Your Ultimate Guide to Booking Cheap Flight Tickets to Las Vegas: Tips, Tricks & Tools

Las Vegas is one of the easiest cities in North America to fly to. Huge numbers of flights arrive every day from across the United States and Canada, many airlines compete for the traffic, and the airport sits just a short ride from the Strip. That competition is why cheap flights to Las Vegas are genuinely possible. But Vegas also has a pricing quirk that trips up first-time visitors: the cost of a trip is driven less by the weather than by the event calendar. A fare that looks cheap can come with hotel rates that have soared because a major convention is in town. This guide explains how Las Vegas pricing works, the cheapest times to go, when to book, how to choose airlines and fares, how to think about packages, what to know about the airport and getting to your hotel, and how to keep the total cost of the trip down. It is part of our flight booking series, which starts with our guide to the best time to book cheap flights and hotels.

The short answer

Check the event calendar before anything else. Big conventions, fight nights, race weekends and holidays push up both fares and hotel rates. Fly and stay midweek if you can: Sunday through Thursday nights are usually far cheaper than weekends. Book about one to three months ahead for ordinary domestic trips, and earlier for holiday weekends and major events. Compare the full price, including bags and seats on the flight and resort fees at the hotel. Consider a flight and hotel package, which can be good value in Las Vegas, but compare it with booking separately. And fly into Harry Reid International Airport, formerly known as McCarran, which is only a short drive from the Strip. You can compare fares across a whole month on our Las Vegas flights page.

Why Las Vegas flights can be cheap, and why they sometimes are not

Las Vegas is a leisure destination on a massive scale, with a very large number of hotel rooms and flights from almost every major city on the continent. Airlines add capacity to Vegas because they know they can fill it, and that capacity creates competition, especially on routes where several airlines fly the same city pair. Low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers are strong in Vegas, which puts pressure on fares from the larger airlines too.

The flip side is that demand is lumpy. When a trade show with tens of thousands of attendees comes to town, or a championship fight or race weekend sells out, seats and rooms fill fast and prices climb. Weekends are busy almost all year, because Vegas is a classic weekend getaway from Southern California and other Western cities. Understanding those two patterns, events and weekends, is most of the battle.

When to go: the cheapest and priciest times

Las Vegas is a desert city. Summers are very hot, winters are mild during the day and cool at night, and spring and fall are pleasant. But weather is only one factor. Here is how the year usually plays out.

The cheapest windows tend to be midweek dates in January outside the trade show, parts of February, midsummer weekdays and quiet stretches in early December. But the only reliable way to know is to check the calendar for your dates. The official tourism site, Visit Las Vegas, lists major events and conventions, and our Las Vegas events page shows concerts and shows. For a month-by-month view of weather, crowds and fares, read our guide to the best time to fly to Las Vegas.

Days of the week

Vegas has one of the strongest weekday and weekend patterns in travel. Flights into Las Vegas on Thursday and Friday and home on Sunday are the busiest, and hotel rates on Friday and Saturday nights can be far higher than on a Tuesday or Wednesday at the same property. A Sunday-to-Wednesday or Monday-to-Thursday trip usually costs much less than a Thursday-to-Sunday one. If you must go on a weekend, consider arriving Saturday instead of Friday, or leaving Monday instead of Sunday, and compare the totals.

When to book

For flights within or to the United States booked at least seven days before departure, most airlines let you cancel within 24 hours without penalty. Use that window to confirm your hotel dates line up with your flights, and remember that a late-evening departure from the East Coast lands in Vegas the same night because of the time difference, while an overnight flight home lands the next morning.

Choosing airlines and fares

Las Vegas is served by the large network airlines, by value airlines such as Southwest, which has long been one of the biggest carriers at the airport, and by several ultra-low-cost carriers. Each sells different things for the same headline price.

Airline bag and seat policies have changed repeatedly in recent years, so check the current rules on each airline’s own site rather than relying on reputation. Then add up the total. A group of friends checking bags for a long weekend can easily find that a standard fare on one airline beats a bare-bones fare on another. Our carry-on size guide explains how to measure your bag against airline limits, and our flight details guide decodes fare brands.

Choosing where to fly from

If you live near more than one airport, compare them. In Southern California, for example, flights to Vegas leave from LAX, Burbank, Long Beach, Ontario, Orange County and San Diego. In the Bay Area, compare SFO, Oakland and San Jose. In Canada, several cities have nonstop service to Las Vegas, especially in winter, and larger Canadian airports such as Toronto Pearson offer U.S. preclearance, so you complete U.S. border formalities before departure and land in Vegas as a domestic passenger. Our flights from Toronto and flights from Los Angeles pages are useful starting points.

