Flights to Las Vegas from Los Angeles: The Complete Decision Page
This page answers the whole question, not just the fare: which airport to leave from, which airlines actually fly nonstop right now, what the trip really costs, when to fly for the lowest price, and whether you should be driving instead. It works in both directions, since the flight home to Los Angeles is the same decision in reverse.
The verdict in one paragraph
This is the closest fly or drive call in America. The flight is about 1 hour 15 minutes in the air but roughly 4 to 4.5 hours door to door once you count getting to the airport, security and the ride from LAS. Driving is 270 miles and 4.5 to 5 hours in normal traffic. Solo or as a couple with a fare under about $150 roundtrip, fly. Three or four people splitting fuel, or anyone leaving at Friday rush hour when the drive stretches to 6 or 7 hours and fares spike with it, do the math both ways below.
Your airports and the airlines that fly nonstop
| Airport | Nonstop airlines to LAS (Oct 2026) | Flight time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAX | Southwest, Delta, United, American, Frontier | About 1h10 to 1h20 | The most choice and the most frequencies. Southwest flies it most often. Alaska ended this route in February 2026 and JetBlue left in 2024, whatever older pages still claim. |
| Burbank (BUR) | Southwest only | About 1h10 | Until May 2026 Spirit flew this route heavily; since Spirit shut down, Southwest is the only nonstop. The easiest airport experience in the basin. |
| Long Beach (LGB) | Southwest only | About 1h05 to 1h10 | Tiny, calm and quick. Fewer flights a day than LAX, so the schedule decides. |
| Orange County (SNA) | Southwest, Frontier; Delta Connection (listed as ending Nov 8, 2026) | About 1h10 to 1h15 | Southwest flies it about 49 times a week, Frontier about 7. Allegiant does not fly SNA to Las Vegas. |
| Ontario (ONT) | Southwest, Frontier | About 1h05 | Five to six nonstops a day, and the shortest drive if you end up driving instead. |
One name is missing on purpose: Spirit Airlines, once the loudest cheap-fare seller on every one of these routes, ceased operations on May 2, 2026. Frontier absorbed much of its capacity. Any page still selling you a Spirit nonstop from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is working from a stale schedule.
Check live fares for this route
Fares move daily. Check the live prices for your dates, then book the room before event-weekend room rates follow the fares up.
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What fares actually look like
On LAX to Las Vegas, Kayak's route data (last 12 months, checked October 2026) puts typical roundtrips between $89 and $222, averaging about $142, with the lowest recent roundtrip spotted at $69 on Frontier. Long Beach runs pricier on average (flexible-date averages of $193 on the cheapest day to $332 on the most expensive), Ontario cheaper ($133 to $196). Two booking rules hold across the basin: booking about five weeks out on LAX saved roughly 48 percent versus last-minute prices, and even three weeks out on Long Beach saved about a third. Last-minute Vegas fares from Los Angeles are a tax on the disorganized.
The cheapest days to fly
Monday is the cheapest departure day from LAX (about 26 percent below the route average); Friday is the most expensive (about 23 percent above). The same shape repeats at Long Beach and Ontario. January and February are the cheapest months (about $105 median roundtrip from LAX); June and July are the priciest. If your trip can start Monday and end Wednesday or Thursday, this route is one of the cheapest flights in the country. If it must start Friday and end Sunday, you are in the fare pressure calendar whether you like it or not.
Fly or drive: the honest math
Downtown Los Angeles to the Strip is about 270 miles on I-15, which is 4 hours with no traffic, realistically 4.5 to 5, and 5 to 7 hours on a Friday afternoon or a Sunday return. Fuel at the research basis (30 mpg, $3.60 a gallon) is about $32 one way; add Strip parking (most resorts charge daily) and the real roundtrip drive cost lands around $90 to $120 for the car, not per person. Flying door to door: about 1 hour to the airport and through security, 1 hour 15 in the air, 30 minutes out of LAS and to your hotel, call it 3 to 4.5 hours and $89 to $222 per person. Groups of three or more almost always win by driving; solo travelers win by flying on a Monday-to-Thursday fare. The drive also wins at 2 a.m. when I-15 is empty, and loses badly at 4 p.m. on any Friday.
The arrival playbook
Land at Harry Reid International (LAS) and you are ten minutes from the Strip, but the details decide whether arrival feels easy or expensive. Start with the Harry Reid airport guide for terminals, rideshare pickup locations and the rental car center shuttle. Then the getting around Las Vegas guide for the monorail, Deuce bus, rideshare surge patterns and when a rental car actually pays. If you are still choosing where to sleep, the Las Vegas hotels hub compares the Strip, downtown and off-Strip honestly, and the packing list keeps you out of the airport shops.
Flying home: Las Vegas to Los Angeles
Everything above runs in reverse, with two Vegas twists. Sunday is the most expensive and most crowded departure day of the week at LAS, and in summer the last flights of the day carry the highest heat-delay risk; the first departure of the morning is the safest seat in July and August. Arrive at the airport earlier than feels necessary on event weekends, when security lines stretch with 50,000 other people leaving the same convention.
Route facts and fare ranges checked October 25, 2026, against airline route listings and Kayak route data. Airlines change schedules seasonally; confirm nonstop service for your exact dates before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Which Los Angeles airport is best for flying to Las Vegas?
The one closest to you with a Southwest nonstop at your hour. LAX has the most flights and the cheapest fares on average, but Burbank and Long Beach are far calmer and often faster door to door from the Valley, the South Bay and Orange County. Ontario is the Inland Empire's obvious pick.
Is it cheaper to fly or drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas?
For one or two people on an advance fare, flying is usually cheaper than the full cost of driving once parking is counted, and about the same on time. For three or four people, driving wins on money almost every time. Friday evening departures are the exception both ways: fares spike and the freeway crawls.
How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas?
About 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes in the air depending on the airport, roughly 1 hour 17 on average from LAX. The honest door-to-door number is 3 to 4.5 hours.