Airport Experiences in SoCal

[Sweettears]

Lol, yep it was definitely mostly an issue of the off brand company my employer made me use, I sat there an hour watching the hertz and Avis shuttles drive by every 5 minutes….
Still, I hate lugging my luggage and kids on a shuttle at all and would walk a long distance or pay a slight premium to avoid it so it’s good to know there are options! I never would have thought to check this ahead of time.
I know LAX is not unique in this regard but it is still the only airport I’ve personally been to where I’ve had to go off site to get a rental car. Maybe because if I’m renting a car it’s usually because there’s no public transit in that city. LA is just a uniquely car centric city for its size. (It’s also beautiful, this east coaster means that respectfully, I swear! ).

By offsite do you mean offsite or to a central car rental location? If the latter I have been to many airports with a central car rental site that is not located in the terminal

 

[Stormypetrel]

By offsite do you mean offsite or to a central car rental location? If the latter I have been to many airports with a central car rental site that is not located in the terminal

The former.

 

[Sweettears]

The former.

I avoid those at all cost

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I only have experience with LAX. I went in September and I can tell you that getting a ride from the Tom Bradley Terminal is a joke. Not to mention LAX is under construction right now =

 

[LKing]

I only have experience with LAX. I went in September and I can tell you that getting a ride from the Tom Bradley Terminal is a joke. Not to mention LAX is under construction right now =

Shuttles are picking up in front of Tom Bradley now. During construction, they were doing pick up/drop off in front of Terminal 3 and people had to hoof it.

 

[alleighboo]

I may jinx myself but we fly from Charlotte to LAX non-stop and I've never had an issue. I don't know if we've just been lucky or what but it's been no worse than Charlotte, Asheville, Orlando, or Chicago (shudder, never again) that I've flown in/out of the past year. We don't rent a car to go to DL, we just Uber and it's been an easy process each time. I would love to fly into a closer airport but the cost for us is hundreds more and usually involves a layover/plane change. I'd rather buy more ears with the money I've saved haha.

 

[PirateBrigade]

I may jinx myself but we fly from Charlotte to LAX non-stop and I've never had an issue. I don't know if we've just been lucky or what but it's been no worse than Charlotte, Asheville, Orlando, or Chicago (shudder, never again) that I've flown in/out of the past year. We don't rent a car to go to DL, we just Uber and it's been an easy process each time. I would love to fly into a closer airport but the cost for us is hundreds more and usually involves a layover/plane change. I'd rather buy more ears with the money I've saved haha.

CLT... yeah, you're looking at DFW as your intermediate if you want to scoot into SNA. As much as I despise LAX, your direct flight is going to be the lesser evil.

Arriving into SNA for a better experience is moot if your luggage doesn't make the connection!

 

[OnThisMagicNight]

This thread has been very helpful to me as we try to decide which airport to use. Flying from the east coast for our first Disneyland trip, family of 5 (kids 12, 9 and 6) and our nonstop options are going to mainly be LAX with very limited options for SNA. I was leaning towards LAX primarily for cost and more choices between airlines/schedules. My only option for SNA would be United and if I'm being honest, I'm not totally comfortable flying on either of the Boeing MAX models right now and 3 out of the 4 flights are on one of those aircraft. (I know they've been cleared to fly, but all the headlines lately, especially the former Boeing employees saying they won't fly on those models, are getting to me!) With that being said....reading this thread has definitely made me think twice about what we might be getting ourselves into with LAX. So I'm here to ask the experts - would you choose a connecting flight into SNA rather than a nonstop into LAX? I've found a few options that would tack on about an hour to our trip with a layover and after reading these stories, I'm assuming I'd be spending at least an extra hour dealing with LAX congestion anyway... However changing planes with the kids and all our stuff (and worrying that our luggage makes it) is not ideal either. What would you do? We've only ever flown nonstop.

Another question...of course the cheaper flights into LAX are landing around 4:30ish and I'm assuming by the time we collect our bags and get out to whatever car service we book it would be prime rush hour (weekday.) If I were to choose a more expensive route that got us in around 1 -2 pm, would that improve the experience at all?

