Plan a KLAX to KLAS flight route with practical SID, STAR, altitude, fuel and FMS guidance, plus fixes for navdata and runway mismatches.
To plan a KLAX-to-KLAS flight in a general flight simulator, select aircraft and live or preset weather first, then build an IFR route from a suitable Los Angeles SID through the Daggett area to a Las Vegas STAR. Validate every procedure against matching charts and navdata, then set altitude, fuel and alternate requirements.
What KLAX to KLAS route should you enter?
A practical modern-airliner route skeleton is KLAX – ORCKA (MISEN transition) – J100 – DAG – KEPEC – KLAS, provided those procedures and transitions exist in the planner and aircraft navdata. DAG is the Daggett VOR, while ORCKA and KEPEC handle the terminal portions of the flight.
We have deliberately omitted SID and STAR revision numbers because they change with navigation-data cycles. Treat this as a planning example rather than a guaranteed clearance: runway flow, aircraft capability or traffic restrictions may produce a different or longer route.
| Type of flight | Suggested structure | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| Airliner IFR | Runway-compatible SID, MISEN J100 DAG, compatible KLAS STAR and approach | For realistic jet operations with an FMS |
| Basic GPS practice | KLAX DCT DAG DCT KLAS | For practising GPS sequencing without full terminal procedures; it is not guaranteed to be a valid real-world clearance |
| Piston or VFR | A charted route chosen around terrain and controlled airspace | When the aircraft cannot meet jet SID climb restrictions or the aim is visual navigation |
How do you build the KLAX to KLAS flight plan?
Build the plan from aircraft performance, weather and runway flow rather than selecting the shortest magenta line.
- Set the aircraft and load. Aircraft type affects climb capability, cruise altitude, fuel and eligibility for some procedures. A route generated for an A320-class jet should not be copied blindly into a piston single.
- Check weather at both airports. Do not assume KLAX runway 25R or KLAS runway 26L merely because a saved flight uses it. Wind, traffic flow and simulator ATC can change the departure or approach.
- Generate the route. Enter
KLAXas the origin andKLASas the destination. Our practical SimBrief planning workflow explains aircraft selection, route generation, fuel calculation and export. - Brief every procedure. Confirm that the SID serves the departure runway, its transition joins the first airway leg, and the STAR connects sensibly to the expected approach. Use our guide to interpreting departure, arrival and approach charts when checking restrictions.
- Calculate fuel and an alternate. Include taxi, trip, contingency, alternate and final-reserve fuel, plus extra for vectors or holding where appropriate. Fixed fuel figures are unreliable because aircraft model, payload, wind and routing vary.
- Load and cross-check the avionics. Enter the origin and destination, add the en-route airway or fixes, then select the SID, STAR and approach through the procedure pages. Follow the detailed GPS and FMS entry process if the imported plan produces gaps or duplicate legs.
Harry Reid International may still appear as McCarran International in older scenery or airport databases. Both names refer to KLAS; the airport identifier did not change with the renaming.
What cruise altitude works best for KLAX to KLAS?
For an A320- or 737-class jet, FL230 to FL270 is a sensible planning range for the roughly 205 NM direct sector, with FL250 a useful first estimate when winds, weight and routing permit.
The magnetic track is broadly eastbound, so an odd IFR flight level is normally appropriate unless an airway, planner or ATC instruction dictates otherwise. A turboprop may suit FL170 to FL230. Piston pilots should select altitude from charted minimums, terrain, oxygen requirements and aircraft performance rather than copying an airliner level.
Very high cruise levels rarely pay off on this route. If the planner shows the aircraft reaching top of climb and immediately beginning descent, choose a lower level unless weather or performance gives a clear reason not to.
When should you descend for Las Vegas?
From around FL250, descent planning commonly begins 65–80 NM before the first low-altitude arrival constraint, but the published STAR restrictions take priority over a rule-of-thumb calculation.
Using the three-to-one rule, descending from FL250 to approximately 6,000 ft requires about 57 NM before allowing extra distance for slowing and levelling at constraints. Measure that distance back from the relevant restriction, not automatically from the airport. KLAS sits at about 2,180 ft and is surrounded by significant terrain, so do not leave the descent late and then force a steep shortcut below charted altitudes.
Why does the KLAX–KLAS route break in the FMS?
Most broken KLAX–KLAS flight plans result from mismatched navdata, incompatible procedure transitions or duplicate fixes where an airway meets the arrival.
- ORCKA or KEPEC is missing: the planner and aircraft probably use different navigation-data cycles. Select procedures available in the aircraft rather than forcing a name it does not recognise.
- There is a gap at MISEN or DAG: verify the SID transition, airway entry and exit, and STAR transition. A mistake we see constantly is deleting every discontinuity without first checking what it represents.
- The route doubles back:
DAGmay appear as both the final airway fix and the first STAR fix. Inspect the sequence and remove only the duplicate leg. - The plan contains VECTORS: this may intentionally represent radar vectors rather than missing data. Without simulator ATC, use the charted heading or intercept plan before activating the next suitable leg.
- A runway change destroys the arrival: reselect the STAR transition and approach, then review every altitude constraint and discontinuity. Do not assume the FMS preserved them when the runway was replaced.