Should you fly to a different city and drive?

For most travelers, no. Harry Reid International is the obvious airport for Las Vegas, and fares into it are usually competitive because of the volume of flights. Flying into Los Angeles and driving across the desert adds several hours each way plus a rental car and fuel. That said, many Southern Californians skip flying entirely, and the drive can make sense for a group or as part of a larger road trip. Our Los Angeles to Las Vegas road trip page covers that route, and combining Vegas with the national parks of the Southwest is a classic trip that needs a car anyway.

Flight and hotel packages

Las Vegas is one of the destinations where packages often make sense. Hotels have a lot of rooms to fill, especially midweek, and packaging a room with a flight lets them discount without publicly cutting their room rates. A package can save money, but only if you compare it properly.

• Price the pieces separately. Search the same flights and hotel on their own, add taxes and resort fees, and compare with the package total.
• Check the room type and fees. Make sure the package includes the room you want and that resort fees are included or clearly shown.
• Read the change and cancellation rules. Packages bundle conditions too. A nonrefundable package is a risk if your dates might move.
• Check the flight times. A cheap package with a 6 a.m. departure and a late-night return may not be the trip you want.

If you book separately, book the flight first and a refundable hotel right after, then recheck the hotel rate before your cancellation deadline. Our hotel booking tips guide walks through the process.

Hotels: where the real savings are

On many Vegas trips, the hotel is a bigger cost than the flight, so it deserves as much attention.

• Resort fees. Most Strip hotels charge a mandatory daily resort fee on top of the room rate. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission’s rule on hotel junk fees requires the total price including mandatory fees to be shown up front. Compare totals, not nightly rates. Parking fees are separate at many resorts.
• Strip or downtown. Staying on the Strip puts you in the middle of the action. Downtown, around Fremont Street, is often cheaper and has its own character. Compare on our Strip hotels and downtown Fremont Street hotels pages.
• Midweek nights. The same room often costs much less on a Tuesday than on a Saturday.
• Off-Strip properties. Hotels a short ride from the Strip can be good value, but factor in the cost of getting to and from the places you want to go.

Search all Las Vegas hotels on our Las Vegas hotel page.

At Harry Reid International Airport

Harry Reid International Airport (code LAS) was renamed from McCarran International in 2021. It is only a few miles from the Strip, one of the most convenient major airports in the country for a city center. It has two passenger terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, and different airlines use different terminals, so check yours before you arrive, especially for your flight home. The airport’s official site has terminal, parking and ground transportation information, and our Harry Reid airport guide covers the essentials.

Getting to your hotel

• Taxi: taxis wait at designated ranks outside baggage claim. The ride to most Strip hotels is short.
• Ride-hailing: app-based rides pick up at designated areas, usually in the parking garages; follow the signs.
• Shuttles: shared shuttles serve the Strip and downtown hotels.
• Public bus: the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada runs buses from the airport; check routes and fares on the RTC website.
• Rental car: rental companies operate from a consolidated rental car center reached by shuttle bus from the terminals.

Do you need a car at all? For a Strip-focused trip, usually not: parking fees, traffic and walking between neighboring resorts make a car more trouble than it is worth. For day trips to Red Rock Canyon, the Hoover Dam or the national parks, it is essential. Our guide to whether you need a rental car in Las Vegas weighs it up, and you can compare prices on Las Vegas car rentals.

Flying home

Security lines at LAS can be long on Sunday afternoons and after big events, when tens of thousands of visitors head home at once. Allow extra time, check which terminal your airline uses, and make sure your ID meets the REAL ID requirement: TSA began enforcing it on May 7, 2025, and its REAL ID page lists accepted documents. Keep liquids within TSA’s 3-1-1 rule if you are carrying on.

Tips that save money, and myths that do not

Worth doing

• Search a whole month. A fare calendar shows the cheap days at a glance.
• Set price alerts. Watch your route for a few weeks to learn what a normal fare is.
• Watch for airline sales. Vegas is a staple of fare sales, including the late-November sales around Black Friday and Cyber Monday; our guide to Cyber Monday flight deal destinations explains how to judge whether a sale fare is really a deal.
• Travel light. A carry-on-only trip avoids checked bag fees and the wait at baggage claim.
• Use points where they are worth it. Compare the points price with the cash fare; on busy weekend flights, points can be good value.
• Consider early and late flights. First flights of the morning and red-eyes are often cheaper, but price in the lost sleep and any extra hotel night.
• Book the show and the hotel for the same dates. Check the events calendar before you fix dates so the trip is built around what you want to see.

