Las Vegas welcomes 1st direct commercial flight from Beijing

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A little glitz and a sampling of a Las Vegas Strip dance and acrobatic performance are marking the arrival of the first direct commercial airline flight from mainland China to Las Vegas.

Area elected and tourism officials, a Hainan Airlines executive, and Luo Linquan, the consul general of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco, are due for a Friday ceremony welcoming the start of service between Las Vegas and Beijing.

The three-times-a-week flights through McCarran International Airport on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft take 13 hours going west and 12 hours going east.

Passenger air service comes as casino companies court Chinese nationals and Chinese-Americans on and off the Las Vegas Strip.

A performance by the cast of KÀ by Cirque du Soleil is part of the festivities.