Qantas unveils new seasonal flights to Las Vegas

 

Qantas today announced it will be the first airline to operate a non-stop route between Australia and Las Vegas.

The new seasonal Sydney–Las Vegas service will run from December through to March 2027 and will save customers up to five hours in travel time by eliminating the need for connections through another US city.

Las Vegas becomes the 101st destination on the Qantas network and the airline’s eighth city across North and South America, joining Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Dallas, New York, Vancouver and Santiago.

Available for booking from today, the service will operate during some of the city’s biggest global events and expos including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world’s largest and most influential tech show, and as Vegas plays host to the National Rugby League’s (NRL) annual season kick off: Las Vegas Festival. 

For the past two years the airline has operated charter flights in partnership with NRL from Australia’s East Coast to Las Vegas to get Aussie fans to games. Flights took off this week and, for the third year, in a row are fully booked.

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said strong customer demand for international travel is driving the airline's expansion of seasonal services to destinations like Las Vegas.

“Australians' appetite for international travel continues to be incredibly strong." Wallace asaid. 

"Rome and Sapporo have shown us there's real demand for seasonal services to destinations people want to visit at certain times of year, and we're continuing to expand those direct connections around the world.

"Our historic fleet renewal is giving us the flexibility to deploy aircraft where we see demand, opening up route possibilities that simply weren't there before."

Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said Qantas’ new non-stop service was a testament to the strength of the Australian market for Las Vegas.

“Australia has consistently ranked as our second-largest overseas market and our top international market without a nonstop flight," Hill said. "More than 250,000 Australians visit each year, drawn by the breadth and depth of experiences Las Vegas offers. We are grateful to Qantas for their partnership and confidence in our city.” 

* Sydney (SYD) to Las Vegas (LAS) will operate as QF55, with the inaugural flight taking off on December 29, 2026 and initially operating until March 12, 2027.The new route will operate on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft three times per week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
Economy return fares start from $1,099.

Canadians continue to shun US destinations

Canadians are still avoiding trips to the US; perhaps not keen to risk being shot by masked, untrained morons roaming the streets.

Canadian airlines are continuing to operate fewer trans-border flights to the US this winter, news hub Travel Mole reports.

Canadian carriers have been cutting back on US flights and shifting capacity to other vacation destinations as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten friends and allies alike.

The airlines are also ramping up coast-to-coast domestic services as Canadians stay at home.

A new update by OAG finds about 10% fewer seats available in the first quarter of 2026. That equates to about 450,000 fewer seats overall.

This capacity decrease is mainly from Canadian airlines although US carriers are also cutting capacity.

WestJet is trimming nearly 20% of US seat capacity while low-cost carrier Flair Airlines has slashed US capacity by more than half.

The flight cuts mostly impact winter sun leisure routes to Las Vegas and multiple Florida destinations.

Canadian airlines are instead beefing up flight schedules to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Data recently released by Visit Florida showed a double digit decline in visitor numbers from Canada for the third quarter of 2025.

"Las Vegas will bounce back" says airline chief

Las Vegas will bounce back from its recent slump in tourism numbers, a local airline head has predicted. 

Allegiant Airlines CEO Greg Anderson recognises Las Vegas, where Allegiant is headquartered, has recently seen a decline in visitor numbers with Canadian travellers avoid visiting the US and budget travellers seeing the city as too expensive. 

Anderson, however, told travel news hub Skift that budget carrier Allegiant is still seeing healthy demand for Las Vegas.

 “In terms of Vegas, I know there's been some headlines," Anderson said.

"I’d say for us in Allegiant, there’s been a lot of capacity that’s been pulled out of Vegas from other carriers, particularly some of the low-fare carriers. So I think that comes back overall in Vegas. 

"Vegas, we’re the hometown airline here, and we have a real strong position in the community in and around Vegas. We’re seeing some success here in Vegas, and we’ll continue to keep a close eye on it, as well as Florida and other areas throughout the network.

"It’s a resilient city, and they’ll continue to find ways to adapt to the environment. And long term, I think Vegas will continue to do very well. It’s in category one when it comes to your leisure destinations.”

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) recently released its numbers for July visitors, noting a 12% drop from last year, Fox News reported.

There were 3,089,300 visitors this July compared to over 3.5 million last year, while hotel occupancy on the Las Vegas strip dropped 7% from 86.5% last year.

To save money, the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino has announced it will be abandoning live dealers, shifting to electronic table games. A sign of things to come?

Are US travellers ready to embrace fast trains?

Inter-city trains have never been a big thing in the US. High-speed rail links are almost non-existent as Americans traditionally prefer to travel point to point in their gas-guzzling cars.

But now the US Administration has approved $US3 billion in funding from its Bipartisan Infrastructure fund for the Brightline West high-speed rail project.

This plans to connect Las Vegas to Southern California and is scheduled for completion in time for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. It projects journeys would take 2 hours, 15 minutes. 

