London to Vegas flights approved

Friday, Sept. 24, 1999 | 11:16 a.m.

Virgin Atlantic Airlines will begin nonstop service between London and Las Vegas early next year.

Randy Walker, director of the Clark County Department of Aviation, said Thursday that Virgin Atlantic has received permission from British authorities to offer flights from London's Gatwick International Airport to McCarran International Airport.

Walker said he expects the airline, headed by billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, to offer up to three flights a week initially.

A spokeswoman for Virgin Atlantic confirmed the airline had received permission to fly the route from Britain's Civil Aviation Authority, the equivalent of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

She said Las Vegas flights would begin next year, but details would not be released until after permission is officially received from U.S. officials.

"We're extremely excited about the possibilities," said Bill Mahaffey, manager of transportation for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. He said Las Vegas Partners -- a group of LVCVA, gaming and tourism officials -- has been pursuing direct European flights for years.

"London is one of our top three international markets," Mahaffey said. "Virgin Atlantic has been very enthusiastic about Las Vegas so there are some great possibilities. It is an opportunity that we have pursued for years, and we are hopeful that it will finally come to fruition."

Las Vegas has been high on Virgin Atlantic's list for years. Branson was in Las Vegas for the 1997 opening of his Virgin Megastore, a music store at the Forum Shops at Caesars.

He has gained notoriety as an adventurer and made several attempts to circle the globe in a balloon. Branson also introduced inflight gaming on some of his Virgin Atlantic flights to Asia and has publicly stated that he would be interested in owning a hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

Virgin Atlantic unsuccessfully attempted to enter the Las Vegas market in 1997 when a slot became available for a flight between the United States and Great Britain.

Under existing treaties between the two countries, the number of flights is limited to four airlines, two each from Britain and the United States.

When a slot became available in 1997, Virgin Atlantic's Las Vegas proposal competed with British Airways, which sought daily direct service between London and Denver. British aviation officials awarded the slot to British Airways.

Last year, Las Vegas aviation officials' hopes were dashed when the U.S. delegation walked out of talks for an "open skies" agreement that would have allowed easier access for British and U.S. airlines wanting to serve each other's countries.

Walker said Virgin Atlantic must now petition the U.S. State Department for permission to add a route between Gatwick, London's secondary international airport, and McCarran.

London is considered a key component in Las Vegas' efforts to generate more international flights. London is the top gateway to Europe with Gatwick and Heathrow airports offering flights linking the city to most European population centers.

Virgin Atlantic uses Boeing 747 jumbo jets to connect London with South Africa, Greece, Japan, Hong Kong, Shanghai and the Caribbean. It presently offers three flights a day between London and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, two each to Los Angeles; Newark, N.J.; and Orlando, Fla., and one a day to San Francisco, Miami, Boston and Washington's Dulles International Airport. The airline plans to inaugurate daily service to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport later this year.

The London slot became available when British Airways opted to discontinue nonstop service between London and Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is a hub for a British Airways partner, USAirways.

On the related topic, Walker told the Asian Chamber of Commerce that nonstop flights from Tokyo will hit a new level next month when Northwest Airlines and Japan Airlines combine to offer eight nonstop flights a week to McCarran.

Walker said getting two incoming flights from Tokyo on Sunday illustrated a growing problem for the airport -- how to accommodate more than one Boeing 747 jet at a time.

When a 747 arrives within an hour of another, lines to U.S. Customs and Immigration and Naturalization Services at McCarran's international terminal grow unwieldy, Walker said.

The 747 can carry more than 400 passengers. Walker said McCarran officials had to negotiate modified arrival times for Japan and Northwest flights in October because lines would have gotten too long for deplaning passengers. In November, flight schedules change and the arrivals will be far enough apart to avoid congestion.

To solve the problem, McCarran will spend $3 million to remodel the international terminal and expand the number of counters from 10 to 16. Walker said an additional baggage claim area also would be built. The project is under design and should be added by 2001.

The ultimate solution for accommodating international flights is to build a new terminal, but that isn't expected to occur for several years. In the meantime, McCarran officials have begun designing a new wing at the airport's new D gates.

The terminal eventually will be an X shape. The bottom two extensions of the X are in place and airport officials expect to add the northwestern extension next as Las Vegas-based National Airlines grows and Southwest Airlines fills up the C gates.

Walker said more international flights are being negotiated.