Southwest vs Delta from Las Vegas 2026: Bags, Routes, Basic

Southwest dominates Las Vegas in a way Delta does not, and most of the comparisons you see online have not been updated to reflect what changed in 2025 and 2026. Bags are no longer free on Southwest. Assigned seating arrived in January 2026. Delta raised its checked-bag fees to match in April 2026. The Vegas-specific picture below uses 2026 numbers and current published policies for both airlines.

The short version: Southwest operates Las Vegas as a focus city with the most daily flights and the most non-stop destinations of any carrier at LAS, which is the single biggest reason most travelers leaving Vegas should default to Southwest. Delta operates LAS as a regular destination served from a handful of its hubs, with no LAS hub or focus city presence. If you need a domestic First Class recliner, Comfort+ legroom, or SkyTeam-routed international connections, Delta wins. If you need schedule depth, change flexibility, or the most non-stop options to mid-sized US cities, Southwest wins.

For the airline-vs-airline comparison without the Las Vegas overlay, see our full Southwest vs Delta in 2026 breakdown. This guide focuses on the LAS-specific angle.

What we looked at

Five criteria that matter for travelers leaving Las Vegas specifically:

• Schedule depth from LAS: non-stop destinations served, daily departure count, and time-of-day options
• Basic Economy versus Wanna Get Away: what the cheapest fare actually buys on a Vegas itinerary
• Total trip cost out of LAS: base fare plus bag fee plus seat-selection fee for the kind of two-night Vegas trip most travelers actually book
• Premium product on the LAS routes that offer it: Delta domestic First Class and Comfort+ paid premium economy, Southwest’s single-class economy with the new paid Extra Legroom row
• Lounge access at LAS: what each airline’s passengers can actually get into, given that neither carrier operates a branded lounge of its own at Las Vegas

We did not factor in international connectivity (Delta wins decisively if you need it; Southwest is mostly domestic with a handful of near-international destinations) or premium-cabin loyalty (First Class redemptions, Medallion upgrades). Those are decided before you get to LAS, not because of it.

Schedule depth: Southwest wins, not close

Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS) is the 8th-busiest US airport by passenger volume and one of the most contested low-cost markets in the country. Southwest’s LAS focus city operation is one of its largest, with the most daily departures and the most non-stop destinations of any single carrier at the airport.

Delta operates LAS as a destination, not a hub or focus city. Its presence at LAS connects the airport to Atlanta (ATL), Salt Lake City (SLC), Los Angeles (LAX), Detroit (DTW), Minneapolis (MSP), Seattle (SEA), and JFK. Beyond those hubs, Delta itineraries from LAS connect rather than fly direct, which means more options on a Saturday morning out of Vegas but more total travel time.

For non-stop service from LAS to mid-sized US cities (Nashville, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Austin, Sacramento, Spokane), Southwest is often the only carrier offering that route at all from LAS, or offers materially more frequencies. If schedule density is your deciding factor, this single point usually settles the choice.

Bags out of Vegas: same published fee, different free-bag paths

Both airlines now charge $45 for the first checked bag and $55 for the second on standard fares from LAS. The rates converged in stages: Southwest ended its Bags Fly Free policy in May 2025, and Delta raised its first and second checked-bag fees to $45 and $55 for tickets purchased on or after April 8, 2026, its first domestic bag-fee increase in two years. The two now sit at the prevailing US legacy carrier rate.

Where they diverge is the path to free bags:

• Southwest free bags come from A-List Preferred status (two free bags), Choice Extra fares (one free bag), the Rapid Rewards Plus credit card (one free bag for the cardholder plus up to eight companions on the same reservation), and active-duty military.
• Delta free bags come from SkyMiles Medallion status (Silver tier and above, one free bag) and Delta SkyMiles credit cards (Gold, Platinum, Reserve all include first bag free).

For a Vegas traveler who flies 4 to 8 round trips a year, both airlines’ credit cards pay for themselves on bag fees alone. The choice between them often hinges on which carrier you actually fly more, plus the Companion Pass on Southwest (separately, not via the credit card) versus SkyMiles Medallion benefits on Delta.

Carry-on advantage still goes to Southwest. Southwest’s carry-on limit is 24 x 16 x 10 inches (61 x 41 x 25 cm), one of the most generous in the US. Delta’s is 22 x 14 x 9 inches (56 x 35 x 23 cm), the US standard. The difference matters for a packed two-night Vegas trip where you want everything in carry-on to avoid the $45 fee.

Basic Economy versus Wanna Get Away

This is the comparison the Copilot citations keep grounding on, and it is genuinely close enough to deserve a careful answer.

Delta Basic Economy from LAS is the cheapest fare bucket. It includes one carry-on and one personal item (Delta did not strip carry-on the way American and United did on some routes). It blocks seat selection until check-in, boards last, prohibits changes and refunds entirely, prohibits upgrades to higher cabins, and earns reduced Medallion Qualification Miles.

