News: Flightmapping guide to finding Ricky Hatton flights

Flights > News > # 1502 (03/10/2007)

Flightmapping.com has received a number of emails from boxing fans trying to find cheap flights for Ricky Hatton’s bout against Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas this December.
The Manchester fighter has an enormous following, but there are not many direct flights from the UK to Las Vegas, and prices are astronomically high on the dates surrounding the big fight on December 8.
So, what are the options for fight fans wanting to get to Vegas for what promises to be one of the most exciting bouts seen on either side of the Atlantic for years?
Firstly, the bad news – you won’t find a flight for the Ricky Hatton fight for much less than £500, and direct flights are likely to set you back even more. The good news is that charter specialist MyTravel are offering flights out to Las Vegas from Manchester on December 5, returning on December 12, for £589.40. An initial deposit of just £75 has to be paid up-front. This is by far the most convenient option, but bear in mind that seats on these flights are selling fast.
There are no other direct flights from Manchester to Las Vegas, although BMI have a codeshare agreement with United Airlines, meaning you can fly from Manchester to Chicago with BMI, and then take United on to Vegas. The booking can be done all in one on the BMI’s website. The cheapest fare we have found for dates around the Ricky Hatton fight is £555 (leaving on December 4, returning on December 12). Prices on BMI’s Las Vegas flights get significantly more expensive in the days either side of the big fight.
If time is tight you could fly to Los Angeles or Phoenix with British Airways and then take an internal flights or drive to Vegas. BA have got fares from Manchester to Los Angeles (via Heathrow) for £520, leaving on December 7 and returning on December 9, or Manchester to Phoenix (again via Heathrow) for £484, leaving on December 7 and returning on December 9 (evening). Allow around five to six hours to drive from both Phoenix and Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Budget airline Southwest (the US equivalent of Ryanair) offers up to 14 flights a day from both Los Angeles and Phoenix to Las Vegas, with fares from $140 (£70) return. The flight time on both routes is just over an hour each way.