Flight query from an Aussie.

[georgiesmum]

Hi. My DDH and DD10 and I are coming back to Disneyland (yay) in November. Usually we fly directly from Melbourne to LAX and travel from Disneyland from there. However, this trip we're going to be flying into New York and then travelling to Washington and flying out of Washington to Disneyland. Is LAX still the best/closest airport or is there another one, and would flights be cheaper to that airport. Also, what website do you recommend to book the flights? Thanks for your help. I usually only peek at the Board every now and again when I'm not trip planning but looks like I'll be a regular lurker again...no doubt with the occasional comment or question.

 

[AllyBri]

John Wayne airport is closer to DL then LAX.

 

[Geemo]

Hi. My DDH and DD10 and I are coming back to Disneyland (yay) in November. Usually we fly directly from Melbourne to LAX and travel from Disneyland from there. However, this trip we're going to be flying into New York and then travelling to Washington and flying out of Washington to Disneyland. Is LAX still the best/closest airport or is there another one, and would flights be cheaper to that airport. Also, what website do you recommend to book the flights? Thanks for your help. I usually only peek at the Board every now and again when I'm not trip planning but looks like I'll be a regular lurker again...no doubt with the occasional comment or question.

Which airport will you fly out of in Washington?
Do you have dates for November?
This might help in recommending airlines to check out.

 

[georgiesmum]

I don't have a preference for airports in Washington. At this stage, we're looking at flying from Washington to Anaheim on 19 November.

 

[Geemo]

I don't have a preference for airports in Washington. At this stage, we're looking at flying from Washington to Anaheim on 19 November.

I fly Portland, Oregon to Disneyland and the two I use are Jet Blue or Alaska Airlines.

Jet Blues booking calendar only goes out to the end of October. But flying on a Tuesday is usually the least expensive fare.

Alaska has options to book right now. Plus they have started a third fare option "Saver". There are very limited number of seats available. If you find three seats together to book then you're good to go..

Here's are options I found for November 19th from the three airports in the Washington area.


$162 for a 7am flight looks like the best fare. I wouldn't expect Jet Blue to be that low. Jet Blue flies into Long Beach (LGB), which is about 15 - 20 miles from DLR.

Airports for the DLR area are - "LAX" which you are familiar with.
"SNA" - John Wayne/Orange County Airport and "LGB" Long Beach

Good Luck!
Geemo

 

[WonkaKid]

John Wayne airport is closer to DL then LAX.

Yes, it is. But when I used to live in Chicago, we found that it was often cheaper to fly into LAX than SNA. Obviously, shop around and see what you find. Best of luck!

 

[lalasmama]

I don't have a preference for airports in Washington. At this stage, we're looking at flying from Washington to Anaheim on 19 November.

Washington, D.C., or Washington state? Same name, different coasts, and different airline/airport answers

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... Is LAX still the best/closest airport or is there another one, and would flights be cheaper to that airport...

SNA (John Wayne) is the closest, most conveniently located airport to DLR. LGB (Long Beach) is the next closest. Both of these are small airports with a limited number of airlines that fly there. LAX is the nearest major airport to DLR -- not that close, but usually has the lowest fares and the most non-stop/direct flights. (But keep checking for special fares and sales -- you never know when a low fare will show up for one of the closer airports!) BUR (Burbank) and ONT (Ontario) are both small airports in the L.A. area, but they aren't that close to DLR. They'll work in a pinch, but I wouldn't recommend choosing them just for a cheap fare -- you can lose that savings in transportation to the parks.
This thread has good information: Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information ~ 3TinksAndAnEeyore.

 

[georgiesmum]

I fly Portland, Oregon to Disneyland and the two I use are Jet Blue or Alaska Airlines.

Jet Blues booking calendar only goes out to the end of October. But flying on a Tuesday is usually the least expensive fare.

Alaska has options to book right now. Plus they have started a third fare option "Saver". There are very limited number of seats available. If you find three seats together to book then you're good to go..

Here's are options I found for November 19th from the three airports in the Washington area.
View attachment 380329 View attachment 380330 View attachment 380331 View attachment 380332

$162 for a 7am flight looks like the best fare. I wouldn't expect Jet Blue to be that low. Jet Blue flies into Long Beach (LGB), which is about 15 - 20 miles from DLR.

