Help me convince my kids to fly into SNA instead of LAX

[gottalovepluto]

SNA is super modern, efficient, and small, while offering great service. Everything is within a couple minute walk, at most. It is clean. It is literally a rectangle, divided into 3 terminals. There is no possible way to get lost. Delays and cancellations are not very common, and usually related to issues with the incoming plane. Baggage comes out super fast. It is the best airport I have ever used and I have flown a lot. A gate change here means walking an extra 10 steps. Seriously.

LAX is the scourge of our beautiful state of CA. It is quite literally the worst airport in the state, possibly the entire west coast. It is old, run down, dirty, crowded, slow, inefficient (baggage takes like an hour to arrive on the carousel), staffed by rude people, and a traffic nightmare (the terminal is a horseshoe shape and it takes forever for an Uber to get to you after you call it...like 45 minutes+ most days.

SNA is worth, IMO, 50% more in airfare just to avoid LAX. I can use either airport. I pay significantly more to fly out of SNA when I travel. I like LGb too, but only go there when I fly Jet Blue.

OMG ALL THIS! PREACH!!

 

[pixiedustedme]

SNA is super modern, efficient, and small, while offering great service. Everything is within a couple minute walk, at most. It is clean. It is literally a rectangle, divided into 3 terminals. There is no possible way to get lost. Delays and cancellations are not very common, and usually related to issues with the incoming plane. Baggage comes out super fast. It is the best airport I have ever used and I have flown a lot. A gate change here means walking an extra 10 steps. Seriously.

LAX is the scourge of our beautiful state of CA. It is quite literally the worst airport in the state, possibly the entire west coast. It is old, run down, dirty, crowded, slow, inefficient (baggage takes like an hour to arrive on the carousel), staffed by rude people, and a traffic nightmare (the terminal is a horseshoe shape and it takes forever for an Uber to get to you after you call it...like 45 minutes+ most days.

SNA is worth, IMO, 50% more in airfare just to avoid LAX. I can use either airport. I pay significantly more to fly out of SNA when I travel. I like LGb too, but only go there when I fly Jet Blue.

i agree with almost everything you said. My only disagreement is about the staff at LAX. We found them to be very helpful, even though the experience of being there was miserable. It was kind of like having nice servers while on the deck of the Titanic, while it was sinking...

 

[avalon451]

Yeah, we're most likely going with Alaska Airlines. We fly out of Seattle. There is a flight where if I book an Alaska flight there and a Delta flight back from LAX, I can bring it down a bit. The times are not ideal, though.
On another note, we live north of Seattle, and they just opened up Paine Field, about 5 miles away from us, to commercial flights. By all accounts it's a beautiful, compact airport and a breeze to get through! Alaska flies direct out of there to SNA and LAX. So this trip DH, kids and I are flying out of Paine into LAX. So even though we saved a bunch and have to do the icky LAX thing, getting to Paine is going to be a breeze! Like, 10 minutes with DD21's boyfriend driving us. As opposed to fighting rush hour traffic for an hour or more to get down to SeaTac south of Seattle.

 

[DLgal]

i agree with almost everything you said. My only disagreement is about the staff at LAX. We found them to be very helpful, even though the experience of being there was miserable. It was kind of like having nice servers while on the deck of the Titanic, while it was sinking...

I have had THE most rude TSA and gate agents at LAX. Bad luck, I guess? The staff at the shops and restaurants are also apathetic, at best.

 

[pixiedustedme]

I have had THE most rude TSA and gate agents at LAX. Bad luck, I guess? The staff at the shops and restaurants are also apathetic, at best.

I think in most airports it's a crapshoot in terms of the help you get. At LAX we had a hard time navigating the lengthy & complicated transfer between the domestic & international terminals during our connection, and several LAX workers helped us get where we needed to go. Also, as we couldn't do TSA pre-check during that connection, we were routed into a line that was using the full-body scanner, which I didn't want my son to undergo. I asked if he had to go through that as he was only 13, and they opened up a regular x-ray/metal detector line. So that was all very nice and helpful- above and beyond, really.

But now that I'm recollecting everything, I do recall being spoken to rudely by a SWA check-in agent at LAX prior to another flight. We were flying in their Business Select category and the agent assumed we weren't (single mom & child must not have looked the part), so before we even reached the desk she kept loudly chiding us for being in the "wrong" check-in line, embarrassing us, though we had every right to be there. It took her a minute to process during our check-in that it was her error. So that was memorably rude.

