Los Angeles (LAX) adds flights to Shanghai, Las Vegas and other cities

Southern California travelers are getting more options, with Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) adding flights to Shanghai, Las Vegas, Merced, Calif., and other cities. Here’s the 411:

* American Airlines on Tuesday started daily flights from LAX to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) in China.

* American Eagle, the regional carrier for American Airlines, added service Tuesday from LAX to Houston; Phoenix; Oklahoma City; Albuquerque; Boise, Idaho; El Paso; Salt Lake City; Sacramento; and Tucson.

* Spirit Airlines on May 5 plans to begin flying nonstop five times a day between LAX and Las Vegas.

* Great Lakes Airlines will start daily service May 15 between LAX and Merced, Calif., according to Merced Regional Airport. The flights will depart Merced at 3:25 p.m. and Los Angeles at 8:31 a.m. I checked random dates online in May and June and found the cheapest nonrefundable airfare to be $103 plus taxes and fees each way.

Great Lakes, based in Cheyenne, Wyo., also flies between Las Vegas and Merced, which is home to a branch of the University of California and a gateway to Yosemite National Park.