QANTAS: What happens on a seasonal direct flights to Vegas, stays in Vegas.

What happens in Vegas no longer requires a stop in Los Angeles. From 29 December 2026, Qantas will launch the first-ever nonstop flights between Australia and Las Vegas, with a seasonal Sydney–Las Vegas service running through to 12 March 2027.

For Australian travellers, that means skipping the usual US gateway shuffle, no LAX transfer, no Dallas connection, no domestic hop across America. This nonstop option should cut up to five hours off total travel time.

Las Vegas becomes destination number 101 on the Qantas network and the airline’s eighth city in the Americas, joining Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Dallas, New York, Vancouver and Santiago.

The schedule

These flights will run later this year, from 29 December 2026 to 12 March 2027, with a flight time of just under 14 hours. The flights will operate three times per week on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with Economy, Premium Economy and Business class.

• QF55 Departs Sydney (SYD) 21:00, arrives Las Vegas (LAS) 15:55 same day (Tues, Thurs, Sun)
• QF56 Departs Las Vegas (LAS) 20:20, arrives Sydney 06:35 +2 days (Tues, Thurs, Sun)

Economy return sale fares for the launch start at AUD$1,099.

Why Vegas?

The service will operate during major global events, including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January and the now-annual NRL season launch in Las Vegas. Qantas has operated NRL charter flights to Vegas for the past two years, and those services have sold out.

Las Vegas has repositioned itself in recent years as more than casinos and neon. It now relies on the convention and events business, along with high-end hotel openings, headline music residencies and access to the Grand Canyon and the broader US southwest.

“Australians’ appetite for international travel continues to be incredibly strong. Rome and Sapporo have shown us there’s real demand for seasonal services to destinations people want to visit at certain times of year.

“Our historic fleet renewal is giving us the flexibility to deploy aircraft where we see demand, opening up route possibilities that simply weren’t there before.”

Cam Wallace, Qantas International CEO

The fleet comment is key. With more Boeing 787s entering service and Project Sunrise aircraft on the horizon, Qantas has more flexibility to test long, thin seasonal routes.

North America push

Las Vegas isn’t just a leisure punt — it’s part of Qantas’ broader Americas strategy. The airline already operates multiple daily services to Los Angeles and Dallas, as well as New York via Auckland, and direct flights to San Francisco and Vancouver. Adding Las Vegas strengthens Qantas’ west coast footprint without competing directly with its own existing gateways.

For Las Vegas, Australia has long been a strong inbound market, but lacked nonstop access. More than 250,000 Australians visit Las Vegas each year — until now, all via connections.

“Australia has consistently ranked as our second-largest overseas market and our top international market without a nonstop flight.”

Steve Hill, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

2PAXfly takeout

This is a smart seasonal experiment. It allows Australians to travel directly to Las Vegas for their adult theme park fix without transiting through congested LAX. Although that does mean you will miss the LAX Qantas First Lounge.

Vegas is heavily event-driven. Outside peak periods, demand can soften quickly. That makes this a wise decision to test the market around major events and only run from December through to March.

If it performs and there are more ‘spare’ B787 Dreamliners as other new aircraft arrive, don’t be surprised to see extensions to the run or even a Melbourne tag in future years. These flights are also covered by the Double Status credits promotion. To take advantage, you have until 2 March 2026.