Las Vegas airport welcomes back overseas travelers with a flourish

The first transatlantic flight in almost 20 months landed in Las Vegas on Monday afternoon, greeted by two waving showgirls at the airfield of McCarran International Airport.

The flight arrived in Las Vegas as the US fully reopened its borders with Mexico and Canada on Monday, lifting travel restrictions that covered most of Europe. The end of restrictions could give a boost to the Las Vegas economy and a travel industry decimated by the pandemic.

The Boeing 787 with more than 250 passengers landed just before 2:30 p.m. and marked the end of the nearly 11-hour Virgin Atlantic Airways flight 155 from London’s Heathrow Airport.

Clark County’s Aviation Department director Rosemary Vassiliadis said she and other area tourism officials have been counting the days for overseas flights to return since they were stopped on March 17, 2020 – St. Patrick’s Day.

“It took a long time,” said Vassiliadis, who was standing at the airfield with the Virgin plane directly behind her. “We expected this day.”

She said when Las Vegas opened in 2020 and US visitors returned, it felt like “the pent-up demand would carry over to international (travel)”.

Effects of International Travel

It’s well documented that international travelers stay longer and spend more money than most domestic travelers, but the emergence of flights and passengers direct from overseas shows the potential impact of the new travel policy.

According to McCarran statistics, 3.8 million international passengers arrived at Las Vegas Airport in 2019, with 27 different airlines offering scheduled flights at some point in the year. Eight other airlines offered a small number of charter flights.

H. Fletch Brunelle, vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said travelers from England, like those who arrived on Monday, make up 13 percent of international travelers who come to Las Vegas.

“Number three, just behind Canada and Mexico,” said Brunelle. “Fantastic to see this market return.”

International travel to Las Vegas is gradually ramping up, with British Airways returning next week, followed by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and COPA Airlines (Latin America), Vassiliadis said.

Vassiliadis said the full recovery in international travel is likely not expected until April, when airlines fill out their summer flight schedules.

The LVCVA was on site in McCarran to greet the international travelers and distribute Las Vegas-style swag to passengers arriving on the long-awaited flight.

The return of the transcontinental traveler is also having a positive impact on business travel, Brunelle said.

“In a normal year before the pandemic, we had around 6.5 million business travelers at the destination, 15 to 17 percent of them international,” said Brunelle. “When we go to CES, some of our shows are actually 30-40 percent international. At CES in particular, we usually have various flights that are brought in on a charter basis. Air France has even announced that it will introduce some charter flights for the CES this year. The same goes for El Al and Korean Airlines. “

The immediate effects of this were seen on Monday when Englishman Carlo Zoccali landed in Las Vegas to attend the IMEX America exhibition, which begins Tuesday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Zoccali said he attended the show for seven years before the COVID-19 pandemic ended his annual trip to southern Nevada.

“It took a long time,” said Zoccali. “The (IMEX) starts tomorrow so great timing… It’s been hard not to come back year after year so it’s great to be back. Besides meeting people it will be great to come back to the tables and of course the food and the party lifestyle that Las Vegas has to offer every time I come. “

The new rules lift restrictions on air travel from some countries, which date back to the early days of the pandemic – as long as travelers provide proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test.

“It was really easy,” Zoccali said of the process. “Everything went smoothly. It’s fantastic to be back and doing everything to travel again. “

Some vaccines not approved

The US will accept travelers fully vaccinated with any of the World Health Organization’s emergency vaccinations, not just those in the US. That’s a relief for many in Canada, where the AstraZeneca vaccine is widely used.

But millions of people around the world who have been vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V, China’s CanSino, or any other vaccine not approved by the World Health Organization will not be able to travel to the United States

Airlines are preparing for a surge in activity – especially from Europe – after the pandemic and resulting restrictions slumped international travel.

The 28 European countries that were locked under the US policy that just ended accounted for 37 percent of foreign visitors in 2019, according to the US Travel Association. With the reopening going into effect, airlines will increase flights between the UK and the US this month by 21 percent compared to the previous month, according to data from travel and analysis company Cirium.

Aside from the business implications, there is also the human side to consider. Many family members have not seen each other since the start of the pandemic, but with the resumption of overseas flights, many happy reunions will take place, as became clear on Monday when some passengers were greeted with bear hugs and excitement from waiting family members.

Among them was Scott Allison, who lives in Las Vegas and whose parents Rosie and Andrew Allison flew in on the Virgin flight. Allison said he hadn’t seen his parents in nearly two years and he was eager to see them in person.

“I’m so happy we’ve made video calls every week for nearly two years,” said Allison. “It’s great that we (Allison and his husband) moved here from the Bay Area last year so we can show them our new home and neighborhood.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.