Geordie405

I live here in Las Vegas and I try and avoid The Strip as much as possible! I wouldn't want to be one of our esteemed Mayor's guinea pigs! The only time I voluntarily go to The Strip is if I'm seeing a concert, or on the odd occasion we have friends in town who haven't been before and then we'll show them around. Other than that I much prefer downtown and the Arts District where there's a growing attraction with brew pubs etc.

In terms of aircraft type to Las Vegas, hopefully it will remain the 747. I am not a fan of the 380. I am not sure if the BA configuration of the 787 can operate all year round, so that might be an alternative if they don't want to send a 777 here?

Tobias-UK

Couldn’t agree more

FlyerTalker7654

Also live here. While I do agree we need anyone and everyone to come back, the reality is, everything is based on how the economy plays out. Who is going to come from California for a weekend and drop $1k plus when they are behind on their mortgage/rent? Even if you are not, and have some sort of job security, people will now be more careful with their money. The same can then be said for the international traveller.

Are people seriously going to go and drop $500 on a bottle at a night club, spend $19 plus on one drink on the strip? Makes you wonder how hotels such as M Resort, Green Valley and Red Rock will make it.

Wonder if BA will have enough demand for 1 777/747 let alone 2 flights a day?? Time will only tell.

Geordie405

Loadings to LAS have always been good. With the demise of Thomas Cook, the only direct flights to / from the UK were with BA and Virgin. With Virgin's announcement that they intend to cease Gatwick operations there's going to be very little choice for travellers who wish to fly direct. It also begs the question what will happen to Virgin's operations out of MAN where - if I recall correctly - they also had flights to Las Vegas. Obviously there's nothing to stop people flying via LAX etc. but certainly when I am flying back here I do prefer the BA275 which arrives around the 7.30 pm mark. It's ideally timed to clear immigration, head home, have a night-cap and then off to bed and - hopefully - straight back into the time zone!

FlyerTalker7654

Virgin have been doing LAS from Heathrow for a while now. Flew it last year. Great timing both ways as well.

GumshoeW12

Aren’t conventions the real money-spinner for Vegas these days?

The California weekend party crowd may return relatively quickly but it’s the conventions that fill the hotels during the week and with far fewer of them likely to happen going forward that’s going to be a problem. For BA also.

crazyarmadillo

Please God forbid BA bring their 777 to town. My least favorite aircraft with BA.

chriswiles

I was told by a senior BA pilot who regularly does the San Diego route that he's been quietly informed that he shouldn't expect to fly the route in any 'normal' capacity until....January 2021.

There are far too many super-optimistic travellers on here you really think we'll open up and be on a flight to JFK by July. Never going to happen and even if you get there, the trip won't be worth the effort. The Chicago company I work for told me not to expect to visit their offices this year in another example. They simply do not want to 'unnecessary meetings' for the foreseeable. This is going to be the new norm.

Cap'n Benj

Yup, while you could fly to JFK tomorrow (if youre eligible to get in), what would the trip be for? You imagine by the time that enough busineses etc are open to make trip (whether business or leisure) worthwhile that quarantine requirements would make in pointless.

Assuming the winter brings another round, I suspect it may be a year before a long weekend in NYC/ Vegas/ wherever or 2-3 day business trip is a realistic possibility

crazyarmadillo

Vegas and NYC have different challenges. (Edited this first line as I wasn't clear what I meant)

Vegas and the southwest (excluding West coast obviously) due to it's relatively small population and large size , has huge potential to get through this much quicker than some other parts of the world. Just as long as the gaming commission etc etc mange this in a phased approach, with the strip being last.

So I'm mr positive today, that we shall have BA come back again and hopefully with the a380. I was really looking forward to that. It's nearly as iconic as the 747...... Well not quite,,.......

HarryHolden68

I think the bigger problem is that the President appears to be blindly following hope rather than science. Reopening the US economy while infections and deaths are rising each day means that the outbreak will sustain far longer than countries which patiently reopened their economy when the science said the time was right.

The UK approach of using Track and Trace requires a high degree of confidence that infected people are not arriving through ports of entry. It is not unreasonable to predict many countries imposing bans on arrivals from the US or at best, a period of quarantine for those that do travel. It is going to have to be a serious business need for someone to travel to the US knowing they face a quarantine on their return to the UK. And what tourist is going to take 14 days additional leave to quarantine just to get a long weekend in the US?

From being the self-declared leader of the free world, the President is in danger of making the US a Pariah State.

Bear96

I don't think you will see any European airlines flying the A380 ever again after all of this.

This is essentially my prediction as well.

crazyarmadillo

I tend to fear that indeed you are correct and the a380 will never make an appearance on a commercial regular basis.

Shame.

Smid

I don't understand why you are saying this. What criteria makes it different from an A340 or a B777 or a B787, second deck? How would that be less desirable on 2/3rd filled planes with space for social distancing?

origin

4 engines fuel and more staff needed to fly it.

A dreamliner or its type and size can fly someone somewhere for half the price the A380 costs to fly to the same place. Demand wont be here before 2024 - 2025, either.

In some ways the plane was a plane before its time.