Southwest Wanna Get Away is the cheapest fare bucket on Southwest. It includes one carry-on, one personal item, two free unassigned standard seats per booking, the lowest boarding priority in Southwest’s new boarding-group system, and the same on-board experience as a higher fare. Critically, Wanna Get Away still has no change or cancellation fees, and same-day flight changes route to travel credits at no cash cost.

The practical comparison for a Vegas itinerary:

• If you book a Delta Basic Economy fare and your plans change, you lose the entire fare. Vegas plans change often (work trip extended, conference dropped, weekend rebooked).
• If you book a Southwest Wanna Get Away fare and your plans change, you get a travel credit good for one year with no fee.

For a flexible Vegas traveler, Wanna Get Away is the more forgiving fare even when Basic Economy is $20 to $50 cheaper on the same route. For a locked-in Vegas traveler with a hard date (a wedding, a concert), Basic Economy on Delta can win on cash if you are willing to give up the change flexibility.

Premium cabins and the business traveler from LAS

Delta is the only carrier between Southwest and Delta with a premium cabin at all. Southwest is single-class economy across its entire fleet, with no first or business cabin. The paid Extra Legroom row Southwest added in early 2026 gives you about 34 inches of pitch instead of 31, but it is the same seat product, not a different cabin.

Delta on its LAS routes offers:

• First Class (domestic recliner) on its transcontinental runs to JFK and BOS and on its hub routes to ATL, SLC, DTW, MSP, SEA, and LAX. On the New York and Boston runs Delta flies the A321neo, which carries a wider, more comfortable recliner First Class but not a lie-flat Delta One seat. Delta’s lie-flat A321neo cabin has been delayed by seat-certification issues and is not in service on these routes in 2026.
• Delta Comfort+ paid premium economy on essentially every LAS route, with extra pitch, free premium snacks, and priority boarding.

If you are flying Vegas to New York and you want a wider seat up front, Delta’s recliner First Class is something Southwest cannot match. If you are flying Vegas to mid-sized US cities, Southwest’s schedule density makes Delta’s premium product moot because Delta does not fly the route non-stop.

Lounges at LAS

This is the spot where the usual Southwest-vs-Delta lounge story does not hold at Las Vegas. Neither carrier operates a branded lounge of its own here.

Delta: No Delta Sky Club at LAS as of 2026. Delta has announced plans to build one, but it is not slated to open until later this decade. Until then, Delta passengers at Las Vegas get into a lounge the same way everyone else does, through a credit card.

Southwest: No lounge of its own at LAS either. Southwest Rapid Rewards members do not have lounge access through Southwest.

So for both airlines the Vegas lounge route is the third-party one: Priority Pass, the Amex Centurion Lounge (Amex Platinum and Centurion cardholders), the Capital One Lounge, or the Chase Sapphire Lounge. A Delta flyer with the right Amex and a Southwest flyer with the right Amex get the same Centurion Lounge access. Lounge access at LAS is therefore not a reason to pick Delta over Southwest in 2026, it is a reason to carry the right credit card.

When Southwest wins, when Delta wins

Pick Southwest from LAS if:

• You are flying to a mid-sized US city (BNA, MCI, MDW, BWI, OAK, IND, CLE, PIT, SJC, SAN, SAT, AUS, SMF, GEG)
• Your plans might change and you want zero change-fee exposure
• You pack carry-on only and want the larger 24x16x10 allowance
• You earn the Companion Pass or already hold the Rapid Rewards Plus credit card
• You fly LAS often enough that schedule depth matters more than premium product

Pick Delta from LAS if:

• You want a domestic First Class recliner on the transcontinental runs to JFK or BOS
• You are flying to an international destination via ATL, SLC, or LAX
• You hold SkyMiles Medallion status and chase its benefits
• You are paying for Comfort+ and want the 34-inch pitch consistently across the route
• Your itinerary connects through Salt Lake City, Atlanta, or Minneapolis (Delta’s geometric strengths)

For everyone else, Southwest is the better default on Las Vegas departures.

The bottom line

If you only fly out of Vegas once or twice a year and your destinations are major hub cities, both airlines work. Compare prices on Google Flights, factor the $45 bag fee on both, and pick by schedule.

If you fly out of Vegas regularly to mid-sized US cities, Southwest is structurally better because nobody else flies the routes with that frequency. The schedule density advantage at LAS is the single biggest reason to prefer Southwest, and it is not close.

If you are a business traveler who flies LAS to New York or Boston and you value a real premium cabin, Delta’s First Class is the better seat on those specific routes, even though it loses on most other Vegas itineraries. Just do not pick it for a Delta lounge at LAS, because there is not one yet.

For the full Southwest vs Delta comparison outside the LAS context, the Southwest vs Delta in 2026 breakdown covers reliability, loyalty programs, and seat comfort in detail. For other LAS-related guides, see the LAS airport guide for terminal layout, security wait times, and ground transportation options.