The Casper Journal :: Casper's Community Newspaper

The nightlife and casinos of Las Vegas, an estimated 12-hour drive from Casper, have become more easily accessible for local residents.

The first flight of Allegiant Air LLC's service from Casper to Las Vegas departed the morning of Sept. 19, complete with an Elvis impersonator and a showgirl.

According to Cindy Breipohl, administrative assistant to Casper/Natrona County International Airport Manager Glenn Januska, the seats for the maiden flight were not full with passengers.

However, employees of Allegiant filled any leftover seats, so the plane was full, Breipohl said. The carrier uses a 150-seat, MD-80 jet aircraft for the route.

Passengers can leave Casper on any Monday or Friday at 10:35 a.m. and will arrive at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas after about a two-hour, non-stop flight, she said.

To return, whether after only one weekend or a week or more, the flights depart Las Vegas at 7 a.m. and arrives in Casper at 9:55 a.m. on Monday or Friday

While rates vary, a flight booked on Sept. 19 would have cost $29 one way, plus the additional costs, including security and convenience fee. There also is a $15 charge per checked bag per passenger.

Allegiant Air also offers package deals, working with various hotels in Las Vegas.

According to Breipohl, using these package deals most likely provides better room rates at the participating hotels.

For example, using the lowest priced hotel offered for a package deal, the Riviera, the costs for airfare and a room for a three-night stay was $189 per person as of Sept. 19.

Breipohl explained that her office has received hundreds of calls a day regarding this new service, which she said took a lot of work to finally get off the ground.

After feasibility studies and other needed information, Allegiant agreed to the twice a week Monday and Friday flights in and out of Casper, she said, noting that the closest airport with this service is in Fort Collins, Colo.

"The convenience of flying out of Casper and having direct service to one of our most popular destinations is going to be great for Wyoming," Januska said in a release.

Allegiant Air also has announced a Fly Free offer, with tickets having to be purchased by Oct. 1 for travel to be completed by Dec. 15, and a seven-day advance purchase required.

The offer is based on a buy one air/hotel package and get one roundtrip companion airfare for free with a minimum two-night stay required.

For more information or to make reservations, visit www.allegiantair.com or call 702-505-8888.

Print this story | Email this story

Add Your Comments Here:

To submit your comment you must enter your name, comment, and the letters and/or numbers from the Image Verification box. This is a feature to help protect against spam.

Casperjournal.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.

Potentially libelous statements.
Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
Personal attacks, insults, or threats.
Commercial product promotions or consumer complaints.

Click here to report offensive or inappropriate comments. The comments below are from readers of casperjournal.com and in no way represent the views of The Casper Journal or Lee Enterprises.