People see the state as hot, desolate, 'hell-like'
Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011
State tourism leaders trying to figure out the best way to brand Nevada to attract visitors may have a bigger challenge on their hands than they thought.
The second-busiest international air carrier at McCarran International Airport has averted a strike, assuring travelers that their Las Vegas vacations won’t be spoiled.
The American Gaming Association, which in recent years has shifted from being neutral toward online poker to an advocate for legislation approving it, has created a video comparing Internet poker today to the American Wild West.
Las Vegas failed to make the list of the world’s top 10 most vacation-worthy cities in a survey of readers of Travel + Leisure magazine. And it didn’t even make the top 10 in the United States and Canada.
Allegiant Travel Co., parent company of Las Vegas-based Allegiant Airlines, is the 64th fastest-growing company in the nation, according to Fortune magazine.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors on Tuesday agreed to sign a pair of transportation agreements to assure the city’s tourism community is heard on highway development plans and airline route scheduling.
President Obama’s jobs plan would have a significant positive effect on Southern Nevada’s economy by putting construction laborers back to work, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said today in Las Vegas. Solis met with the Las Vegas Sun editorial board.
As seasons change, so do airline flight schedules, and in recent years, Las Vegas has received bad news when summer vacation time ended. But not this year. Southwest Airlines, WestJet and Allegiant Air made a flurry of announcements last week for new service to and from McCarran International Airport.
The Nevada Gaming Commission will get its first request for a waiver from a controversial regulation this month when a state Gaming Control Board recommendation on an application for a restricted license for Miz Lola’s Holdings LLC is considered.
When former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was getting ready for his debut as the city’s goodwill ambassador, he didn't know he was going to get a chance to crack wise on New Jersey's governor and his comments that people were “stupid” to visit Las Vegas in the summer.
As Las Vegans sweat out the dog days of summer, a Canadian discount air carrier with a major presence at McCarran International Airport is gearing to bring snowbirds to the city with an expanded slate of seasonal flights that began today.
Southwest Airlines’ acquisition of AirTran has paid some dividends to Las Vegas as the carrier announced plans to add a daily nonstop round-trip flight between McCarran and Atlanta.
Sheldon Adelson rarely gets much credit for some of the things he does because he has a cantankerous way about him and a lot of people simply don’t like him.
US Airways, once the busiest air carrier at McCarran International Airport when it operated as America West Airlines, will cut 40 percent of its Las Vegas flights by early next year, reducing it to one of the smaller players in the market.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, in the midst of a flurry of new service announcements, today detailed plans for new nonstop air service between McCarran International Airport and Lexington, Ky.
Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce members hoping for some encouragement on the prospect of more jobs in Southern Nevada got it in small portions today from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
A prominent aviation expert says McCarran International Airport over the next five years will be the eighth-fastest growing airport among the top 150 airports in the country.
The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday amended its regulation for licensing small casinos, placing more requirements on establishments like the Dotty’s chain. The amended regulation will require slot parlors like Dotty’s to build new amenities within two years to maintain their licenses. Dotty’s caters primarily to women who don’t like traditional bars and taverns.
One of the reasons Nevada’s gaming industry oversight is so well respected worldwide is because regulators provide an environment of stability. Love or hate some of the regulations the state Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission implement and enforce, the industry usually knows where regulators stand on most of the major issues.
I know that vacations are supposed to be about getting away from the office, but most journalists I know can’t ignore a good story, even when they’re supposed to be relaxing.
Gary Kelly has a lot on his plate, and that’s very good news for Las Vegas. The chairman, president and CEO of Southwest Airlines has been on the go during the past year, which means his calendar will be full for the next five.
Though the space shuttle program is gone, I can still dream.
Monday, Aug. 1, 2011
When the space shuttle Atlantis touched down at the Kennedy Space Center last month, it marked a sad day in our nation’s history, but a potential inspirational jump-start of the commercialization of space tourism.
In Las Vegas’ quest to quench its thirst, the city has a champion in Southern Nevada Water Authority’s Pat Mulroy. And she’s worried about our water, we all should be, too.
Monday, Aug. 1, 2011
As you watch the Colorado River blasting through Glenwood Canyon, just east of Glenwood Springs, 150 miles west of Denver, it’s hard to imagine water-shortage problems downstream.
Pat Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Las Vegas Water District, had a lot more to talk about during a chat where the topics of the Springs Preserve and the high-rent, LEED-certified building the organization uses were broached.
The operation of the Dotty’s slot parlors and some its clones has been a contentious issue, especially after the go-round the Clark County Commission had that led to a controversial county ordinance and subsequent lawsuit.
Discount Mexican air carrier Volaris, which inaugurated nonstop service between Las Vegas and Guadalajara in late March, today began nonstop daily flights between Mexico City and McCarran International Airport.
State economic experts and government leaders today got their first look at a report they hope will put Nevada on the path to economic diversification.
The most significant change in Southwest's seasonal shift will leave Las Vegas without nonstop service to and from Manchester, N.H. The airline has about 215 daily flights to and from Las Vegas.
There’s still one more major approval necessary to get the high-speed rail moving: DesertXpress needs money—lots of it.
Monday, July 25, 2011
It’s clear from the volume of email in my inbox and messages left on voicemail that people are genuinely concerned about whether DesertXpress, the high-speed rail proposal that would link Las Vegas with Victorville, CA, has a snowball’s chance in the Mojave Desert of success.
Airline fees are a source of great controversy. On one hand, airlines say they can make more money by “unbundling” the costs of services they used to give away for nothing.
For most people, the weather at McCarran International Airport was a blazing hot 105 degrees today. But a couple of dozen journalists saw it rain. And snow. There was even a threat of a sandstorm.
Governor Brian Sandoval’s grade school friend, Heidi Gansert, is his most trusted political adviser. What does this triathlete have to say about the budget? A lot.
Monday, July 18, 2011
The pace is fast at the close of state legislative sessions. Fortunately, Gov. Brian Sandoval’s chief of staff knows something about running a race. Heidi Gansert understands the process is more a marathon than a sprint.
Here’s something new: Southwest Airlines takes to the Las Vegas streets.
Monday, July 18, 2011
If you saw a Southwest Airlines-painted recreational vehicle cruising the streets of Las Vegas last week, no need to fear. The air carrier hasn’t developed a comfortable new aircraft that sprouts wings and takes off from freeways.
Terry Lanni, longtime CEO of the company now known as MGM Resorts International and credited as one of the lead visionaries of the company’s CityCenter project, has died.
The state Gaming Control Board has recommended the licensing of a new company to oversee Randy Black’s bankrupt Mesquite casino holdings: the CasaBlanca, Virgin River and Oasis. Mesquite is about 75 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
The U.S. Transportation Department has given the green light to developers of DesertXpress to begin preliminary engineering for the $6 billion, 186-mile high-speed rail project that would link Las Vegas with Victorville, Calif.