign.
Brunelle noted that Aer Lingus got another big welcome from the Strip — the Sphere was taken over by airline imagery Friday night.
Cieran Crawley and his wife, Edel, were among the passengers aboard Flight 51 and said the 10½-hour flight from Dublin was smooth and enjoyable.
“You eat lunch, watch a movie, have dinner and before you know it you’re there,” he said.
Marcella Smyth, Ireland’s consul general to the southwestern United States, said 10 percent of Southern Nevada’s population has a shared heritage with Ireland, so she expects the Las Vegas-Dublin route to be popular with locals who want to visit that country. A Transportation Security Administration arrangement with Dublin Airport enables passengers from there to pre-check in Ireland and avoid going through U.S. Customs and Immigration when they arrive at Reid.
The flag-carrier airline of Ireland, famed for its shamrock livery, became the 19th international air carrier to fly to Las Vegas’ airport and Dublin became the 20th international destination — the eighth overseas — served to and from Reid.
The seasonal service that will run through April will normally operate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