So yeah, airline customer service is a crap shoot.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'm always so shocked to hear how terrible people say LAX is. We've flown in and out of there and it's much easier than even our home airport, but you never hear our home airport getting hate (well there is all the conspiracy theories, but otherwise lol). SNA is preferable because of proximity, but if we're saving "real" money ($30+ each), we'll absolutely choose LAX. TSA lines are short, the terminals have separate pickup areas, easy to navigate, etc.

Of course only $8 more would outweigh the added ground transportation costs but if they want LAX, I would just let them.

TL;DR you have been incredibly lucky. I often get stuck flying to LAX because it’s so much cheaper or transiting through LAX. Crap airport due to bad design & overwhelming demand.

I once had to catch a flight in the opposite corner of the airport because my airline went IROPS and booked us on a partner. Literally the end of arrival terminal to the end of the terminal that had our departure. Last flight of the night out of LA to HI so my 60+ year old parents and I ran through the terminal to wait forever for a shuttle bus & then hit that terminals TSA to find it backed up (about half an hour or something) with Pre-Check closed (we thought having Pre-Check might be our saving grace) and then we all ran to the end of that terminal. Luckily our flight was super delayed so we got it. Anyways, LAX is a totally crap airport namely because it has no transit system linking all terminals post security. It will get less crappier with the Olympic transit system that will shuttle people between terminals- but even that will only be ok as it will be pre-security.

The other issue is if you hit LAX at a busy time you can be waiting half an hour just to enter the airport from the freeway.

Oh, how about the remote terminal situation American has there? Ick! Miserable terminals. Like that’s not lousy enough last time I flew in 3 out of our 4 bags were missing at baggage claim only to be found an hour later having simply been left out at the remote terminal.

And don’t forget the 2 new terminals they’re looking to build before the Olympics. w00t even more construction delays! https://archpaper.com/2019/04/lax-expansion-2028-olympics/

 

[gottalovepluto]

...we were routed into a line that was using the full-body scanner, which I didn't want my son to undergo. I asked if he had to go through that as he was only 13, and they opened up a regular x-ray/metal detector line. So that was all very nice and helpful- above and beyond, really...

Sorry but that is not above and beyond. TSA will re-accommodate you if you request not to be put though the full body scanner unless you are subject to Enhanced Screning https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening It was at the agent’s discretion that they chose to not pat down your child after he walked though the metal detector but I’m hardly going to give kudos to anyone for making that call. (I will take this chance to point out kids 13 and older are subject to the same pat downs as adults so parents not aware of that may want to take that into consideration when they decline the full body scan for their child. I am ABSOLUTELY not judging any parent’s call on that one way or the other, just giving an FYI.)

Yeah, customer service agents are a crapshoot everywhere. Personally I haven’t found any more, or any less, bad agents at LAX compared to other airports I’ve traveled. But woah- that WN agent was seriously out of line!

 

[ashley0139]

TL;DR you have been incredibly lucky. I often get stuck flying to LAX because it’s so much cheaper or transiting through LAX. Crap airport due to bad design & overwhelming demand.

I once had to catch a flight in the opposite corner of the airport because my airline went IROPS and booked us on a partner. Literally the end of arrival terminal to the end of the terminal that had our departure. Last flight of the night out of LA to HI so my 60+ year old parents and I ran through the terminal to wait forever for a shuttle bus & then hit that terminals TSA to find it backed up (about half an hour or something) with Pre-Check closed (we thought having Pre-Check might be our saving grace) and then we all ran to the end of that terminal. Luckily our flight was super delayed so we got it. Anyways, LAX is a totally crap airport namely because it has no transit system linking all terminals post security. It will get less crappier with the Olympic transit system that will shuttle people between terminals- but even that will only be ok as it will be pre-security.

The other issue is if you hit LAX at a busy time you can be waiting half an hour just to enter the airport from the freeway.

Oh, how about the remote terminal situation American has there? Ick! Miserable terminals. Like that’s not lousy enough last time I flew in 3 out of our 4 bags were missing at baggage claim only to be found an hour later having simply been left out at the remote terminal.

