I'm going to Vegas in a few weeks and was looking into Allegiant Air cause some of you have said it's great.

But reading some reviews online, lots of people were talking about their old planes and a safety issue.

For all those who have flown with Allegiant, could you please give me your iexperience with the airline. As well if you felt dangerous while take off, in air, landing?

Because of the reviews i read about the old planes, I'm currently leaning towards AC but they don't have direct flights which will take me forever to get to Vegas.

Thanks in advance!

They fly MD-80's exclusively. As to whether they are inherently unsafer than other types of planes, I don't really think so. Every time I've flown them, they've seemed OK. I didn't feel unsafe at any time. Yes the planes are older (they don't make MD-80's anymore) but then that's how they can have cheaper flights - by buying older planes for cheaper...new planes cost big bucks, and I don't think they could be this competitive if they had higher overhead costs.

If you check the news, there have been a couple of issues in the past with MD-80's but I'm sure the FAA has had all these addressed. I would expect these planes go through the same rigorous checks as any other plane that flies in the US.

I wouldn't have any problem flying them again. I didn't feel unsafe flying them at any time.

dude that was a quick reply. Thanks!

Any others who have flown Allegiant, please continue to post your experience!

BTW, how much is parking per day at BLI? Is the parking lot secure?

I was very happy with Allegiant...the planes are fine, service was good. Parking lot is $7 per day and its safe to park there...it's right in front of the main terminal.

Same.

People take Allegiant cause it's cheap, period. You're not gonna get nuts and snacks and stuff unless you pay extra. There's no movie or tv's. I've never felt unsafe on their planes, the staff has always been generally friendly and flights on time. Can't ask for much more for what you pay.

Your best bet is to book way ahead as the deals diminish closer to departure. I set up a trip for some friends in late Feb. for early April. 8 days air (Allegiant)/hotel (Bally's) for $430CAD - kinda hard to beat.

Why Bally's? It's cheap, clean and central. I go to Vegas to gamble, shop and maybe watch a show or 2, that's it. I don't need extra fluff for a place I'm only going to sleep and shower in for 4-6 hours a day (if that). All the casinos I frequent (Caesar's, Venetian, Bellagio, Wynn) are 5 minutes away. The Forum and PH are right there and Fashion Show is a 10 minute walk. Freemont St., outlet malls, Rio, etc. would require a shuttle or cab regardless of location (on the strip).

Air Canada does have daily direct flights between Vancouver and Las Vegas. AC544 leaves Vancouver at 11:50 and arrives in LV at 14:30. The return flight, AC545, leaves LV at 11:05, arriving in Vancouver at 13:53. However, it is more expensive than leaving from Bellingham with Allegiant Air though.

What Gumby said. It's a codeshare with United, so if you can't find it on Air Canada, check United. It's going to be pricier.

You can always try WestJet as well. If I'm not mistaken, they fly a direct to LV as well.

I got my AC flights from Vancouver to LV for 79 and LV to Vancouver for 79. It was a pretty good deal since I don't have to drive all the way to Bellingham. :D

That's awesome guys. Thanks for all the confirmation. I really don't care about the food, tv, etc on the flight. I just want to get there safetly and cheap.

I've been on Porter which is also a low-cost airline out east and loved it.

Is it worth the priority boarding that Allegiant charges if I already have the advance seat selection option? Is it true that we must check in at the airport 2.5 hours prior to the flight??

I haven't been to the boarder lately, what time should I get to the boarder by if my flight is 3:30pm with Allegiant? It's gonna be May 9th (Sat). Don't want to miss the flight because I didn't give myself enough time for the lineup at the boarder.

NO!

Don't pay for that either.

And don't pay for checked-in luggage. You're allowed to carry on the small-sized one for free. That's what everyone does.

Hang out @ bellis fair if you get there early.

Don't check bags unless you have to. If you are only going for a few days, don't bother...just carry on as much as you can.

Bellingham is a tiny airport. There aren't going to be any long security lines, and check in is a breeze. You don't need to be there that early but if you got a few people with you and you want seats together, it probably isn't a bad idea. (that is if you declined the priority seating which you should) Otherwise, it's just a domestic flight so there's no need to go super early. Domestic flights usually start pre boarding 30 minutes before the flight departs, so if you're there 60-90 minutes before departure time, you'll be fine.

