Flights began taking off to Las Vegas from the SLO County Airport once again Saturday.
Laura Golden works in the tech industry, frequently traveling to conferences outside of San Luis Obispo County. She says having a San Luis Obispo to Las Vegas flight saves her time.
“Usually when I go to Las Vegas for work, I have to get up at 4 a.m., get to the airport to catch a flight to Los Angeles, wait for a couple of hours,” Golden said. “It just turns what could have been a very short, easy flight into a day-long ordeal.”
The popular daily, nonstop flight is available through Alaska Airlines. Joe Goble, an airport spokesperson, says the flights offer an opportunity for more travelers to experience SLO County and participate in the local economy.
“Our region offers, as we know, a lot of amazing opportunities for tourists to come in, and really making that SLO-Cal connection to people is really important to our economy and to our region,” Goble said.
One Las Vegas resident, Michael Gardner, said he looks forward to experiencing the local charm SLO County has to offer while also escaping the Nevada heat.
“Come enjoy the wineries, the great food and kind of that real local atmosphere that you get here versus the big cities and Sin City Vegas,” Gardner said.
Golden says when she travels, she’s more likely to shop local and believes the Las Vegas flights will encourage others to do the same.
“It can't do anything but good,” Golden said. “It's a beautiful area and I love seeing people come here and visit and see what we have to offer. I love that we're making it easy for them.”
“We're going to be shopping locally,” Gardner said. “I love going to the farmer's market on Thursday. We're happy to be back.”
It's the third time this flight has been offered at the SLO County Airport. Last offered from October 2024 to April 2025, information on when they'll end this time hasn't been announced.
