It was like getting an anonymous phone call. “Meet me in Las Vegas this weekend or die!” The pressure was on. I took my budget travel skills to a new level and found something cheap for this coming weekend. I searched last-minute flights to Las Vegas, but I was not satisfied until I believed it was the cheapest flight out there. Can you do Las Vegas on a budget? Absolutely. Let me show you what I learned.

Unfortunately I can’t tell you why I was in Vegas. Suffice it to say, when a really good friend calls and says you need to make it, you make it!

Las Vegas on a Budget: Looking for a flight.

Fortunately for me, I live in Los Angeles. A flight to Las Vegas is usually pretty cheap. Although, you know how flight prices are. They can be crazy high, or very cheap. I searched for several days until I found the best flight deal.

I’ll tell you up front. Don’t do it the way I did it. If you’re doing Las Vegas on a budget your first move is to fly on a weekday, not a weekend. Unfortunately, I had no choice. I needed to be there on Saturday.

The first flight I found was about $180. Determined to find something cheaper. I continued to look. Flight prices moved up in the next few days. I found flights for $250. Now, I was freaking out. Sometimes you can find amazing deals on Jet Blue but there were no deals at the moment. All flight prices were about equal. At this point I decided, if I’m paying for something expensive I might as well get miles for it. The next day, prices went down to $200 USD and I paid for it. I got miles for it too.

However, if you’re searching for flights during the weekdays, even the most last-minute flights are about half off. I did a quick search just now and two Mondays from now, its $100 on American Air, round trip.

Tip: flying to Las Vegas is cheaper if you fly during the week!

The next cheapest would be a promotional Jet Blue flight for $39 each way, if they are having it. However, you can’t rely on those because you never know when they’re going to have them.

My Flight

I got my ticket to Las Vegas. Round trip from LAX to LAS for $200 on American Airlines. I got miles and EQD towards a free ticket. However, I was landing at 6pm on Saturday and departing 6am Sunday morning. I’ll be on the floor for a total of 12 hours. I better make this work.

Let space in coach on this a321 AA flight

Knee space in coach on this a321 AA flight.

Shoulder space in coach on this a321 AA flight.

Seats in coach on this a321 AA flight.

I take an Uber to LAX. Get on my flight. I’m in a coach aisle seat. I literally left after work. I’m tired and sleepy and just want to take a nap. The great thing about having status with an airline is you board first. I got to my seat before anyone else. Placed my backpack in the overhead bin and waited for my seat-mates to arrive before I shut my eyes on this quick 45 minute flight. As the plane filled up. I got a tap on my shoulder and the flight attendant tells me to move to first class. That’s another perk of having status with an airline. If there’s an empty seat in first or business, you get upgraded!

This A321 business class fare is now definitely worth the price I paid. Although, I didn’t realize I was getting upgraded. I can now justify the price. The business class seats on this flight are not pods. They’re wide and roomy. There is plenty of leg room and shoulder space.

I get my traditional bloody Mary and we depart. The flight is smooth and I got a few minutes of shut-eye. I could not wait to land.

Las Vegas on a budget is doable, for sure. However, my next question is, should I stay awake all night and go from party to party? Or should I get a place to stay for the night and sleep before getting back to the airport?

I’ll tell you what I did in the next blog post as we continue our Las Vegas on a budget trip with a few tricks and pointers on how you can do the same.

Let Me Break It Down For You:

Las Vegas on a budget is definitely doable.

First things first: Flight deals are better if you plan during the weekday. Weekend flight prices are more expensive since everyone wants to go on a weekend.

You can get last-minute flights on weekdays for $100 or better if there are promo deals.