Airport Experiences in SoCal

[TexasChick123]

I figured I would start a thread for those of us not from CA that fly there for DL to discuss the various airports.

We have now flown into LAX, SNA, ONT, and LGB. I can honestly say that you should choose anything except LAX if you can when going to DL. We frequently have flown in-out of LAX because of the large number of non-stop flights between either Houston airport and LAX. We decided to fly into ONT this trip and out of LGB. We have flown into SNA on past trips. We preferred LGB to ONT. It was a small airport, but it was very easy to get to.

Regarding LAX, it takes well over an hour to get to/from the airport. I mean it took us over an hour to get to the rental car from the terminal WITHOUT any checked bags. That airport is too big and too busy. It’s not for us. Feel free to chime in if anyone else has any opinions. My ranking from best to worst would be the following:

1) LGB
2) SNA
3) ONT
4) LAX

 

[CoachBeard]

I live here and have only flown from LAX, Long Beach, and Burbank. There is a saying locally "You really love someone if you drop off or pick up from LAX."

Seeing as Anaheim is in Orange County, expect it to take about an hour or so depending on the time of day to get to Disneyland from LAX. Rental car outlets require a shuttle to lots offsite from the airport so they take a while to get to.

Often LAX is a necessary evil due to the sheer number of flights going to and from there. Plan plan plan! I'd suggest if renting a car maybe take some time to check out some L.A. sights prior to the drive down the 5 to Disneyland. A lot of you folks gain 2-3 hours with the time change so grab a bite to eat somewhere touristy or check out the beach. I also highly recommend a stop in Long Beach or Huntington Beach because there are some great spots along the coast to grab a bite to eat. One I recommend is Habor House Cafe in Sunset Beach. https://www.harborhousecafe.com/

 

[ParkHopper1]

ONT is not even on my radar for a DL trip and would still take a LAX non stop assuming I can avoid rush hour traffic vs a SNA or LGB with connections...but otherwise yeah...needs to be a compelling reason not to choose SNA or LGB

 

[starlite_]

I've only arrived once and left from LAX once, but it wasn't as horrible as everyone seems to think. I was honestly surprised how quick everything was. It was an international flight so maybe that's why.

 

[TexasChick123]

ONT is not even on my radar for a DL trip and would still take a LAX non stop assuming I can avoid rush hour traffic vs a SNA or LGB with connections...but otherwise yeah...needs to be a compelling reason not to choose SNA or LGB

Our experience with ONT was better than LAX. We didn’t have as much traffic getting to DL, and the airport was easier to navigate than LAX. It also took us less time to get to DL from ONT than LAX because there was less traffic over there.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Depending on the weather, I prefer SNA over LGB. LGB has outdoor areas which means it's not fun in the rain or harsh sun.

I sometimes like flying out of LAX. They have much later flights which means it's the only airport where it's possible to watch the night shows and then fly out without staying an additional night in Southern California. They also have good lounges in the International Terminal. After LAX changed how they do Uber pickups, it's a huge pain flying in there though.

 

[Pluto468]

My favorites are:

1. SNA- Super close and they have nice restaurants etc.
2. LGB- Small and not too far.
3. ONT- Very relaxed but drive is a bit far.
4. BUR- Further away than I like and the walk to the rental cars felt like 100 miles.
5. LAX. - I just don't. I lived near LAX for 8 years and it was my home airport, but I don't like to deal with it now.

 

[Aladora]

We've only used SNA and LAX, ONT has never been on our list and LGB is always quite a bit more expensive plus there are limited flights there from Canada.

SNA is always our top choice, LAX is so much further. On our next trip in April we are flying into SNA and then out of LAX, the flight choices and costs to fly home from LAX was the only factor. My sister and I are flying in from different parts of Canada and the costs to get her home from SNA were insane and the flights were crazy long for her to get to Ottawa. I did the math and even if we book a car and driver to take us to LAX, we still saved a ton of $!

Also, SNA is such an easy airport to get through. We all flew into LAX in July and omg, it was such a hassle for all of us to meet up with the car and driver, we landed in two different terminals so yeah, SNA is much better.

 

[Lisa24jks]

I went to LAX for the first time ever in 2015 and a friend was surprised I had never been. And I was like... why would I??? I live in Las Vegas, so I usually drive to California, or when I do decide to fly, I pick one of the smaller airports as it's cheaper and more convenient. I've been to BUR, LGB, SNA & ONT and they're all better choices than LAX. (That said, LAX Is sometimes the only choice if you're flying from further away, and definitely if you are flying internationally.)

That was my one and only time at LAX (to pickup/dropoff a family member who was meeting us in California to go on a cruise), and hopefully my last.

