The Las Vegas Thread and MSE guide

duchy

nw_man wrote: »

We have travelled with Delta, American Airlines, United and US Airways and these carriers always fly you into their 'hub' airport. I forget which is which to be honest but I think Delta are Atlanta, US are Chicago.... cant remember the others. As far as we are concerned all are equally good and no 'hub' airport is any better nor worse than any other.

Delta is Atlanta and Cinncinatti NW is Detroit and Minniapolis AA is Chicago and JFK and Dallas US is Charlotte -Certain hubs are VASTLY superior to others.

Your luggage is automatically sent straight there... kiss it goodbye at your UK airport and then pick it up in Vegas.
COMPLETELY incorrect-you clear both immigration and customs at your first point of entry-you collect your bags after immigration-walk through customs and then put them either on a conveyor belt or in a designated spot (they will already be tagged through to Vegas)

You only do immigration once, at your point of entry to the US.
Correct (well something had to be !! )

No such thing as a dumb question, unless you DONT ask it, then regret not asking

Hope this helps

photome

TangoBunny wrote: »

Sorry I'm basing my prices on this years Sept 29th prices(I know they will be more next year)
I got them through Netflights.com as follows
Northwest Airlines London Heathrow £388View
US Airways London Gatwick £426View
Delta Airlines London Gatwick £430View
US Airways London Heathrow £435View
KLM & Northwest AirlinesPartnership .............London Heathrow £461View
Delta Airlines London Heathrow £485View
Northwest Airlines London Gatwick £560View
United Airlines London Heathrow £578View
Virgin Atlantic London Gatwick Direct Flights available £659View
Continental Airlines London Gatwick £661View
Continental Airlines London Heathrow £670View

I read your post wrong I thought you meant that NWA was £271 more than Virgin, seems a lot for the Virgin flight (it is a lot considering how rubbish it is) especially as they are cheaper in March next year, but I guess they wont be 3 months before the date

TangoBunny

October

I'm intending to book our flights as soon as they come out....last year I think the end Oct flights came out in Feb
Next year as we will be going a month earlier I'm expecting them to come out in Jan....correct me if I'm wrong.
Thanks everyone whos posted a reply so far

trets77

April

mils wrote: »

Hi all,

Could anyone please help us out here. At the moment were looking into booking accommodation between sept 16th - 25th (flights already booked) for 3 of us:

-Looking to spend £400 (400 x 3 = 1200)

- seems 1 room with 2 queens is going to work best

- ideally a strip view

-keeing the location central to the strip

At the moment we're finding that alot of the offers going on at the moment seem to only run upto just before we arrive. So i take it from this we should wait a little longer in the hope that better and longer offers may arise (covering our dates)???

Also does anyone know what the Palazzo is like to regarding the cost of things within the hotel?

any information received will be gratefully received, Thanks

Paul

p.s Could anyone reassure us on what the Virgin flights are like (who we've booked with) after reading ferf's recent experience??

as has been said you have a good budget , and with prices as low as they are you should get somewhere nice. Providing it is direct and a refundable offer ( over 90% are ) there is no harm in booking something now that is acceptable and then keeping your eyes open for something better. also a Post Office or Nationwide Credit Card ( or the new no fee one just released) really earn their corn here.

I agree with Photome , i have only walked around the Palazzo but i had the " I don't fit in here feeling". it is just to posh and elegant for a Tightwad money saver like myself. The Wynn has a similar effect on me , but not the undisputed champ of snobbishness The Bellagio ...go Figure .

My Fav place to stay after last visit is now Caesars , but we were lucky in that we were upgraded to the Augustus Tower with the $20 trick. location wise it is unbeatable , and it has plenty of luxury , but feels very welcoming to the like of me and the wife. downsides are it is HUGE , and if you self park , it can be 20 minute hike to your room. always use the valet if available.

the center strip place i most want to stay but have not yet is Paris . but i would also love to stay at Planet Hollywood . Mirage is a bit dated , but a perfectly acceptable place to stay mid strip IMO , i would stay there again if the deal was good. i doubt you would be unhappy at TI either.


