http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-travelers-to-las-vegas-20130816,0,5928223.storyBy Hugo Martin
August 18, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
Travelers flying to Las Vegas don’t wait until they touch ground to start their reveling.
On the way to Sin City, the average planeload of passengers spends a total of $116 for liquor, beer wine and soda, surpassing drink sales to any other destination in the lower 48 states, according to statistics released by GuestLogix, a company that specializes in onboard merchandising for the airline industry.
Travelers flying to cities in Hawaii and Alaska spend the most of any U.S. destination, but that is because long-haul flights are the norm to get to those states.
Brett Proud, chief executive of GuestLogix, said the spending patterns for travelers to Vegas are not a surprise.
“Everybody going to Vegas has a party mind-set,” he explained.
Spending on drinks drops significantly for travelers leaving Las Vegas, Proud added.
“On the way back, people are out of cash,” he said.
For all destinations, the biggest days of the week for buying drinks are Thursdays and Fridays when, the average planeload spends $67 and $66 per flight, respectively, according to GuestLogix’s statistics for May, 2013. Alcoholic beverages account for about 99% of those sales.
