The world is huge

Don't miss any of it

Travel news, itineraries, and inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.

By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

X

Las Vegas Travel Still Plummeting

It should shock no one that Las Vegas’ McCarran Airport posted its sixteenth—yes, sixteenth—consecutive month of traffic decline in February. Sin City has been battered by both a recession and widespread public rebuke of corporate travel, which makes up a large portion of the city’s tourism dollars. No, the question now isn’t why Las Vegas is struggling, it’s “when will it end?”

Good question. Recent trends suggest it will be a while. US Airways, one of Las Vegas’ major airlines, saw traffic drop 34.5 percent this February compared to last. Southwest experienced a drop as well, but only (and I use that word loosely) 9.3 percent, which may indicate more passengers are choosing the low-cost carrier over its legacy-line rival. Still, even Southwest is struggling in Las Vegas, a sure sign that interest in the city is low.

Which, of course, means great deals for anyone who wants to go. Our resident Deal Detective, Kate Hamman, has covered Vegas deals twice recently (check out her recent articles, 10 Best Las Vegas Deals of the Year and Top Five Las Vegas Reader Questions Answered), and she could probably write about Vegas deals every week if she wanted. So even though this horse has been … well, you know … I’ll say it once more: If Vegas is your thing, this is the time to go.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

Top Fares From