Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Korean Air’s Asian routes could make LV flights work

SEOUL, South Korea - Korean Air is about to embark on a new mission - delivering Chinese tourists nonstop from this capital city to Las Vegas.

The airline will fly the route three times a week beginning Sept. 22, tapping an Asian market that might otherwise be abandoned because Japan Airlines is dropping its Tokyo-Las Vegas service .

JAL's departure makes two Asian airlines that have tried and failed to develop what Nevada tourism officials have trumpeted as a can't-miss market.

What makes the leadership of Korean Air feel they can succeed where JAL and Singapore Airlines have not?

Korean Air has the edge in connecting other Asian routes, said KD Han, general manager of the airline's route management team for the Americas.

Korean Air recently acquired the rights to fly three daily nonstop flights each between its Seoul hub and Beijing and Shanghai, which have been heavily targeted by Nevada and Las Vegas marketing campaigns.

For several years, Nevada officials and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority leaders have traveled around mainland China, pitching Las Vegas as an entertainment mecca and rural Nevada for its wide-open spaces and the home of the Wild West cowboys.

"Bonanza" reruns are popular on Chinese TV, and a trip to the Ponderosa ranch near Lake Tahoe might be as desirable as a night at Caesars Palace. Some Chinese tourists are devastated when they learn the ranch has closed.

Nevada was the first U.S. state to open a government-licensed tourism office in Beijing more than two years ago, and the staff successfully pitches Nevada to Chinese tour operators and travel agents as a fun place to see shows, eat, shop and visit the Grand Canyon. The Chinese government, however, forbids the Nevada office from promoting gambling.

Korean Air hopes to tap Chinese interest in Nevada, offering 17 flights across China - more routes there than it offers in its home country. From the airline's international hub at the ultramodern Incheon International Airport, Korean flies directly to 60 Asian destinations. Korean's global reach is extensive: 92 cities in 32 countries.

Han said Korean Air will press harder than previous Asian carriers to identify Las Vegas as the gateway overseas for residents of Denver, Salt Lake City and Phoenix. Already, Korean Air has agreements to connect Delta, Northwest and Continental passengers to Asia from Las Vegas.

Advertising campaigns in western U.S. cities to promote that partnership are under way, pitching the fact that not only is the flying time from Las Vegas to Korea virtually the same as it is from West Coast gateways, but that since there are fewer international flights operating at McCarran, U.S. Customs delays are minimized.

John Jackson, Korean Air's North American marketing chief, estimates that 5,000 passengers a year from Denver, Salt Lake City and Phoenix will fly to Asia out of Las Vegas.

The airline has taken the advice of McCarran officials to schedule the arrival of Korean Air's flights late in the afternoon - perfect for hotel check-ins - and at different days and times than the arrivals of flights from Europe. The return flight will leave about midnight, getting passengers to Seoul about 6 a.m., a good time for most connecting flights.

While JAL flew four-engine fuel-guzzling Boeing 747 jets with capacities of more than 400 passengers, Korean will fly the more efficient twin-engine Boeing 777 that seats 300. (A 747 will be used for the heavily subscribed inaugural flight.)

Han predicted the Las Vegas route will grow into a daily operation. Executives with other Asian airlines made the same prediction but faced obstacles.

Singapore Airlines discontinued its nonstop flights between Las Vegas and Hong Kong after the SARS outbreak curtailed Asian travel and fears about traveling after the start of the war with Iraq.

JAL's cutback is part of an overall reduction by that airline, with most of the pullback focused on removing marginal international routes in favor of more profitable domestic flights.

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