Norse Atlantic Airways Launches Direct Flights from London Gatwick to Las Vegas

Las Vegas remains a major market for flights from London, with approximately 450,000 roundtrip passengers in 2023. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both offer regular nonstop flights, and now Norse joins the competition. Additionally, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines operate limited services to Las Vegas, mainly around major events like the Consumer Electronics Show.

The new Norse route covers 4,565 nautical miles (8,454 km) and operates three times a week. The schedule for September is as follows (all times local):

Running a long-haul, low-cost operation is notoriously difficult, particularly in the off-season. Norse has already made strategic adjustments to its flight operations, including reducing frequencies and exploring alternative options outside scheduled flights. With only three weekly flights to Las Vegas, the airline has limited flexibility to respond to shifts in demand.

Some of the discontinued routes include:

Additionally, three routes were shifted to nearby airports, marking the end of their original operations. Even excluding these adjustments, Norse still cut 36% of its routes in its short history:

The high number of discontinued routes highlights the challenges Norse Atlantic faces in establishing a stable long-haul, low-cost model. Whether Las Vegas proves to be a long-term success or just another short-lived experiment remains to be seen.