Vegas via SFO/LAX?

Hi guys I hope this is in the correct forum!

Anyway... In early November I visited Vegas for the first time with the girlfriend, what an amazing place that is! We normally fly PE.. its expensive when paying for two [:#].

We would love to fly Upperclass but its too expensive for us! I have just over 30k miles and had a look on the reward seat part of the VS website and couldnt get any money + miles flights to Vegas for UC.

However we could get some to SFO/LAX, how easy is SFO to get a connecting flight to Vegas, has anyone done it?

Or should we stick with PE direct into Vegas...Last time within an hour of the plane touching the tarmac we were in our room at Encore Wynn!

Sorry for the long post, I am sure someone will be able to give us their opinions!

PS Heathrow is easier for us to get to compared to Gatwick, we live up in the North east and only have good flight times into LHR from Newcastle

Cheers

Chris

[HighFlyer]

Many of us on here fly into LAX or SFO for Vegas. I have done this myself and connecting at SFO is really easy, especially if you are flying Virgin America as you are in the same terminal for both flights.

Do it - it adds some time to the journey but if it means you get the UC experience from LHR then I think its worth the short connection. Connecting in the US is really easy, do leave at least 2 hours for your connection though, just in case.

Thanks,
Sarah

Thanks for your help, I have just looked on Virgin America and the flights are not too expensive!

May look at spending 48 hours in SFO, just to see another part of the world

Thanks Again

Chris

[Darren Wheeler]

SFO to LAS here too. It can work out cheaper than the direct route even with the extras. Plus it's no a flying zoo.

[Neil]

We did SFO when we went to LAS, very easy to do as Sarah has already pointed out. Doing a couple of days in San Fran itself is a good idea, just catch the BART straight in to the city, cheap and easy and then the same back.

Thanks guys, gonna book this then, cant wait for my first UC flight

Will also be a nice suprise for the Girlfriend too

[Neil]

Go for it, remember you need to book an upgradable S PE fare code to use your 30k miles to upgrade one way from PE to UC, so easier to call VS an do it over the phone rather than messing about online.

[HighFlyer]

quote:Originally posted by Neil
Go for it, remember you need to book an upgradable S PE fare code to use your 30k miles to upgrade one way from PE to UC, so easier to call VS an do it over the phone rather than messing about online.


Yup, and if you are not stopping over its worth checking the price that VS can do the connecting flight for. Sometimes it works out much cheaper than you can buy online, ad its also all on the same PNR (though sometimes it is more expensive so its worth checking your options).

Thanks,
Sarah

I would def do the indirect route via SFO - done it a couple of times, and not only do you get to use the Clubhouse at LHR, but you should have vPort on the plane as well.

I go to a place near Vegas for business frequently and always fly direct - easy, saves time and connections (always a bonus for me and given the 'present' security screening and the resulting long delays that is something to expect) so IF I was to go for pleasure, unless I was already palnning on going to SFO or LAX, I would fly direct.

I have never flown direct to Vegas on holiday as I much prefer flying out of LHR to LAX and SFO - V Port always wins!

I once connected with Southwest at LAX to fly across to Vegas. It was very easy as Terminal 1 that Southwest use at LAX is a two minute walk from Terminal 2 that VS use.

The majority of time though I have driven to Vegas from LAX which takes about 5 hours.

Got to agree with Tinks. I have done the same route and very easy it was. No more than 3 mins from terminal to terminal.

Iain

quote:Originally posted by Tinkerbelle
I have never flown direct to Vegas on holiday as I much prefer flying out of LHR to LAX and SFO - V Port always wins!

Conversely I have never flown indirectly to Vegas, I find McCarran immigration so much easier than LAS or SFO. SFO has always been relatively easy but considerably longer than my LAS experiences. LAX has given me 3 nightmare arrivals over the last 10 years (min 3 hrs from landing)and I detest it so much these days that I will not return.

Last May we went to SFO then rented a Jeep and ended up in Vegas via Yosemite, Mono Lake Lone Pine & Death valley [:)]

Mark

I'm a bit late with this one but...

Did Vegas in Sept which was superb - 8 of us went for a wedding.

Anyway, went direct from Gatwick - got a good Virgin Holidays deal.

However, the 'Gatwick Experience' is awful. I'd already done a Orlando trip in May, PE with the In-Laws to-be. It's like second rate PE.

No V.Port. No new PE seats. What;s really annoying is that even though I booked the May 09 trip (PE) in September '08 I couldn't get PE seats upstairs. I think they reserve most of these for Virgin Holidays customers and the Florida trip was booked independently. And downstairs PE on the Gatwick/Manchester fleet is rubbish. 850 a pop - didn't even get widow seats.

I'm sure that UC is great from any airport but I'd avoid Gatwick if i could - a couple of nights in SF or LA would be cool. And don't discount the drive from either SFO or LAX - particularly the former - it's a great experience.

quote:Originally posted by craigmonster
I'm sure that UC is great from any airport but I'd avoid Gatwick if i could - a couple of nights in SF or LA would be cool. And don't discount the drive from either SFO or LAX - particularly the former - it's a great experience.


I am with you. Next time I go to LAS it certainly won't be direct and a big part of that factor is the VS Gatwick 'experience'.