McCarran Airport in Las Vegas is one of the busiest in the country, as gamblers flock to slot machines, tourists flock to Cirque du Soleil shows and vendors flock to trade shows. If you want to save money on airfare it's best to avoid as much of this flocking as possible. There are guidelines you can follow that could help you save significantly on your plane ticket.
Airfare (to Las Vegas or any other city) costs more on average during weekends than it does on weekdays because the demand is greater on Saturday and Sunday. If possible, depart during the week. Monday is a good day to leave if you plan to take a three- or four-day trip during a week off of work, because you can then come back on a Thursday or Friday before the rates go up again on the weekend.
It may seem counterintuitive, but summer is actually one of the slowest times of the year for tourism in Las Vegas, as patrons try to beat the heat by coming in cooler months. Winter (other than the week between Christmas and New Year's) is also a relatively slow time. Airlines and hotels often lower rates during the off-peak season to increase demand.
Many airlines offer last-minute deals to fill empty seats. Sign up to receive emails with the offers. If your schedule is flexible, you can find good prices for last-minute travel. Southwest offers a popular program called Ding that you can install on your computer that will pop up with alerts on discounts from your home airport. This program is advantageous in that you can book airfare months in advance and still get the discounts.
Las Vegas is the number one city in the United States for conventions, and rates for airfare are often higher with the increase in traffic through McCarran. Schedules change from year to year, but in general the Consumer Electronics Show is held in mid-January and the National Association of Broadcasters meets in late April. These are the two largest conventions, with average attendance around or greater than 100,000. Check the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority website at Visitlasvegas.com to see if there could be a large convention in town during your tentative travel dates.
