Cheap Flights from McClellan – Palomar (CLD) to Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS)

McClellan-Palomar Airport in southern San Diego County now has service to Las Vegas as of September 2017. Cal Jet, a subsidiary of Elite Airways, provides daily nonstop service between the two cities. This direct flight is usually about an hour and 15 minutes. Two flights are available each day, departing from San Diego 9 AM and 12:45 PM. Return flights from Vegas are available at 11 AM and 2:45 PM each day.

Non-stop service between the main airports of San Diego and Las Vegas is also available daily from Spirit, Delta and Southwest, all of whom have an assortment of departure times throughout the day. Similarly priced flights with American and Virgin that stop in San Francisco or Los Angeles for a couple of hours are also available daily.

McClellan-Palomar Airport Departure Information

McClellan-Palomar is a tiny airport, but as the only commercial service at present is the Cal Jet flights to Vegas, traffic is low and getting in and out is about as easy as can possibly be. It's also a relatively new facility and in excellent shape in spite of the relatively low amount of use. There is one restaurant on site called The Landings at Carlsbad, which serves a general diner-style menu for breakfast and lunch with the addition of some local favorites like fish tacos.

Unfortunately, public transit is not available to McClellan-Palomar Airport at this time. Several local shuttle companies are available, however. In addition, Hertz and Budget have locations at the airport that you can return a car to.

Preparing to Arrive at McCarran International Airport

The central airport serving Las Vegas is located just minutes from the Strip. Las Vegas does not have light rail, but several city buses stop directly at the airport. If you're going to the Strip, you can reach it by taking the 108 or 109 bus south to the transfer terminal, then boarding the SDX from there. The CX and WAX respectively head to the north and west ends of the city, both stopping at the downtown transit center (near the Fremont Street casinos) along the way.

If you don't have a shuttle ride and don't want to struggle with getting luggage onto buses, you may want to rent a car - usually a better value than attempting to pay the city's expensive taxi fares. McCarran Airport hosts nearly all of the major national rental chains.

There are a number of places to eat at McCarran, but food pricing is sky-high. Chains such as Wendy's, Starbucks, Baja Fresh and Carl's Jr. are present at the airport, but expect to pay double what you would elsewhere in the city. It's usually a quick trip from the airport to your hotel, so it's probably best to hold off on dining if possible.

Wells Fargo has ATMs available at the airport that do not charge extra fees to their customers, and the fees for non-customers are much more reasonable than they will be at the various casinos around town (which can ask up to $10 per withdrawal). It's probably the best place to load up on some cash if you're staying at a Strip or downtown casino-hotel. McCarran also has free unlimited WiFi throughout the facility.