British Airways has announced a new service connecting Gatwick Airport with Las Vegas from October 29.

Flights will operate three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and depart Gatwick Airport at 11.30am. The return flight will leave McCarran Airport at 3.55pm.

British Airways said the flights will be operated by a three-cabin Boeing 777, which will include a Club World cabin with flat beds.

Return fares start from £722 for a World Traveller ticket, rising to £1,100 for a World Traveller Plus ticket and £3,550 for a Club World premium ticket.

The new service means that British Airways will operate a total of 10 flights a week to Las Vegas from Heathrow and Gatwick Airport.

Colm Lacy, British Airways’ head of commercial at Gatwick, said: “Las Vegas has proved to be an incredibly popular year-round destination from Heathrow so we are delighted to now be able to offer the route from Gatwick as well.

“This is the kind of destination our leisure customers at Gatwick are looking for and it will complement our existing USA and long-haul leisure network.”

Las Vegas is likely to become a popular new route at Gatwick Airport, as new figures show that 3.5 million people visited the city in March, an increase of 100,000 people compared to the same month last year.

Copyright Press Association 2012

 Stansted Airport is using less electricity and recycling more waste than ever, it has revealed.

Green improvements at Stansted

The use of low-energy lighting on the airfield, more efficient air conditioning systems and the turning off of electrical products overnight helped to cut the amount of electricity Stansted uses from the grid by 4% in 2010.

Meanwhile, the site composted or recycled more than half of its waste last year.

Some 700 tonne of paper was recycled in comparison to 450 tonnes the previous year, while 158 tonnes of food was composted.

And the airport’s head of health, safety and environment, Dr Andy Jefferson, said he hoped to make further improvements this year with a hydrogen fuel trial set to begin this month.

Dr Andy Jefferson said: “Whilst we’re delighted with our year end results, our ambition remains firmly focussed on improving performance even further.” 

Even new freight operations are greener, with the use of a new Boeing 777 for the scheduled cargo flight by FedEx Express.

The plane, one of 45 ordered by FedEx, is more fuel efficient than the previous MD-11 aircraft used for the route between Stansted and Memphis in the US. It also features advanced noise reduction technology, resulting in quieter landings and takeoffs.

Copyright Press Association 2011