BLOOMINGTON - The sun just started to peek through the clouds at 6 a.m. Wednesday, and Elvis was already in full swing at the Central Illinois Regional Airport.

Actually, the king kept it low key, holding his hips steady as he chatted with travelers awaiting the airport's new commercial air service to Las Vegas on AirTran Airways.

"He's very charming," said Bloomington resident Keshava Murthy, while waiting to board the 7 a.m. flight with his wife, Jayashree.

"He looks the same everywhere," he added.

The Murthys were two of 135 people to board Wednesday's flight to Sin City's McCarran International Airport. The plane - the largest flying out of Bloomington by 20 seats - had just two empty seats.

CIRA staple AirTran Airways heavily marketed the flights, giving away eight tickets and even offering $7 tickets during a one-day promotion on July 7, or 7/07/07. While prices could change, roundtrip fares cost about $170 this week, including tax.

"It's very convenient and affordable," Keshava Murthy said.

Las Vegas is the airport's first new destination since 2000, when Northwest Airlines announced flights to Detroit and American Eagle started service to Chicago.

Meanwhile, traffic counts continue to grow and should grow more with the Vegas addition. Through June, passenger counts were up a slight 0.4 percent, to 260,838, compared to the same time frame in 2006, a record year.

"We're excited. (Las Vegas) is not only a top destination for leisure, it's very popular for group travel as well," said CIRA Executive Director Carl Olson.

Still, it's not the westbound hub the airport has targeted since Frontier Airlines canceled flights to Denver in 2001.

Even with Vegas service, Olson is still looking west, eyeing flights to Denver, Phoenix or Salt Lake City. After losing an $850,000 federal grant that could have subsidized those flights, Olson still has $1 million in locally raised funds to offer an incentive package to an airline that flies west.

That's enough money, he said.

"We've got a very valuable package," he said. "Air service development is very competitive among communities."

The Greater Peoria Regional Airport, for example, already attracted service to Denver by offering incentives.

"Denver is attractive, but so are the other westbound hubs like Phoenix and Salt Lake City," Olson said, noting he'd welcome the Colorado service even though it's offered in Peoria.

In the meantime, some business travelers will at least try using the Vegas service as a hub to other western destinations, said Michael Malone, executive director of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce. To do so, they'll need to switch airlines, increasing the risk of lost luggage, said Malone, attending the airport's Vegas kick-off celebration Wednesday.

To celebrate, AirTran invited the Elvis impersonator to chat with guests and sing during the flight. The airport handed out bead necklaces and offered free doughnuts and beverages. Many of the airport staff were adorned in Vegas t-shirts.

As the plane rolled down the taxiway, two airport fire trucks provided a "water cannon salute," pumping an arch of water over the plane.

The salute is a common celebration when pilots retire or when airlines launch new service, said Fran Strebing, CIRA marketing director.