 

[OlliePop27]

This thread has been very helpful to me as we try to decide which airport to use. Flying from the east coast for our first Disneyland trip, family of 5 (kids 12, 9 and 6) and our nonstop options are going to mainly be LAX with very limited options for SNA. I was leaning towards LAX primarily for cost and more choices between airlines/schedules. My only option for SNA would be United and if I'm being honest, I'm not totally comfortable flying on either of the Boeing MAX models right now and 3 out of the 4 flights are on one of those aircraft. (I know they've been cleared to fly, but all the headlines lately, especially the former Boeing employees saying they won't fly on those models, are getting to me!) With that being said....reading this thread has definitely made me think twice about what we might be getting ourselves into with LAX. So I'm here to ask the experts - would you choose a connecting flight into SNA rather than a nonstop into LAX? I've found a few options that would tack on about an hour to our trip with a layover and after reading these stories, I'm assuming I'd be spending at least an extra hour dealing with LAX congestion anyway... However changing planes with the kids and all our stuff (and worrying that our luggage makes it) is not ideal either. What would you do? We've only ever flown nonstop.

Another question...of course the cheaper flights into LAX are landing around 4:30ish and I'm assuming by the time we collect our bags and get out to whatever car service we book it would be prime rush hour (weekday.) If I were to choose a more expensive route that got us in around 1 -2 pm, would that improve the experience at all?

I do not like LAX compared to other options in SoCal, but I would absolutely choose the nonstop over a connecting flight. LAX is not so bad as to contend with connections risking delays, cancellations, flight crew issues, maintenance, weather. Nonstop means you only have to deal with those potential issues on one flight instead of two.

 

[LKing]

If you have flown into large airports before, you shouldn't have a problem with LAX. Personally, with a family of five, I would take the non stop. Depending on how much more it is, arriving around 1-2 pm would be nice. If you arrive at 4:30, you could always have dinner in the South Bay (Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, etc.) and wait out some of the traffic. That would have you arriving at your hotel pretty late which might not work with a 6 year old.

 

[Jawwdoc]

I’ve never flown into LAX for a DL trip but I have driven from DLR to LA for business meetings and it is not an enjoyable drive. That being said, I have had a few rush hour drives from SNA to DLR that took nearly an hour to make the 14 mile drive. My recommendation for your situation is to take the non-stop to LAX with an early afternoon arrival and hope for the best when it comes to the drive. I’d have a plan B ready in the event that your flight is delayed or the traffic is worse than expected.

 

[LilyJC]

Another question...of course the cheaper flights into LAX are landing around 4:30ish and I'm assuming by the time we collect our bags and get out to whatever car service we book it would be prime rush hour (weekday.) If I were to choose a more expensive route that got us in around 1 -2 pm, would that improve the experience at all?

We’re local to So Cal and have sworn off LAX for good. When my kids were younger, they absolutely hated it and found each experience there very stressful. Almost every time we head to WDW, we have a stop, and we are fine foregoing nonstop to avoid LAX at all costs. If SNA isn’t showing great options, check out LGB and ONT.

 

[summerlvr]

I'm flying into ONT in August because I have enough Skymiles to fly first class from ATL and it's nonstop. Anyone have any tips regarding this airport? Renting a car, but I'd be doing that even if I was flying into SNA or LGB because I want to do some sightseeing other than DL.
On my flight home, is it necessary to arrive 2 hours prior to my flight? I have TSA Precheck and will be checking 1 bag. Do they have curbside check in? That saves me a ton of time in ATL and MCO.
Thanks!

 

[evilmommie]

This thread has been very helpful to me as we try to decide which airport to use. Flying from the east coast for our first Disneyland trip, family of 5 (kids 12, 9 and 6) and our nonstop options are going to mainly be LAX with very limited options for SNA. I was leaning towards LAX primarily for cost and more choices between airlines/schedules. My only option for SNA would be United and if I'm being honest, I'm not totally comfortable flying on either of the Boeing MAX models right now and 3 out of the 4 flights are on one of those aircraft. (I know they've been cleared to fly, but all the headlines lately, especially the former Boeing employees saying they won't fly on those models, are getting to me!) With that being said....reading this thread has definitely made me think twice about what we might be getting ourselves into with LAX. So I'm here to ask the experts - would you choose a connecting flight into SNA rather than a nonstop into LAX? I've found a few options that would tack on about an hour to our trip with a layover and after reading these stories, I'm assuming I'd be spending at least an extra hour dealing with LAX congestion anyway... However changing planes with the kids and all our stuff (and worrying that our luggage makes it) is not ideal either. What would you do? We've only ever flown nonstop.

