Best route to Vegas

Random

There's so many options as to where to stop off when flying from Dublin to Vegas... anyone have any experience of which is more seemless?

I've been looking mainly at Expedia but suggests that we may be sitting around a few hours in each airport ?

Tabnabs

I'm looking at doing the trip in October and Dublin-Chicago-Vegas is the most direct route (American Airlines if I remember correctly).

Random

Is imigration done in Dublin or Chicago ? And is it a connecting flight?

Tabnabs

Immigration, dunno. Connecting flight is also AA (hopefully send the bags all the way through). So you leave Dublin 10.30 and arrive Vegas 16.30 ish. About two hours in Chicago.

Random

In your experience / research is this one of the cheaper ways to do it? Or would it be far cheaper going via Amsterdam or Paris or one of those ?

Tabnabs

It's a bit cheaper to go Aer Lingus to LA and then a connecting flight to Vegas, but it seemed pointless flying past Vegas only to have to go back in another plane. It can be done directly from London with Virgin, but the prices they quoted were huge. I didn't bother checking further away as it's a long enough hike and I would rather spend the money travelling from Dublin.

Random

You say that you leave Dublin 1030 and get to Vegas about 1630. These times are local? What's the total travel time? What's the total time in the air on each leg?


Cheers

Tabnabs

Both local times. I believe the Dublin to LA flight is 11 hours, so it will be less time than that for both flights (not including stop over). I hadn't checked the actual flight times, try the American Airlines website.

nhughes100

I went with Virgin a few years ago and had to fly over the night before as it was impossible to get a flight from Dublin to Gatwick early enough so I could check in for the Vegas flight on time.

Don't forget Atlanta is a major transport hub in the US and is well worth checking out for an internal flight. Also the airport in Vegas is surprisingly small with not much choice for food or duty free - just so you know on the way back. Has a few slot machines all the same lol.

Gran Hermano

Having traveled to Vegas via New York, Gatwick, Atlanta and San Francisco
over the years I'd recommend flying Dublin -> San Fran > Vegas.

Random

Gran Hermano wrote: »

Having traveled to Vegas via New York, Gatwick, Atlanta and San Francisco
over the years I'd recommend flying Dublin -> San Fran > Vegas.

More efficient? cheaper? Nicer?

thanks for the advice so far lads.

Gran Hermano

random wrote: »

More efficient? cheaper? Nicer?

thanks for the advice so far lads.

Can't comment on price as work pays; I do not look at the fares.

Dublin to NY is a long enough flight without another long internal flight in
the US. Plus JFK is a pain in the rear with paranoid security. I found

Atlanta: large and impersonal, not an airport I'd want to spend a few
hours waiting around. Internal US flight from Atlanta to Vegas isn't that
long.

Gatwick is Gatwick - nothing overly bad about it apart from the security in the UK akin to that in the US lately.

Dublin to San Francisco - You get the majority of the flying done on one
plane, I prefer just checking in/boarding and getting out at my destination.
The flight from San Fran to Vegas is about an hour and there's enough to
do in the airport to occupy you. There's numerous flights between the
two cities including the low-cost division of United to choose from.
Aer Lingus tend to use the new planes they purchased for the failed
Dubai route for the San Fran/LA routes so chances of getting a new
plane are high on at least one leg. Whether you clear US immigration
in Ireland is a lucky dip as only a certain number of all US flights daily
are cleared in Dublin.

I'd go for either Dublin/Gatwick to Vegas or Dublin to San Fran/Vegas.
There's a new early morning flight from Dublin to Gatwick which might
save you having to overnight in Gatwick the night before flying to Vegas.

rugbug86

We went with Virgin (best airline i've gone transatlantic with by far) via Gatwick. With Virgin there's a thing called Twilight Checkin whereby you can check in the day before. We left Dublin at 3pm, arrived in Gatwick at 4, checked in by 4.30 and got the train to London to visit family for the night, then back to Gatwick for the flight. Was heaven to not have to carry bags around, and we got the night in London. Plus the added benefit of no hanging around the airport.

However one downside was that we had to clear immigration in Vegas which sucked. Not what I wanted after an 11 hour flight! But it was worth it I think.

We also looked at flights Dub -> LA and then fly/drive to Vegas. Internal flights in the US are cheap. Try southwest (the ryanair of america, except decent - free food and drinks!!) as they accept irish credit cards.

mylesmc75

Dyflin wrote: »

I'm looking at doing the trip in October and Dublin-Chicago-Vegas is the most direct route (American Airlines if I remember correctly).

I think I am doing the same flight as you, also in october. I have a two hour stopover in Chicago and I was wondering if you or anyone else could tell me is that enough time to get through security and re check your bags for the vegas flight? I was told by american airlines that you can no longer check your bags straight through to your destination and now have to retrieve your bag at your first point of entry in the US.

BuffyBot

You'll have to pick your bag up on the carousel and pass through customs. The airlines normally have a desk after customs that you can drop your bag at and have it sent on to the onward flight

mumhaabu

I went Shannon - New York JFK - Las Vegas last time with Delta for €440 as part of my flight & Hotel package from ebookers.ie I went through Immigration and Customs at Shannon and in JFK had to claim my bag and take it to tranfers where it was transferred for me.

I flew into JFk upon my return but spent a few nights in New York before flying home from Newark with Continental, (I spent an additional $700 on a flight from Vegas to NY and from NY to Shannon as my ebookers Delta return flights were totally locked in and cannot be changed at all, I tried changing my flights and they wouldn' hence the additional $700 for two more flights. Hang onto the Green Slip in your passport at all times until leaving also, When I checked in for my flights home they tried taking it so I had to book a one-way from Vegas to NY.

I have been to Vegas once and it took me 18hrs via Shannon & JFK, other options include.

• Belfast International - Las Vegas with Thomas Cook Airlines, This is the only direct flight from the Island of Ireland to Las Vegas.
• Dublin - Atlanta - Las Vegas with Delta
• Dublin - JFK- Las Vegas with Aer lingus/JetBlue or Delta
• Dublin - LAX - Las Vegas with Aer Lingus and a US carrier of your choice
• Dublin - San Francisco - Las Vegas with Aer Lingus and a US carrier of your choice
• Dublin - Chicago O'Hare - Las Vegas with Aer Lingus and US carrier of your choice (booked seperatly) or American Airlines
• Dublin - Philadelphia - Las Vegas with US Airways
• Dublin - Newark - Las Vegas with Continental (Best change of a cheap fare imo)
• Dublin - Toronto-Pearson - Las Vegas with Air Canada
• Dublin - Vancouver - Las Vegas with Flyglobespan and a plethora of carriers from Vancouver to Las Vegas. (Flyglobespan are cheap but dodgy and Ryanairesque).

UK Options include

• Dublin - Manchester - Las Vegas with BMI
• Dublin - London Gatwick - Las Vegas with Virgin Atlantic

Also if that cheapfares.com site which was on here the other day is to be believed Las Vegas could be made off for nearly under €300 return!

jahalpin

I went to Vegas last month. I got a flight from DUB - LHR and then got a flight from LHR - SFO with United (Virgin is much better, however the flight was a lot cheaper with United)

I then stayed overnight in SF and flew to LAS with Virgin America the next day. Virgin America are, by far, the best US airline.

Glenbhoy

mylesmc75 wrote: »

I think I am doing the same flight as you, also in october. I have a two hour stopover in Chicago and I was wondering if you or anyone else could tell me is that enough time to get through security and re check your bags for the vegas flight? I was told by american airlines that you can no longer check your bags straight through to your destination and now have to retrieve your bag at your first point of entry in the US.

yeah, 8 hrs to chicago, 2 hr stopover, 4 hrs to vegas in ****ty ryanair type plane. You go thru immigration in chicago, should be 10/15 mins max - collect bags, should be pretty much waiting for you, then drop them off straight after collecting them, you basically are just verifying that the bag is yours. Then walk around and go thru security with all the other domestic passengers, a bit of a pain, but not too much hassle, then walk on to where you need to be and you'll have the best part of an hour before your vegas flight. It's easy enough, another example of the states going overboard in 'the war on terror', but what can you do.

Naked Lepper

doing the dublin - new york - las vegas route in a few months
the total price was like 900 euro return and flight takes 14 hours
shouldnt be too bad