 

[cmph]

Interesting, never occurred to me to consider ONT, since it's far out. I like BUR, but also think that seems too far for DL.

DD goes to university in LA, and I have to travel there for work at times (close to LAX) - so LAX is a necessary evil. The thing is - it's either fairly smooth sailing or godawful, and there is little in-between. The ride share is now super inconvenient. I wonder if some who don't think it's that bad don't realize how annoying ride share is there, now? On a recent work trip, I picked one of the hotels that has a regularly-running airport shuttle just to avoid ride share. On the day I flew home, even the dang hotel shuttle took like 30min (it's like 2mi from the terminal drop-off, so this was all due to the airport traffic).

I far prefer SNA for DL. So many people ask about LAX here, though, that I think it's not always an option from their home airport (or is more hassle).

 

[LKing]

Depending on the weather, I prefer SNA over LGB. LGB has outdoor areas which means it's not fun in the rain or harsh sun.

When was the last time you flew out of LGB?

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

International visitor from Europe. I have to LAX as thats where the direct flights from my country go to.

My country Ireland, has a special arrangement with US Homelands Department where we do passport and custom checks in Dublin airport. This means we arrive at LAX the same domestic passengers.

Not having to do passport check after a 10 hour flight is great.

Im used to large international airports, so LAX to me is nothing out of the ordinary. I was in Charles de Gaulle Paris airport a few weeks ago. Thats about the same size as LAX.

The only thing that really gets to me is that LAX is U shaped which means one way traffic. IMO its a very bad design but after 14 years flying into LAX, at this stage Im used to it.

 

[Aspencreek]

We always go to SNA for DL trips. Soooo much easier and less stressful to fly into than LAX. I'd rather tack on an extra hour or so of flight time to end up at SNA with it's easy-peasy and quick exit, then be at the parks/hotel in half an hour or so. Have never tried ONT or even looked at flights there. How far a ride is that to DL?

 

[Diana ZP]

Hands down SNA is my 1st choice...that being said, all my friends fly into LAX so they can "STAR" search! Yeesh! SNA has great amenities, easy to navigate and it is just the right distance to Disneyland.

 

[Pluto468]

We always go to SNA for DL trips. Soooo much easier and less stressful to fly into than LAX. I'd rather tack on an extra hour or so of flight time to end up at SNA with it's easy-peasy and quick exit, then be at the parks/hotel in half an hour or so. Have never tried ONT or even looked at flights there. How far a ride is that to DL?

I think it depends on the time of day. When we flew into ONT the drive was 45 minutes. I think that was at 2:00.

 

[Pluto468]

Hands down SNA is my 1st choice...that being said, all my friends fly into LAX so they can "STAR" search! Yeesh! SNA has great amenities, easy to navigate and it is just the right distance to Disneyland.

I always saw stars at gas stations and coffee shops, not the airport. Although I did see Magic Johnson in O'Hare once
(And of course I'd forgotten my Lakers hat!)

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

Flying from the East Coast, LAX is the only direct flight.

I've flown to SNA and ONT on indirect flights or from visits to the SF area.

Here are my top 3 for visits to DL.
1. SNA
2. ONT
3. LAX

 

[henry72]

Any suggestions if we are planning to start with a few days at DL but then change hotels and go to UHS before we leave? Not sure which airport would be best for both locations.

 

[LKing]

Any suggestions if we are planning to start with a few days at DL but then change hotels and go to UHS before we leave? Not sure which airport would be best for both locations.

Universal Studios Hollywood is very close to Burbank airport. Can you fly into SNA and out of BUR? If you want to fly in/out of the same airport, I would use BUR. You don't want to be late for a flight and Universal to SNA is a trek. You don't know what type of traffic you will encounter along the way.

 

[DizMe]

I almost always fly into SNA or LGB. I love both airports. I'm only flying from Sacramento so I don't have to go to LAX to get to DLR.

SNA and LGB are roughly the same distance from the resort. SNA is bigger and has better dining, but LGB has a nice low-key vibe that makes it very easy to get in and out. It's usually much quicker to get off the plane, grab your bags and go from LGB. They DON'T have second floor gates in the terminal building so you have to embark/disembark via stairs and across the tarmack. The advantage to that is that they use both fore and aft doors on the plane, so it's often quicker to get on and off in LGB. It's very quick and easy to ride share and do rental cars there as well.

That said, I generally choose SNA if the flights are about the same price. It's a nicer terminal, though LGB is continually improving. Usually, though, the flights I take are cheaper via LGB and I go with cheaper since the distance from DLR is about the same.

I have used ONT & BUR but generally not when I'm only going to DLR. Both are easy but your savings (if any) will often be eaten up by the extra distance from the resort.