Another question...of course the cheaper flights into LAX are landing around 4:30ish and I'm assuming by the time we collect our bags and get out to whatever car service we book it would be prime rush hour (weekday.) If I were to choose a more expensive route that got us in around 1 -2 pm, would that improve the experience at all?

I'm a local here in Orange County and know all of the So Cal airports pretty well. Just flew in on Sunday from Maui and landed in LAX.

Anyway, if it were me. I'd probably fly from the East Coast into SNA. Landing in LAX will require you to wait for your bags and then take a shuttle to the rental car/ride share locations. That alone is a $%&#show. Especially at night or on a weekend. Of course, you can have black car service Lyft/Uber pick you up curbside, but that will run $200-$300 dollars. When I head to the East Coast, I fly out of SNA and that usually requires a layover somewhere. My luggage has never been lost. *knock on wood* But, can things happen when you travel, that's just part of the deal!

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

We are just outside of Sacramento and seem to fly down every other month. SNA is my favorite, LGB is my DW favorite. Our kids are in Irvine and Cerritos, so SNA is generally our first choice for visits with them or them and the Mouse. I have flown into ONT, BUR, PSP, SBA, and yuck LAX several times for conferences and then made the drive to the Mouse. I think I would rather fly into San Diego and drive up than LAX and drive down, worst case scenario.

1. SNA
1a. LGB (still a bit of construction going on)
2. ONT
3. BUR

 

[TheLyinKing]

This thread has been very helpful to me as we try to decide which airport to use. Flying from the east coast for our first Disneyland trip, family of 5 (kids 12, 9 and 6) and our nonstop options are going to mainly be LAX with very limited options for SNA. I was leaning towards LAX primarily for cost and more choices between airlines/schedules. My only option for SNA would be United and if I'm being honest, I'm not totally comfortable flying on either of the Boeing MAX models right now and 3 out of the 4 flights are on one of those aircraft. (I know they've been cleared to fly, but all the headlines lately, especially the former Boeing employees saying they won't fly on those models, are getting to me!) With that being said....reading this thread has definitely made me think twice about what we might be getting ourselves into with LAX. So I'm here to ask the experts - would you choose a connecting flight into SNA rather than a nonstop into LAX? I've found a few options that would tack on about an hour to our trip with a layover and after reading these stories, I'm assuming I'd be spending at least an extra hour dealing with LAX congestion anyway... However changing planes with the kids and all our stuff (and worrying that our luggage makes it) is not ideal either. What would you do? We've only ever flown nonstop.

Another question...of course the cheaper flights into LAX are landing around 4:30ish and I'm assuming by the time we collect our bags and get out to whatever car service we book it would be prime rush hour (weekday.) If I were to choose a more expensive route that got us in around 1 -2 pm, would that improve the experience at all?

Depends on the price honestly...if its like close-ish it may be worth the convenience of going into SNA (if the layover isn't too long). But especially for a family of 5 higher cost starts to add up and LAX isn't THAT bad to pay an arm and a leg to not fly into it.

 

[soniam]

Heads up for LAX. If it’s busy, the rental car shuttle for Hertz and others is taking a long time to get to the terminal, like at least 30 min from boarding the bus. Traffic is a cluster at the airport. There’s no special lanes/roads for the shuttle. Allow 3 hours, even if you have TSA Precheck.

 

[ShoeCello]

Some news for LAX that is (sadly) not out of the ordinary: https://www.ocregister.com/2024/03/...fic-mess-on-sunday-construction-delays-cited/ (it is a nightmare sometimes getting into the airport)

 

[LKing]

Some news for LAX that is (sadly) not out of the ordinary: https://www.ocregister.com/2024/03/...fic-mess-on-sunday-construction-delays-cited/ (it is a nightmare sometimes getting into the airport)

We dropped off a friend on Monday and picked them up on Friday night. Monday wasn't bad. Friday night was busier, but neither day was like the problem that they are having today.

Yes, the different phases of construction has slowed things down at times. Today is out of the ordinary which is why it is ALL OVER THE NEWS!

 

[cmph]

It's been awhile since this thread started, and having had a couple more work trips to LAX - one bit of advice I'll add if you definitely need to fly into LAX: the easiest arrival plan is to fly Southwest and walk out to the ride share / taxi area. This will avoid long walks and/or the hassle of internal shuttles with luggage/kids. Southwest is the only airline that flies domestic using Terminal 1, which is right next to the ride share lot.