With Las Vegans pining for outdoors, airlines add flights to escape destinations

David Becker / AP

An Allegiant Air jetliner flies over the New York-New York after taking off from McCarran International Airport. The airline has seen a recent uptick in customer demand for outdoorsy destinations.

Las Vegan Chin Li Kuok seems to always be looking for the next outdoor adventure.

One of her favorite places is Jackson Hole, Wyo., an outdoors-lover’s paradise and a longtime favorite American vacation destination for those who like skiing and open spaces.

Kuok is just the type of customer Allegiant Air was catering to when it announced the addition of twice-weekly service to Jackson Hole earlier this month. The nonstop flights will start in June, which will be prime hiking and rock climbing season. Fares will be as low as $49 each way, the Las Vegas-based company said.

Click to enlarge photo

Las Vegan Chin Li Kuok takes a selfie while on a ski vacation.

“You have to stay healthy during this pandemic,” said Kuok, upon returning from a ski trip in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. “At the ski resorts I visit, people are good about staying 6 feet away and I always wear my face mask when traveling. I feel safe.”

Kristen Schilling-Gonzales, Allegiant’s managing director of planning, said the airline has seen an uptick in Las Vegas-area customer demand for outdoorsy destinations during the past couple of years.

That trend has only been more pronounced during the pandemic, which has helped lead people to more outdoor activities like bicycling, hiking, golfing and skiing.  

“As the Las Vegas Valley grows in population, too, we want to know where people want to go,” Schilling-Gonzales said. “Jackson Hole is one of those places that makes a lot of sense.”

Other destinations near popular outdoor spots have also done well, such as Fresno, Calif., and Kalispell in Montana, she said. Kalispell is a gateway to Glacier National Park while Fresno is near a handful of national parks, including Yosemite about 90 miles away. 

Traffic on Allegiant flights from McCarran International Airport to Kalispell were up 16% last year when compared to 2019, according to the airline. Airfare to Kalispell on Thursday is just $92 one way.

Allegiant also recently added service from Las Vegas to Asheville, N.C., which is near Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

During a time when airlines are struggling with lower ridership numbers due to COVID-19 health concerns, Allegiant and its competitors are looking to secure all the growth potential they can get.

“We’ll see how some of these new destinations perform,” Schilling-Gonzales said. “The good thing about a place like Jackson Hole is you have summer and winter — both seasons are beautiful up there.”

Allegiant hasn’t been the only airline adding flights from McCarran to outside activity-rich destinations.

Frontier Airlines in February will start new routes to Oakland, Calif., and Ontario, Calif. A Frontier spokesman noted that both locations have “a broad range of outdoor activities, including nearby hiking trails and parks.”

A Southwest Airlines spokesman said “demand has increased” for routes that feature destinations with outdoors activity offerings. In March, Southwest will add a nonstop flight from McCarran to Colorado Springs, Colo. In April, it will add flights to Fresno and Santa Barbara, Calif.

Air travel is still slowed because of the pandemic as not everyone is willing to risk exposure to fly. In November, about 1.8 million travelers passed through McCarran, which was a small decrease from October, but a 57% drop from November 2019.

That could all change, however, quickly once COVID-19 vaccines are administered at higher levels.

For Kuok — and others like her — air travel is still an option, and it’s not likely to stop them from getting out and about.

 She took Southwest for her most-recent trip to Colorado, but said she’ll be interested to look into the new Allegiant flights to Jackson Hole.

“There were a lot of people out skiing,” Kuok said. “People are just more cautious now.”

Tourism

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