It will become the first true high-speed rail system in the US, Travel Mole reports.

“The dream of American high-speed rail is about to become reality,” said Ray LaHood Co-Chair of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Coalition, a former US Secretary of Transportation.

“We greatly appreciate the commitment of the Biden Administration, our Coalition members and many others who have worked hard to spark America’s high-speed rail revolution,” LaHood said.

Andy Kunz, CEO of US High Speed Rail said: “Electrified bullet trains will transform the nation’s transportation system, reducing congestion and helping end our dependency on fossil fuels.

“This investment by the Biden Administration represents a milestone in advancing our progress.”

The new route is part of a planned West Coast Corridor connecting Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Other high-speed rail lines planned for the future include in Texas and a cross border connection from Vancouver in Canada to Portland and Seattle.

The Las Vegas project is not government run but a private-public partnership led by Brightline, a Florida-based company that runs a successful commuter line within that state. including Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

Las Vegas hotel to attract different style of high roller

Las Vegas is set to welcome its first cannabis-friendly hotel.

The former Artisan Hotel Boutique is undergoing a revamp and will soon be reborn as the "cannabis inclusive" Lexi Hotel.

Alex Rizk, CEO of Elevation Hotels and Resorts, says the new look will pay tribute to the hotel's history, while appealing to a new crowd.

He says the 64-room hotel will be open to both cannabis enjoyers and those who don't partake in a spliff or two, with a combination of cannabis-inclusive and cannabis-free areas throughout the property.

"One of our goals is to destigmatize the use of cannabis in the proper areas," said Rizk. "So, we are following and will follow the local laws, even though some of our hotels will have more flexibility depending on where they are."

Rizk says the Lexi will feature a pot lounge at some point, subject to statutory approval.

In addition to a potential lounge, the newly branded resort will also feature an exclusive members-only lounge, achapel and an events centre. There will also be a café, a Cajun-inspired steakhouse and live music.

Located just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, The Lexi will have all new guest rooms, and host pool parties over spring and summer.

"The Lexi allows the Elevations Hotels and Resorts brand to truly showcase our commitment to creating a new type of hotel concept that is defined not only by our acceptance and normalization of cannabis in the hospitality space, but also by our dedication to reclaim storied properties and transform them for the modern-day travellers," says Rizk.

For more details see www.lexilasvegas.com

When punk rockers become museum tour guides

What happens when punk rockers reach retirement age? They become museum tour guides.

The Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas (which has a very American/Los Angeles focus) has unveiled a series of guided tours to be fronted the snarling, spitting anarchists of yesteryear.

Not quite The Clash, the Sex Pistols or X-Ray Spex, but the tours promise guests will revisit music history and hear directly from the "legends of punk rock".

Visitors can look forward to hearing about the first Germs shows from Don Bolles, walk with Roger Miret from Agnostic Front as he tells them about living in a van, and from Noodles (which is not a very punk name) about playing with The Offspring.

Guided tours will be offered multiple times throughout the day and capacity is limited to 20 people per tour.

Some of the other confirmed tour guides include: Louiche Mayorga from Suicidal Tendencies; Stacey Dee from Bad Cop/Bad Cop; Greg Hetson from Circle Jerks/Punk Rock Karaoke and the magnificently named Smelly from NOFX.

The Punk Rock Museum's new opening date will be March 10, 2023 and guided tours will start on April 1, 2023.

The Punk Rock Museum is dedicated to the history, culture and absurdity of rock ‘n’ roll’s bastard stepchild.

It will house artefacts and memorabilia from across the punk scene, including hand-written lyrics, instruments, clothing, photos, flyers and artwork, as well as a bar, tattoo parlour, wedding/wake chapel, punk merch shop and performance space.

Organisers are also planning interactive exhibitions, including one that lets museum-goers mess around with guitars, bass guitars and amps that once belonged to punk rock musicians.

For more information see thepunkrockmuseum.com.

Crying in the Chapels: Elvis-themed weddings to be banned

Is it Heartbreak Hotel time?

Elvis Presley-themed wedding chapels in Las Vegas face closure with The King’s licensing company Authentic Brands Group having sent cease-and-desist notices to several operators.

The Las Vegas’ wedding industry is worth about $US2 billion a year and Elvis-themed nuptials have played a major role.

The court orders demand chapels stop using Elvis look-a-likes in ceremonies and seeks to halt unauthorized use of Elvis’ name, likeness, voice image and persona for commercial purposes.

Some wedding chapels have said they could go out of business, Travel Mole reports.

"We are a family-run business, and now we're hanging with the big dogs," said Kayla Collins, who operates two Elvis-themed chapels with her husband.

"That's our bread and butter. I don't get it. We were just hitting our stride again through Covid, then this happens."

Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya, who led a marketing campaign promoting Las Vegas as a wedding destination, said the order for chapels to stop using Elvis couldn't have come at a worse time for the sector.

The licensing company also oversees the estates of star names like Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali.