Las Vegas is one of the most visited cities on earth, and many folks from the Northwest of England go yearly.
There is so much to see and do in Las Vegas. The casinos have a huge array of slots and traditional table games, plus you can get to grips with how to play poker all along The Strip.
The Strip is best known as a playground for adults, where they can do almost anything. Hotel casinos come in a variety of styles, ranging from elaborate themes of bygone eras to modern, sleek structures covered in glass.
There are adult-only shows, nightclubs, and every type of casino game you can think of – and probably a few of which you haven’t heard about, too. Last orders are unheard of, and you never know who you might run into.
It’s Vegas, baby! But considering Las Vegas is such a popular destination, it is quite surprising and disappointing that there are no direct flights from Manchester Airport.
People who want to head to the glittering casinos and nightlife in Sin City must go to London first and fly from there.
Were there ever direct flights from Manchester to Las Vegas?
Well, yes, there were.
Virgin Atlantic was one of the only UK airlines offering direct flights from Manchester’s bustling airport to Las Vegas.
But in May 2020, it released a summer schedule, and the Manchester to Las Vegas route had mysteriously vanished.
Virgin Atlantic afterwards confirmed on Twitter that the route was no longer operating with immediate effect, and those who had already booked had their flights changed to depart from Heathrow Airport.
So, the big question is, which airline might gamble on putting on direct flights to Las Vegas?
Look at the schedules
We’ve done a bit of research, and currently, no airlines are offering direct flights from Manchester to Las Vegas.
However, we have found that you can get to Las Vegas from Manchester Airport – as long as you are prepared for stop-offs or connecting flights.
KLM Airlines and Air France depart from Manchester, but there’s a stop off at JFK Airport in New York before you finally reach Las Vegas.
Virgin Atlantic still flies to Las Vegas but, depending on when you book, there’s either a stop off at Amsterdam or JFK Airport (or you must go to London with an alternative airline and book a Virgin flight from Heathrow).
British Airways depart from Manchester but flies to London Heathrow first before departing to Las Vegas, and Ryanair departs from Manchester, but there are two stop-offs, one in Dublin and then again at JFK Airport.
Air Canada also offers flights to Las Vegas and departs from Manchester Airport with a stop-off/connection flight from Toronto.
Direct Flights to Vegas from Manchester? Are all bets off?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like any of the airlines that fly to Las Vegas and depart from Manchester Airport have any plans on the horizon to offer direct flights any time soon.
The COVID pandemic had a huge impact on the travel and hospitality industries, and although it hasn’t been confirmed, it’s probably down to this that Virgin Atlantic changed their flight schedules.
However, we think if anyone can, then Branson can and to be honest we would be pretty surprised if Las Vegas did not make a reappearance on the direct flights from Manchester schedule, as long as Virgin Atlantic keeps sufficient aircraft to support it.
Virgin Atlantic’s standing in Manchester has significantly improved since Thomas Cook’s demise. With the amenities of the new pier, including a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge, set to open this year, Virgin Atlantic could have a bright future at the airport. It appears weird that it has only five routes (Atlanta, New York, Barbados, JFK, and Orlando).
Summary
Direct flights are so much easier than having to stop off or get connecting flights to your destination; it kind of takes the fun out of the whole experience if you spend hours in different airports worldwide before you even get to where you want to go.
Virgin Atlantic did, however, announce recently that its Manchester to LA flights has been delayed again, and instead of 2022, they will now resume in the Summer of 2023. With this in mind, there does seem to be a little light at the end of the proverbial tunnel when it comes to direct flights to Las Vegas from Manchester.
It would also mean you could fly to LA and get one of the many domestic connecting flights to Vegas from there.
Hopefully, the direct flights will be resumed shortly, but all the airlines are playing their cards awfully close to their chests – so watch this space.
