Las Vegas-Beijing nonstop flights receive official OK
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Monday approved Hainan Airlines’ application to launch an historic new route connecting Las Vegas to Beijing, the first-ever nonstop flight between Las Vegas and China, officials from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said.
The approval had been widely expected.
The service will begin Dec. 2 and will initially operate Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Introductory fares have been announced. For outbound travel between Dec. 2 and Dec. 8, or between Dec. 27 and April 28, round trip tickets from Las Vegas to Beijing and several points beyond in China and Asia start at just $650 (including taxes and fees).
For holiday travel between Dec. 10 and Dec. 24, round trip tickets from Las Vegas to Beijing and several points beyond start at just $1,100 (including taxes and fees)
Hainan flight 7970 will depart Las Vegas McCarran International Airport at 12:30 p.m. and arrive Beijing’s Capital Airport at 5:30 p.m. the subsequent day, allowing for connections to other points in China. Flight 7969 will depart Beijing at 2:20 p.m. and arrive Las Vegas at 10:30 a.m. the same day. Las Vegas times are one hour later during the summer season. Nonstop flight time is approximately 13 hours westbound and 12 hours eastbound.
The new route will feature Boeing 787 Dreamliners with 36 business class lie-flat seats and 177 economy class seats. Hainan is the airline with the most nonstop 787 Dreamliner routes between China and North America.
Tickets are now available for purchase through all travel agents and travel websites, as well as online at hainanairlines.com, or through its call center at 1-888-688-8813.
Chinese tourists are one of the fastest-growing and largest-spending groups of international visitors to Las Vegas. With the reciprocal 10-year tourist visas and the introduction of hotels, programming and amenities geared toward Chinese visitors, Las Vegas has established itself as a major draw for Chinese traveling to the United States.