Airports for the DLR area are - "LAX" which you are familiar with.
"SNA" - John Wayne/Orange County Airport and "LGB" Long Beach

Good Luck!
Geemo

Thank you so much. I really do appreciate you getting that information for me.

 

[georgiesmum]

Washington, D.C., or Washington state? Same name, different coasts, and different airline/airport answers

Washington D.C sorry!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Washington, D.C., or Washington state? Same name, different coasts, and different airline/airport answers

Not a joke! We were at the baggage claim at Dulles (D.C. airport), when an airport employee came by escorting a distraught, clearly foreign couple while explaining loudly to them, "But I keep telling you that this ISN'T Seattle!" I felt so sorry for them!

 

[twodogs]

If there are flights to SNA (John Wayne, also called Orange County), that will be the closest to DLR and is a small airport so security is quick and not so many people everywhere. It may not be that much more than going into LAX, and it will save you money on the transportation (it’s about 30 minutes away, LAX can be 2 hours away depending on traffic which can be very bad) from the airport to your hotel, so that can balance out the increased flight cost. I use flights.google.com to get prices and trends of prices from several airlines at once. Note that some independent airlines like Southwest (we live in Texas) aren’t going to be on there so you have to look those up separately. Not sure about Jet Blue etc.

 

[Malcon10t]

Long Beach is also close. Jet Blue flies from Washington to Long Beach.

 

[georgiesmum]

Not a joke! We were at the baggage claim at Dulles (D.C. airport), when an airport employee came by escorting a distraught, clearly foreign couple while explaining loudly to them, "But I keep telling you that this ISN'T Seattle!" I felt so sorry for them!

Oh the poor dears

 

[AussieNSW]

Make sure you check out baggage costs on internal flights. It can add up very quickly. We have mostly used Southwest Airlines for this reason. They provide you with 2 free bags. In the past JetBlue allowed I think it was 1 free bag. I am not sure if this is still true. You may not have that extra cost of baggage if it is all booked on one international ticket.
Not sure how you are getting to Washington DC but when we did it a few years ago we caught the train. We really enjoyed the train trip.

 

[georgiesmum]

Make sure you check out baggage costs on internal flights. It can add up very quickly. We have mostly used Southwest Airlines for this reason. They provide you with 2 free bags. In the past JetBlue allowed I think it was 1 free bag. I am not sure if this is still true. You may not have that extra cost of baggage if it is all booked on one international ticket.
Not sure how you are getting to Washington DC but when we did it a few years ago we caught the train. We really enjoyed the train trip.

Thanks. I'll have to keep that in mind. We will have a couple of big cases. We're planning on taking the train to Washington DC. It's a short trip and it will be one less airport we have to deal with!

 

[bumbershoot]

Not a joke! We were at the baggage claim at Dulles (D.C. airport), when an airport employee came by escorting a distraught, clearly foreign couple while explaining loudly to them, "But I keep telling you that this ISN'T Seattle!" I felt so sorry for them!

Ugh.

 

[AllyBri]

Yes, it is. But when I used to live in Chicago, we found that it was often cheaper to fly into LAX than SNA. Obviously, shop around and see what you find. Best of luck!

I always find LAX less expensive too but DH likes SNA

 

[AussieNSW]

Thanks. I'll have to keep that in mind. We will have a couple of big cases. We're planning on taking the train to Washington DC. It's a short trip and it will be one less airport we have to deal with!

Just a few things we found out when catching the train. Being from Australia we had never heard of red caps. They are kind of like a hotel porter you tip them to put your bags on the train for you. Do a google search on it. We found them to be amazing for our family. Our family consisted of 5 people including 3 children trying to juggle luggage in an unfamiliar place. It made the process of getting the kids and luggage on the train and off so easy. Also after doing some research I picked trains that started or ended at our destination. It was less stressful organising the kids to get off when we had a bit of extra time and people not trying to get off and on at the same time. Also found some reasonable food at the train stations to take with us. I was surprised because I am so used to Australian railway stations.

 

[Amanda&Mike]

We live in the Washington area and we prefer to fly out of BWI (Baltimore). We will be flying direct from BWI to LAX on Southwest for our upcoming Disney trip...if that helps