Jets fans plan trips to Vegas for Stanley Cup run

Airlines are adding extra flights, fares are soaring and Jets fans are stealing off to Sin City next week to cheer on their team.

Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Final are in Las Vegas as the Jets take on the Vegas Golden Knights.

"Vegas is a brand new team, they're both wicked teams, it'll be an awesome game. There's no better reason to go to Vegas," said Jeff Strong, 38.

He and his girlfriend booked airline tickets right before the third period of Thursday night's game against the Nashville Predators. Strong said he paid close to $900 total for their round trips, leaving from Grand Forks, N.D. on Friday morning to arrive in Vegas in time for the evening game.

He said he knew fares were generally cheaper to Vegas from Grand Forks or Fargo, and he's looking forward to the 2½ hour road trip to Grand Forks Thursday night.

"It was kind of a bit of a whim but I know it'll be super awesome. There'll be tons of other fans there, it should be exciting," he said.

WestJet is the only Canadian airline that flies to Vegas non-stop from Winnipeg. The airline has added two more non-stop flights from Winnipeg to Vegas next week.

"With the hockey win, we wanted to provide other options for hockey enthusiasts looking to catch a game and also enjoy Vegas for all that it offers," said spokesperson Lauren Stewart.

One-way fares to the city next week range from $255 to $632, compared to $239 to $395 the week of May 20

"Airline pricing is dynamic, based on supply and demand," said Stewart.

"At this point, we are seeing the flights booking up quickly because not only are hockey fans booking, we are the only Canadian airline that serves the Winnipeg non-stop to Vegas and it's a popular route to begin with."

People are also flying via Air Canada.

"While we do not have non-stop flights from Winnipeg to Las Vegas, we offer connecting flights to Vegas via Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. The lowest fares are always the first to be purchased, especially with Games 3 and 4 in Las Vegas just before the long weekend," said an Air Canada spokesperson.

"We'll continue monitoring demand and the possibility of scheduling larger aircraft if commercial demand warrants that, and subject to other operational considerations."

American airline Allegiant tweeted it's also adding flights to get fans from Grand Forks to Vegas.

Winnipegger sets up chartered flight service

A Winnipeg sports marketer and events producer is also arranging chartered planes to fly fans to the games.

Brenda Bourns said private charter provider Air Charter Service reached out to her earlier this year to see if she was interested for any events. At the time, she didn't need a plane.

But as the Jets started progressing through the playoffs, she decided to explore the possibility of ferrying fans.

"I just thought, I have a chartered plane service that wants to work with me, let's make something happen," she said. "There are so many people that are going to want to go to Vegas."

After conversations with the airline, she posted about her idea on social media. During Thursday night's game, the interest spiked, she said.

"It was actually so incredibly overwhelming, to be honest," she said.

"Every time we scored, my phone, my Instagram, my Facebook messenger, was just ding-ding-ding-ding-ding, people [saying] 'get me on that plane.'"

Her service, offered through her company Event Strategy Productions, offers multiple options, she added, from a standard package at around $1,000 all the way up to the "executive budget" of about $8,000, which covers a private plane, your hotel stay and your tickets.

So far, she said, she's already booked about 120 people on a large plane and a smaller private flight.

Strong and his girlfriend hope to buy tickets to the game when they get to Las Vegas, but even if they don't find any, they're excited to be there to be a part of history. 

"It hurt when they left, it sucked, and then since they've come back it made winter and just being Winnipeg, the downtown, everything just so much better," he said. "It brought a big piece of life back to the city."