This time a conference is taking me to the desert in Las Vegas: preliminary talks in London, then via Chicago to Las Vegas and back via Frankfurt. Affected airlines: air Berlin (Münster – London Stansted), United Airlines (London Heathrow – Chicago – Las Vegas), Condor (Las Vegas – Frankfurt) and Lufthansa (Frankfurt – Munich).

London – Chicago – Las Vegas

United Airlines is a partner of the Star Alliance and departs from London Heathrow from Terminal 3; anything that is not Terminal 5 is good... In fact, the effort required for security checks is surprisingly minimal and despite the extensive checks in London, I get from the subway station to the waiting area within 45 minutes. The flight departs on time and here comes the best part: 5 seats for two people in Economy Plus class! Sensational for a transcontinental flight.

The food on board United Airlines is OK, but alcoholic drinks are a lot of 5$; there is no party atmosphere. On the connecting flight within the US, even the snacks are not free. Chicago's O'Hare airport is a normal international hub: lots of terminals, lots of people and strict security checks. One problem with the onward journey is that our plane is broken and we have to take another one. Of course, this is only noticed when almost all the passengers are on board.

The Venetian Resort

We are in Hotel Palazzo of "The Venetian Resort“ in Las Vegas and my travel guide speaks of one of the “most spectacular mega resorts” in Las Vegas and of a “replica of the splendor and beauty of Venice that is astonishingly accurate even for Europeans.” I don’t take it that seriously, because I have never seen the real Venice.

My suite, which I got as an upgrade, is definitely spectacular: the planned "normal" suite had not yet been cleaned, so I am now in a suite a few categories above. Here I probably have a similar number of square meters at my disposal as in Munich: two huge bedrooms, a living room, two bathing areas, three toilets, three dressing areas with walk-in closets, a kitchenette and an office corner. Everything is furnished to the highest standards, e.g. BOSE system, 7 (in words: seven) HDTV televisions, fax, LAN, bathtubs with whirlpool function, marble, textile wallpaper and remote-controlled curtain openers - I have never seen anything like it, and even on TV the suite from "Pretty Woman" doesn't come close to this splendor. Unfortunately I had to move to a smaller suite, but this one also meets high standards.

The Strip

Fortunately, I have a free day in Las Vegas and I am using it for a trip around the world. First, I will travel from Venice (The Venetian) to Rome (Caesar’s Palace) and further through Tuscany (Bellagio) to Paris (Paris Las Vegas) with its very good Eiffel Tower Restaurant. After an international detour (MGM Grand) stands for Old England (Excalibur) and Egypt (Luxor). The final stop is Thailand (Mandalay Bay), New York (New York New York) and the Caribbean (Treasure Island). On the last day of my stay I can still enjoy the Circus Circus and Sahara admire and the highlight is the Stratosphere TowerFrom there you have a wonderful view of Las Vegas, the Strip and the Nevada desert.

In this way, I explore the entire Strip and discover that the southern Strip is currently the "finer" part of the entertainment mile. In the north, separated by the vacant lot of the former New Frontier, the casinos are rather old-fashioned, but the hotel prices are also much cheaper. However, this is also being rebuilt, so that, for example, the traditional casino The New Frontier blown up was and is being rebuilt.

Overall, Las Vegas is known to be full of American exaggeration: everything is based on the original locations, but just a little too much. The ancient sites are equipped with moving walkways, the towers of the castles in Excalibur are beautifully painted in bright colors, and the respective shopping streets are eternally twilight thanks to the roof and artificial lighting. Nevertheless, the current themed casinos are fantastic entertainment temples that the casinos of 20 years ago (that's when I was in the city for the first time) cannot compete with. Well, that's why most of them no longer exist. However, the endless rows of one-armed bandits now seem out of place, as they do not fit the respective themes at all.

Never again Condor

The return journey is made with a direct flight from Las Vegas to Frankfurt with Condor, the charter company of Lufthansa. The flight is supposedly the better alternative to a trip with Virgin Atlantic via London, as there is no need to change airports.

Hindsight is always 20/20 and I would like to give you a tip: Never fly with Condor! The flight was a total nightmare, as

• the seating is so narrow that I cannot place my legs straight in front of me,
• the service is characterized by a rare unfriendliness and
• the food on board represents an inedible alternative to starvation.

To top it all off, the amateurs in flight planning made a miscalculation, so we didn't have enough fuel on board for the long flight to Frankfurt. According to the captain, this is due to the heat in Las Vegas (a heatwave and around 38°C) and unfavorable wind conditions. In addition, this is more or less normal and in summer the flight can rarely be carried out directly. This raises the question of why an airline that cannot carry out direct flights due to the wrong aircraft, loading or planning even offers them.

Long story short: We have to make a stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland, to pick up a few tons (!) of kerosene. On the onward flight to Frankfurt, we have a tailwind, so we fly to Germany at the plane's maximum speed of almost 1,000 km/h; so much for the unfavorable wind conditions! Of course, we land about two hours late and I miss my connecting flight. Fortunately, Lufthansa managed to rebook me, so I can at least travel quickly to Munich.

All in all, an eventful business trip, during which I was able to see Las Vegas again after an eternity. It is and will remain a test-tube city, but the constant self-renewal after 10 years certainly leads to a new experience. The Strip is particularly busy at weekends and you can feel the attraction of this entertainment mile. Coupled with a successful conference, it was a very positive experience.

The photos of my trip are here to find.