As for reassurance about the Virgin flights I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you a gloomy outlook. the 1st time i took it , it was the worst flight i have ever had, but you have to weight up the negatives against it's one big positive ...it's direct , affordable and has good baggage allowance.

after last time , i vowed never to get on a Virgin 747 again , and have not changed my mind now i have had time to reflect. the seats are just to small , too uncomfortable , too badly configured. i really could not sit on them for longer than an hour without physically having to get up . add to this a huge very slow moving queue at McCarren every time ( over a hour and 20 mins in line last flight , despite arriving in good time :mad: ) grumpy staff, failing IFE ( the exact same experience ferf describes happened to us months earlier) , running out of drinks , being pinned to your seat with food tray for and hour if your foolish enough to accept a in flight meal, and taking a age to disembark , have all made me say , I'll take my business elsewhere even if that means indirect , or flying into LA and driving onto to Vegas.

if you have no other Trans Atlantic flight to compare it too , you might think what you have to endure on Gatwick to LV as the norm. but having flown a fair few different carriers ( and Virgins other routes) , i know what you should expect . Virgin into LV is the worst i have taken , yet Virgin into LAX is probably the best long haul flight i have had, but that is because they have competition on that route, and if they were providing the standard of product on The LAX route , like the LV route , they would be being eaten alive by their competitors .


best advice , book at least one Aisle seat so you are not locked in by a stranger , try to see if you can bag a bulkhead seat at check in ( you cannot advance book these ) and take plenty to keep you occupied . after that you need to weight up things . sitting at the back on way out will see you last in line for Border control, but there are a lot more toilets than needed at the back ( i sat in one for a good few hours last flight without being disturbed ) .

good luck and lets us know where you end up staying and on what offer

Your luggage is automatically sent straight there... kiss it goodbye at your UK airport and then pick it up in Vegas.

INCORRECT I'm afraid . you must collect your bags at point of entry , clear customs , then re check for onward flight. this because USA does not consider all external airport security to be upto it's own high standards, that and the need to go through customs with your declaration . on return trip your luggage will be checked to final destination of you connect in a USA airport.

pebblesmax

November/December

US Airways main hub is Philadelphia.

TangoBunny

October

So what are Northwest,US and Delta like to fly with
I'm assuming the Economy seats are more comfy/roomy as that seems to be the main gripe about Virgin.
Do you get free food/drinks and entertainment

nvh

May

TangoBunny wrote: »

I'm intending to book our flights as soon as they come out....last year I think the end Oct flights came out in Feb
Next year as we will be going a month earlier I'm expecting them to come out in Jan....correct me if I'm wrong.
Thanks everyone whos posted a reply so far

IIRC, flights usually come available approx.330days prior to flight dates

as for your price comparisons, remember that they will be a lot more expensive for september 2008 'now', than they would have been last Oct / Nov when they were first released. however if you budget for 'now' i suppose at least you may end up with some extra spending money

hope that helps

sew109

November/December

pebblesmax wrote: »

US Airways main hub is Philadelphia.

Sorry US Airs main Hub is actulaly Charlotte South Carolina loveley relaxed airport

duchy

I would not descrbe ANY economy seat as comfy or roomy :)American (fly up to 4 times a year with them) are reasonable and one that hasn't been mentioned which I like is Continental (hubs are Newark and Houston) but ask 10 people and you'll get 10 different opinions !!

luci

May

Correct, you have to pick up your luggage at your first point of entry in the US after you have cleared immigration. You then clear Customs and put your luggage on the transit belt or area for the flight to Vegas. At Vegas you will arrive in T1, the domestic terminal, where you just retrieve your luggage without going through immigration or Customs again.

And yes, scheduled flights come out 330 days ahead.