Hello

I am relatively new to the aeroplan scene plus ive never been to vegas.

I have accommodations arranged for Tues Sept 2 (arriving) - Fri Sept 5 (depart). I just need to find a way to get down there.

I see that there is a direct flight from Air Canada (unfortunately no United so I cant use my $300 travel voucher from them), but its about $650 per person. So i figured maybe I could use AP points instead. From the rewards chart it looks like its 25k per longhaul trip.

Can i redeem a direct flight with these points? I assume there are very limited seats to redeem, so if its possible should i do it ASAP?

Should i wait closer to September to see if flight costs go down and just buy the tickets? Is that common for Vegas?

Not really sure what to do. I know there is a bonus if i book AC Rouge by Jan 31, but i doubt id get those bonuses if i got the flight with points.

Thank you for any insight you can provide.