Brian K's 1999 Las Vegas
Summer Tour Trip Report

This is Pt 3 of my Pre Trip Report for our upcoming trip to Las Vegas.
This report will cover the rental car situation in Las Vegas as well
as an update on my search for decent air fare rates from the Southeast.


                        *********************

CAR RENTAL

I've done a bit of competitive price checking the last few days for a
rental car in Las Vegas. All of the major companies service McCarren
and as with the airlines the price structure is basically a hit and miss
proposition. You can call everyday and get a different price from the same
rental company. I guess it just depends on their mood the day you call as
to what price they will offer.

The strategy that I use when calling is to always ask for the best
available rate on a rental car. This translates into a subcompact car,
Geo Metro, Mitsubishi Mirage, or some similar type car. In other words
your basic bare bones, small engine, four seater. Great on gas, poor
on power, and not much to look at. If basic transportation is what you
are looking for while on vacation, these subcompacts will fit the bill.
Most rental companies will offer very good upgrade prices when you 
pickup the car usually better than over the phone. Also chances are better
than even you will get upgraded for free, the lowest rate cars go fast
especially during busy times which is almost all of the time in Las Vegas.

Here are the rates that I was quoted for the last week of June:

                 (McCarren)            (Off-Airport)
               Week        Day         Week       Day

Alamo        $153.99     $26.99             *None*
Avis         $164.99     $27.49      $158.90     $26.48
Budget       $149.00     $29.89      $149.00     $29.89
Enterprise   $119.95     $24.35      $139.95     $27.99
Hertz        $125.88     $25.18      $174.95     $34.99
National     $119.99     $20.00             *None*
Sears        $139.89     $32.89      $139.89     $32.89
Thrifty      $134.99     $23.99             *None*


These prices are the standard rate quoted and do not include any
discounts that you might be eligible for. Delta has an agreement
with a couple of these companies. AAA has discounts with a few,
as I'm sure do the Loyal Order of Buffalo and other such
organizations and companies. Also the rates above do not include
taxes. The standard state and local tax tacked on is 13.25% and if
you rent from an airport location you can add another 10%.

For our trip I think we will rely on other means of transportation.
With all of the new monorails on the strip and free shuttles in town
a rental car is not necessary anymore. We have already made the side
trips to Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon as well as
the off-strip properties so this time I think I'll save a little money.


                        *********************

AIRFARE UPDATE

The recent announcement of a fare hike by USAirways and subsequent
following by the other major airlines was extremely bad news for
our trip. So faced with a major decision we acted fast and purchased
the already high tickets. The other couple who were set to make their
first trip to Las Vegas with us bowed out do to these high fares and
will not be making the trip. Luckily I have enough frequent flyer miles
with Delta to get one free ticket so that cuts our airfare expense in
half. The fare that we settled on is $400 round trip from Augusta Ga. That
includes one plane change in Atlanta then non-stop to Las Vegas. If anyone
finds or hears of a better fare please email me. The one ticket that we
purchased does have a $75 exchange fee so if I find a better fare
between now and 6/26 it will have to be a good one to justify the $75
fee.

                        *********************

That just about covers the pre-planning for our June 26 trip. I'm not
very happy about the airfare situation, being on the right coast
can have its drawbacks. $400 for a ticket that cost $133 three years
ago is hard to accept. Driving 1800 miles is out of the question, I'm
just glad I'm not one of you folks who travels from the UK !

Thanks to my casino host at the Tropicana we won't have to worry
about hotel charges. You can't beat free. I just hope that the tables
are kind if not generous.




(Links to the web sites of the above companies can be found on this 
web site. Brian K's 1999 Las Vegas Summer Tour Trip Report will
also be posted.)