Border crossing is another thing though. I'd budget probably 2 hours to cross the border though (unless you have Nexus). Weekend border lines are usually at least an hour wait across Peace Arch (and probably the same at the truck crossing), and you want to account for a bit of slack in case you get called in to secondary. If you have a 3:30 flight, I'd suggest leaving around noon. If you get there early, go take a walk around Bellis Fair or get something to eat...they have free wireless at Bellingham airport so you can also sit there and post on RS :D

We usually check in 2 hours early and are still able to choose our seats.

Check http://www.borderlineups.com/ . It refreshes every 20 seconds or so and give est. wait times at the 4 common crossings.

Checking in luggage is up to you. The first couple of times I left half empty and came back completely full (yes, the shopping was that good).

Thanks for the link fliptuner.

I booked the tickets but selected the priority seating and seat selection. The reason is cause i'm going with my gf and want to make sure we are sitting together in case we don't arrive early enough to select seats during check in. I guess it's one of those first time experience things where you just do it so you don't worry.

Next time I know not to do select the priority boarding. However, it was still half the price of AC, about $290 for the two of us. :)

So which buffet do you guys say is worth going? I'll be there for 4 days. Is the Village Seafood Buffet at Rio good?

I would recommend renting a car if you are planning on going to the outlets, and Rio is pretty far too as it will save you a bit of money from using the cab. That's just from my experience. But if it's your first time in Vegas, I guess 4 days 3 nights will just be on the strip so no need to rent.

Have fun and don't forget to ask for the free booze haha

I can't say how "worth" it it was but the ayce buffet at the Wynn is fucking huge (Alaskan king crab, roast, sushi, Chinese, they pretty much had everything covered) !!!! I do remember it being on the pricey side but I also remember winning the cost of my meal back when I went out for a smoke and played slots for 5 minutes. LOL

I only go to the Rio when there's a WSOP event to watch. Usually, I just take the shuttle located between Bally's and Paris.

If you go across the street from the Rio to the Gold Coast and sign up for the member's card, they have the cheapest booze short of going waaaay off strip.

Also, don't forget to grab the handbook in the taxi when you get in. TONS of useful info including all the free shows and times, regular showtimes, sites, etc.

There's a shuttle that goes to the outlets. Looks like it's $15 for a return trip. I've always driven so I've never taken it, and not really sure how much a cab would cost...

Rental car will probably run you about $30/day. Maybe rent for 2 days and walk the other 2?

It's been a while since I've been to the Wynn buffet, but it was just under $30 I think? (I'm guessing it was 27.95 or somewhere around there) A lot of food, and also has crab legs if you're into that.

I heard the outlet has some nice stores but the selections aren't that great even for an outlet.

I heard you can get good deals like around $100 for True Religion jeans at the 3 star hotels or something. Can anyone confirm this or know where in Vegas to get them?

anybody know any links or places to get some deals on trips to Vegas? I want to go in the last week of May

Heading to Vegas tonight for a day. Staying at the Wynn so I'll be checking out the crazy buffet.

Check out the buffet @ Wynn for sure. Best buffet I had.

is vegas good for young uns? like 2-3 years old? anyone with experience bringing in younger ones there?

I wouldn't suggest it. They allow smoking inside the building so you probably don't want your kids around that. But if you're going to vegas to do the tours outside of the strip, then it should be fine.

Yeah I don't think so either. Maybe in the late 90s, Las Vegas started catering towards families, but now it's gone back to it's adult-oriented roots. In my opinion, Las Vegas is known for gambling, partying, and shopping - none of which would be interesting for a 2-3 year old.

Yeah there's all that second hand smoke in casinos too...

but i wanna try the buffets...oh well..disneyland it is..

It might be the best buffet, but in terms of value, some are just ridiculous.

For example, the Port O' Calls buffet at the Gold Coast.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7066/img1938medium.jpg

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/1866/img1939medium.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/152/img1940medium.jpg

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/4079/img1935medium.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/8746/img1941medium.jpg

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/5...1943medium.jpg

All of this at lunch for just $7.45.