Las Vegas - What time should I fly out???

Odd one this, but I'm hoping your collective wisdom will prove valuable.

Plotting a quick trip over to Vegas, but using awards.

I have a choice of flying back home at 9pm on a Saturday or 6am on a Sunday.

I'm thinking that the Saturday flight might be better - with a 6am flight it'd be a 4am alarm call so 11pm into bed at the latest.

9pm flight on a Saturday - leave the strip at 7.30pm? So lose less than 4hrs (and save a bundle on not being in a Vegas hotel on a Saturday night)?

Very interested to hear any thoughts, especially on what time I'd need to leave the strip. It's a leisure/business mix, but I can't imagine i'd be doing much worthwhile networking after 8pm after a conference breaks up...

Thanks in advance

Tony

You should find no shortage of things to do in Vegas until 300am or 330am on a Saturday night, then head to the airport.

What on earth would you need a hotel room for in Vegas on a Saturday night anyway? :)

You should find no shortage of things to do in Vegas until 300am or 330am on a Saturday night, then head to the airport.

What on earth would you need a hotel room for in Vegas on a Saturday night anyway? :)

Plus 1!

You should find no shortage of things to do in Vegas until 300am or 330am on a Saturday night, then head to the airport.

What on earth would you need a hotel room for in Vegas on a Saturday night anyway? :)

Agreed with this... if I had the option I would want to stay the extra night, not in a hotel but just out around town.

Then again it might be hard to remember to catch your flight if you are really having a good time.

For sanity's sake, I'd do Saturday night.

I've seen people stumble in for an early morning Sunday flight, and it ain't pretty - guys in their clubbing clothes, stinking drunk, and exhausted. I don't think they had problems sleeping on the plane on the way home. :) It was funny checking out my hotel at 5:00 a.m. watching people just coming back from a night out.

7:30 is about the right time to leave. McCarran isn't very far.

Just got back from Vegas, and had a 6:30 a.m. flight on a Sunday. The lines at TSA were huge, as so many flights depart between 6 and 10 a.m.
We were staying at Wynn, and left the hotel around 5 a.m., and that was adequate. At that time of the morning, it's about 15 minutes to McCarran. We had no luggage check, had our boarding passes printed the night before, so it was just getting through security. Our flight also required taking the "monorail" (to C or D terminal), which adds on a few minutes getting to the gate.

Since hotels will all hold luggage, I'd opt for the Sunday flight and enjoy an extra night in Vegas. Besides, getting to McCarran (and getting a taxi) is not as easy on Saturday night at 7:30 pm as many people are heading off to dinner or shows. However, security lines at McCarran are at least shorter at night.
Go for the extra night, you can sleep in flight!

A couple of questions would be how many nights are you planning on staying and are you flying back to the UK?

If you already staying a few nights you may be ready to head home by Saturday evening, otherwise you may wish to hang on until early Sunday, only if you have a room. I personally would not want to check out at noon on Saturday and be homeless until early Sunday morning without the ability to shower, etc., especially if you are flying back to the UK. I have done the red eye to Chicago a number of times and it makes for a long day, especially if the trip isn't going well from a gambling standpoint. The only way I'll do that now is on a room offer where I can check out 'early' on my last day at 11PM.

Each person's considerations are different. For example, mine would be:
-With a late flight, I wouldn't have access to a rooml unless I the hotel has provisions for a day rate the last day (and that usually just goes until 5 or 6 or so, IF they have such a rate). Hotel will normally strore bags.
-My wife hates to get up early, so waking up for an early morning flight could be tough.

I would think traffic on the Strip could be heavy on a Saturday night. Taxi driver could well be able to avoid it, however.

Remember the airport terminal has slot machines, so if you haven't lost enough money by then, you can lose more before you board.

Do remember that checkout at the hotel is around noon. What ya gonna do al that time before the flight? Might save you money but then u have packed your belongings and don't have the place to get to when you want to get away from Vegas.

Yes mornings can be really busy at the airport. If headed east, it will take ya all day to get home, so leave early. Many just stay up all night, maybe a nap during the day Saturday. Then get to the airport earlier, deal with the crowd and sleep on the plane. What else ya got to do on the plane? This has always been my choice. Catch a last show, a last great meal on Saturday after a great casual day. Up really early or just never have gone to bed. And get on my flight (and away from the family I was actually visiting in Vegas).

Hadn't realised that this thread was still rumbling on without me.

Problem was solved by being able to bag an 11am flight out on the Sunday, which is ^.

Just to add, if I was flying out early on the Sunday morning I'd have kept the room on the Saturday night - I'm too old for all nighters...

Thanks all for your inputs!