Aer Lingus announces new direct flights from Dublin Airport to Las Vegas

The airline will fly direct from Dublin Airport to Las Vegas from October 25, it has announced.

The route has long been rumoured and speculated upon, but today is finally set for take-off. The new flights will run three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, until April 29, 2025.

Flights are priced from €499 return including taxes and charges, and are on sale today.

“It is a long-held ambition of ours to fly to Las Vegas,” said Aer Lingus’ Chief Officer, Lynne Embleton. “The launch of this new Aer Lingus route is a significant moment for us and our customers.”

EI50 will depart at 15.20, arriving into Harry Reid International Airport at 17.50 local time. The return flight, E151, will depart at 19.35 and arrive back into Dublin at 13.10 the following day.

Flights will be operated on a wide-body Airbus A330-300, the airline said.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Aer Lingus to Las Vegas for the very first time,” said Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

“In 2023, our city welcomed more than 52,000 visitors from Ireland, and this direct, nonstop service from Dublin will undoubtedly be motivation for Irish travellers and visitors throughout Europe to discover everything Las Vegas has to offer.”

Vegas is a popular city break but, for Irish visitors, involves connecting flights via London, New York, Atlanta or other hubs. A direct route will reduce the flight time to approximately 10 hours.

As well as its famous resorts, casinos, iconic Strip and Grand Canyon tours, the city has ramped up its sports and entertainment offerings in recent years with blockbuster tickets like the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix and Super Bowl LVIII.

Irish fans have travelled to see Conor McGregor’s UFC fights, and more recently, U2’s series of 40 shows at the Sphere.

Today’s News in 90 seconds – 21st May 2024

Aer Lingus has also timed its winter route to include both this year’s October mid-term and the 2025 Easter holidays, and Irish tour operators like American Holidays, Tour America, American Sky and Sunway are also likely to package the direct flights with hotel deals.

The route is the latest in a bumper period of transatlantic expansion for Aer Lingus, which has just begun flying to Denver, Colorado, and the twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul in Minnesota.

Last year, it added a service to Cleveland, Ohio and restarted its Hartford, Connecticut service.

Together with older routes like New York, Chicago, Boston, LA, Seattle, Orlando and Miami, this brings its transatlantic services to 19 from Dublin and Shannon, with a further three from Manchester to North America and Barbados.

The airline’s ‘Dub Hub’ strategy aims to grow Dublin as a hub airport for travel between Europe and North America.

Six myths about Las Vegas – forget what you think you know