Southwest to Offer Overnight Layovers in Las Vegas

Posted on: June 23, 2023, 04:29h. 

Last updated on: June 26, 2023, 12:03h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Travelers usually aren’t fond of layovers, and those of the overnight variety are even more onerous. But if an overnight layover is necessary, there are worse places to do it than in Las Vegas. Southwest Airlines is making that possible.

Southwest Las Vegas airport LAS Harry Reid
A Southwest flight departs over the Las Vegas Strip. The carrier will offer overnight layovers in Sin City. (Image: Casino.org)

The carrier announced earlier this week it will soon start connecting passengers traveling through six cities with low-cost flights that arrive in one of those locations late at night and depart early the following morning. In alphabetical order, those cities are Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Oakland, and Phoenix.

While incurring an overnight or extended layover isn’t the most efficient form of air travel, particularly on domestic flights, the option is appealing to some cost-conscious consumers. Many of Southwest’s late-night and early-morning offerings are among the carrier’s most economical fares.

In a hypothetical scenario, a traveler could voluntarily get an overnight Las Vegas layover by departing from a Southern California airport served by Southwest en route to Florida or Texas. From there, it’s up to the passenger regarding whether or not they want to partake in Sin City’s “amenities.”

Southwest Dominant Las Vegas Carrier

It remains to be seen if the overnight layover option brings a significant boost to Southwest’s traffic to Las Vegas. But it’s clear the company is the dominant carrier at Harry Reid International Airport.

In April, Dallas-based Southwest delivered 1.7 million of the 4.8 million passengers that arrived at the airport, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Harry Reid International is the 12th-busiest airport in the world, and on an average day, 490 to 620 flights land there, with Southwest accounting for a significant portion of that activity.

The carrier’s Las Vegas dominance is explained in part by the fact that at many airports in Southern California, it’s the only carrier, or one of a scant number that service Sin City. Likewise, Southwest offers more flights to Las Vegas from Phoenix than any other carrier.

The bulk of Southwest’s activity at Harry Reid International occurs in terminal one.

Southwest, Mechanics Union Reach Tentative Deal

Separately, Southwest and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) announced that they’ve reached a tentative labor accord to avert a potential labor stoppage.

That deal, which covers more than 2,800 mechanics and related staffers, still must be ratified by the union. Overall, Southwest has close to 70K employees.

“The AMFA negotiating committee has reached a Tentative Agreement with Southwest Airlines that, if ratified by membership, will elevate the Southwest Airlines Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) to industry-leading compensation,” said AMFA National President Bret Oestreich in a press release.