No Vegas international flights cut

Wednesday, March 19, 2003 | 11:14 a.m.

Three international carriers serving McCarran International Airport say they have no immediate plans to curtail service to Las Vegas despite plans for cutbacks at other U.S. destinations they serve in response to impending war in Iraq.

Officials at McCarran and with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority also say there has been no word from jittery domestic air carriers about trimming service to Las Vegas.

"They all have contingency plans, but they haven't said anything about cutting service here," said Harry Kassap, manager of air service development at McCarran.

Some analysts have suggested that Las Vegas is relatively well positioned because its largest carrier, Southwest Airlines, is the healthiest domestic airline in the aviation industry.

Aviation analyst Mike Boyd of the Boyd Group, Evergreen, Colo., said the industry is in further turmoil now because fuel prices are so unstable. Boyd said the only hope for some airlines to maintain stability is for a quick end to the war and a speedy rebound of consumer confidence.

International service cutbacks are most likely for flights directly to and from Middle East destinations. However, airline officials are anticipating all travel demand to fall when the conflict with Iraq begins.

Singapore Airlines, which introduced nonstop service between Hong Kong and Las Vegas last summer, has no plans for service reductions, but spokesman James Boyd said the situation is being closely monitored.

James Boyd said the airline already has begun attempting to form new alliances with Strip properties for package deals that would encourage tourism from Southeast Asia. He said the pre-emptive move is not an indication that demand is weak, although Asian tourists traditionally have shown the most caution about traveling in times of turmoil.

Demand for flights to Las Vegas fell dramatically from Asia following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and Japan Airlines discontinued Tokyo-Las Vegas flights for five months because demand was so low.

Representatives of Japan Airlines could not be reached for comment on plans for Las Vegas during the Iraq war. The airline currently offers three round trips a week between Tokyo and Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, demand for Las Vegas vacations remains strong from London.

"We're definitely committed to Las Vegas because demand has been high and it's a very popular destination out of the U.K. (United Kingdom)," said Wendy Buck, a spokeswoman for Virgin Atlantic Airlines, London.

Buck said Virgin Atlantic would continue to operate two round trips a day between London's Gatwick International Airport and McCarran and the company is still planning to add a third flight in September.

Aeromexico, which has a daily round trip between Hermosillo, Mexico, and Las Vegas and two flights a day between Monterey, Mexico, and Las Vegas, also has no plans to curtail service because of the war.

Airline spokeswoman Mayte Sera Weitzman said the airline's analysts have cut back flights between Mexico and some U.S. destinations, like Houston and Dallas.

"We have no plans to reduce anything to Las Vegas, it's a very good market for us," Weitzman said. "Everything depends on supply and demand and right now, demand has held."

Aeromexico and Mexicana Airlines, which has twice-a-week service between Guadalajara and Las Vegas, both announced travel policies that would eliminate penalties on passengers who want to change their reservations after booking travel.

Aeromexico's policy will enable passengers to make changes in itineraries without penalty fees through December.

Several domestic airlines also have enacted those types of policies to encourage customers to book travel without fear of losing money if the war leads to changes in plans.