Not worth your time

• Incognito mode. There is little evidence that airlines raise fares because you searched before. Prices change because seats sell.
• Booking on a particular weekday. The day you fly matters; the day you buy mostly does not.
• Waiting for last-minute deals on a weekend. Vegas weekends rarely get cheaper as they approach.

Group trips and special occasions

Las Vegas is a favorite for bachelor and bachelorette parties, milestone birthdays, reunions and weddings, and group trips have their own booking challenges. The more people involved, the more a small difference per person adds up, and the harder it is to find seats together at a good price.

• Fix the dates early. Agree on dates before anyone books, and check the event calendar first so the group does not land on a convention week.
• Let people book their own flights. Group members flying from different cities usually do better booking their own fares and meeting in Vegas, rather than trying to buy one block of tickets.
• Agree on bag and seat expectations. One person on an ultra-low fare with no carry-on and another on a standard fare can end up paying very different totals for the same trip.
• Book rooms early and flexibly. For weekend group trips, book refundable rooms as soon as the dates are set. Suites and connecting rooms go first.
• Plan the airport runs. Arrivals spread across the day make a single shuttle impractical; taxis and ride-hailing are simpler for small groups.
• Book shows and restaurants in advance. Popular shows and group dinners on Saturday night sell out; our Las Vegas events page shows what is on.

For weddings and other fixed-date events, book flights as soon as the date is confirmed. Fares for a specific Saturday rarely get cheaper as it approaches.

Planning the rest of the trip

A cheap flight leaves more for the things you actually went for. Our guide to things to do in Las Vegas covers the Strip, downtown, shows, food and day trips, including Red Rock Canyon and the Hoover Dam. If you are planning a group trip, such as a bachelor or bachelorette weekend, the rules in this guide matter even more: book early for weekends, compare packages and check bag rules for everyone. And if you want to combine Vegas with other destinations, our guide to booking cheap local flights in the USA covers short-haul pricing across the country.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Booking flights before checking the event calendar. A cheap fare on a convention week is not a cheap trip.
• Comparing hotel rates without resort fees. Compare totals.
• Defaulting to Friday to Sunday. Shifting by a day can cut the cost significantly.
• Choosing an ultra-low fare for a bag-heavy trip. Add the bag fees first.
• Renting a car you will not use. Parking fees and traffic make a car a poor value for a Strip-only trip.
• Cutting it close on the way home. Sunday security lines can be long.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest month to fly to Las Vegas?

There is no single cheapest month, because big events move prices more than the season. Midweek dates in January outside the major trade show, parts of February, midsummer weekdays and early December are often good value. Check the event calendar and a fare calendar for your dates.

How far in advance should I book a flight to Las Vegas?

About one to three months ahead for ordinary domestic trips, two to four months from Canada, and earlier for holiday weekends, New Year’s Eve and major events.

What is the cheapest day to fly to Las Vegas?

Midweek days, especially Tuesday and Wednesday, are often cheaper than Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Hotels follow the same pattern, so a midweek trip usually saves on both.

Are flight and hotel packages to Las Vegas worth it?

They can be, especially midweek. Compare the package with the flight and hotel booked separately, including resort fees, and read the change rules before you pay.

What is the airport in Las Vegas called now?

Harry Reid International Airport, code LAS. It was renamed from McCarran International in 2021, and the airport code did not change.

Do I need a car in Las Vegas?

Not for a trip focused on the Strip. For day trips to Red Rock Canyon, the Hoover Dam or the national parks, a car is the easiest option.

Are last-minute Las Vegas deals real?

Sometimes, for midweek trips when nothing big is happening in town. On weekends and during events, prices usually rise as the date approaches.

Is it cheaper to fly into Los Angeles and drive?

Rarely, once you add the rental car, fuel and the hours on the road. It can make sense as part of a longer road trip or for a group driving together from Southern California.

Ready to plan your trip? Search a whole month of fares on our Las Vegas flights page to find the cheapest days, check the events calendar for your dates, then compare total prices on our Las Vegas hotels page. For more on timing, read our guide to the best time to book cheap flights and hotels.