Get on a jet, take a nap, and a few hours later, you're in Las Vegas playing craps.

Airport officials would like to offer this direct flight out of Southwest Florida International Airport.

And they are proposing to expand an incentive program that offers reduced terminal rent and landing fees for airlines that offer new, nonstop service to destinations on the West Coast of the United States that are popular with travelers out of Southwest Florida.

The airport's Special Management Committee on Monday recommended that the Lee County Port Authority add another two years to the existing incentive program and expand it to include carriers offering direct flights to Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and San Francisco. The port authority is scheduled to vote on the incentive program March 8.

From the second quarter of 2002 to 2003, a total 355,990 passengers traveled between those West Coast cities and Fort Myers on routes that required stops in at least one major airline hub. Los Angeles was the most popular destination with 54,200 people flying between that city and Southwest Florida.

"We want to be prepared so we have as much direct, nonstop service to as many cities as possible, while filling any air-service deficiencies," said Robert Ball, executive director of the Lee County Port Authority. "Our incentive program to date has been very successful."

The incentive program is credited with attracting Frontier Airlines' nonstop flights to Denver, US Airways' Washington, D.C., service, and Condor Airline's Frankfurt, Germany, flights.

Ball said even though the authority is earning less in reduced landing fees and terminal rents from certain carriers, the program has been a real financial success.

"It has not been costly to us. It has increased revenue through discretionary spending of passengers, such concession revenues and retail sales," he said.

The incentive program is offered to airlines for a year.

"It puts us in a partnership with the airlines that want to attempt a new marketplace," Ball said. "For a new airline instituting a new service, it takes them a while to market new flights, and (the incentive program) gives them an opportunity to market those flights and build up (business) over one year."

The markets eligible for incentives include the top 20 cities where passengers begin or end their trips and where nonstop Southwest Florida flights aren't offered.

In January 2002, the port authority approved of the first airline incentive program. Based on the program's initial success, the port authority in May 2003 expanded the program to include the cities of Providence, R.I., Milwaukee and Toronto. The authority also changed the eligibility requirement from daily to weekly flights.

Ball said this was done because of the seasonal market in Southwest Florida.

He said he's not aware of a particular airline that's waiting in the wings to make an announcement about new nonstop flights to the West Coast should this incentive program be approved.

"We make the program available for all the airlines and strongly encourage our existing airlines that have supported us with service to participate," he said. "For example, if American wants to go from Fort Myers to Los Angeles, it could do that, or United, or any airline."

Ball said the program also is being offered to airlines that offer direct flights to cities in Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean basin.

"Hopefully in the future we can be successful particularly in getting direct international service," he said.