Viva Las Vegas

Virgin dumps nonstop Austin service from Love Field to make room for new route

Virgin starts nonstop service from Dallas Love Field to Las Vegas on December 1.

Courtesy of Virgin America

Virgin America is giving Dallas travelers a new nonstop option for another hot city: Las Vegas. Flights between Dallas Love Field (DAL) and Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) begin as of December 1, with tickets on sale October 15 for two daily round-trip flights between the two cities.

Unfortunately for Austin travelers, the Las Vegas route will replace the nonstop route between Dallas Love Field and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

To celebrate the introduction of the new route, the carrier is launching a special 2-for-1 offer on the new Dallas-to-Vegas flights, as well as fares from $49; tickets are available on the Virgin America website or by calling 877-FLY-VIRGIN — but that sale ends at 11:59 pm on October 15.

Virgin claims to bring some needed product and fare competition to this nonstop route, with fleetwide Wi-Fi, custom-designed leather seating, power outlets, personal touch-screen entertainment platforms, and new aircraft with three classes of service.

"Las Vegas is an iconic travel destination, and Dallas travelers deserve an option that gets them there in style, whether they are traveling for a fun weekend getaway or headed to one of the thousands of trade events or conventions that Las Vegas hosts each year," says Virgin America president and CEO David Cush in a release. "We are confident that our award-winning service and product will resonate on this route, especially since we will be the only carrier operating between Love Field and Las Vegas to offer three classes of premium service."

Service between DAL and AUS ends November 30. In a release, Virgin America senior vice president John Macleod said the route's performance "did not meet expectations" and that because the airline is limited to two gates, it had to "make tough decisions."

Guests who have already purchased tickets for travel between Love Field and Austin-Bergstrom on or after December 1 will be given the option of a full refund.

The Dallas-to-Vegas flight schedule will include a morning flight leaving DAL at 10:45, a night flight that leaves at 7:30, or 5:50 pm on Saturdays. The Vegas-to-Dallas schedule will include a daily flight that leaves LAS at 12:25 pm and gets into DAL at 5:05 pm. There's also a red-eye that leaves Vegas at 1:30 am and arrives in Dallas at 6:10 am, every day but Sunday.

Virgin America will be the only airline offering a red-eye from Las Vegas to Dallas. Las Vegas is currently the eighth largest market from Dallas Love Field in terms of guest traffic and the sixth largest destination from all Dallas airports combined.

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DART News

DART approves agreement to help fund development at outlying stations

Photo courtesy of DART

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The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors has approved the framework for an interlocal agreement (ILA) that will enable the agency to contribute a percentage of its sales tax to tax increment reinvestment zones (TIRZs) created by its member cities to revitalize certain areas within DART’s service area.

The framework was developed in collaboration with member cities to stimulate more transit-oriented development, grow transit ridership, increase tax revenue, and leverage DART’s transportation services and facilities as an economic development asset.

The approval is the result of several months of discussion with city leaders and DART staff.

“This framework provides a consistent, equitable approach that allows DART to support the economic development priorities of our member cities while preserving our financial integrity and service commitments,” says DART president and CEO Nadine S. Lee in a statement. “It reflects our belief in being a collaborative partner in shaping communities that are both transit-friendly and economically vibrant.”

Tax increment reinvestment zones, also known as TIF Districts, are an economic development tool used by municipalities to reinvest tax revenue to fund infrastructure and revitalization projects in designated areas.

In a statement, Richardson city manager Don Magner says that DART's participation in their TIRZ "will empower us to be more creative when competing for new developments and attracting new business to our community. We look forward to partnering with DART to strengthen and grow our economy and appreciate their willingness to engage on this important initiative.”

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