And don’t forget the 2 new terminals they’re looking to build before the Olympics. w00t even more construction delays! https://archpaper.com/2019/04/lax-expansion-2028-olympics/

All of this. And the horseshoe shape is by far the worst idea anyone has ever had for an airport. No way to get in or out once you're past terminal 1? 3 lanes wide for thousands and thousands of people? What a GREAT idea!! It's taken me an hour to get into the airport and to my terminal before.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Yeah, we're most likely going with Alaska Airlines. We fly out of Seattle. There is a flight where if I book an Alaska flight there and a Delta flight back from LAX, I can bring it down a bit. The times are not ideal, though.
On another note, we live north of Seattle, and they just opened up Paine Field, about 5 miles away from us, to commercial flights. By all accounts it's a beautiful, compact airport and a breeze to get through! Alaska flies direct out of there to SNA and LAX. So this trip DH, kids and I are flying out of Paine into LAX. So even though we saved a bunch and have to do the icky LAX thing, getting to Paine is going to be a breeze! Like, 10 minutes with DD21's boyfriend driving us. As opposed to fighting rush hour traffic for an hour or more to get down to SeaTac south of Seattle.

10 mins?! I’d deal with LAX for a 10 min ride to the departure airport in a heartbeat! AS launched a Flash Sale today including Paine/LAX FYI. It’s 24 hours only so might want to check if your dates coincide with any offers if you haven’t already!

 

[gottalovepluto]

All of this. And the horseshoe shape is by far the worst idea anyone has ever had for an airport. No way to get in or out once you're past terminal 1? 3 lanes wide for thousands and thousands of people? What a GREAT idea!! It's taken me an hour to get into the airport and to my terminal before.

I admittedly got a bit worked up but, ugg. After seeing other airports in this country airport-wise I’m just so embarrassed being Californian...

 

[pixiedustedme]

Sorry but that is not above and beyond. TSA will re-accommodate you if you request not to be put though the full body scanner unless you are subject to Enhanced Screning https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening It was at the agent’s discretion that they chose to not pat down your child after he walked though the metal detector but I’m hardly going to give kudos to anyone for making that call. (I will take this chance to point out kids 13 and older are subject to the same pat downs as adults so parents not aware of that may want to take that into consideration when they decline the full body scan for their child. I am ABSOLUTELY not judging any parent’s call on that one way or the other, just giving an FYI.)

Yeah, customer service agents are a crapshoot everywhere. Personally I haven’t found any more, or any less, bad agents at LAX compared to other airports I’ve traveled. But woah- that WN agent was seriously out of line!

The "above and beyond" comment was also in reference to the mutiple other airport workers I described encountering as we had a hard time navigating our complicated connection. They really stopped what they were doing to guide us, and they did so with a great attitude.

Yes, that SWA agent was awful to us. She didn't even apologize on her own after putting two plus two together (I didn't point out that she was wrong), she just got kind of quiet. After checking us in she asked if there was anything else we needed. "A little respect would be nice," I said. She apologized very quietly and we left. I'm sure she was too embarrassed to apologize out loud after being so rude to us in front of everyone. I hope she learned from that experience.

 

[ashley0139]

I admittedly got a bit worked up but, ugg. After seeing other airports in this country airport-wise I’m just so embarrassed being Californian...

Don't worry, I get worked up any time anyone talks about LAX.

 

[avalon451]

10 mins?! I’d deal with LAX for a 10 min ride to the departure airport in a heartbeat! AS launched a Flash Sale today including Paine/LAX FYI. It’s 24 hours only so might want to check if your dates coincide with any offers if you haven’t already!

Yeah, I got a link for that flash sale and checked it out. It looks like it applies to closer dates, not ours in September-- got the same prices. Dang.

 

[bumbershoot]

he used to fly there when he was a teen and is familiar with that

Well that’s silly. That could be 10 years ago now.

That said, IMO and IME LAX is simple and doesn’t require familiarity. Follow the signs.

I need some quotes from you guys that tell me how miserable LAX is compared to SNA.

Can’t. I don’t like sna. I don’t mind lax.

I had to pick up my BIL at LAX a few years back; it took, I believe, over 90 minutes for us to get back to DLR. A few weeks ago, it took me 25 minutes to get to DLR from SNA. That was enough to convince me to only go with SNA for future Disneyland trips that require flights.

It’s taken me almost an hour to get to sna.

I find lax to be simple for the traveler, and the drive is almost always better than I expect.

And my flights to/from sna always seem to be at the furthest away gate down those stairs and requiring me to walk across the tarmac. I don’t love that.

but you never hear our home airport getting hate (well there is all the conspiracy theories

Ok what is your home airport???

I have had THE most rude TSA and gate agents at LAX. Bad luck, I guess?

Although lax was the site of the “metal detector set to eleven” trauma (it alarmed for then-husband’s shorts zipper and then my 2” Goody brand barrette), it’s also the site of the agent that let my son’s stormtrooper blaster travel with us as a carryon.

We were there the day all of delta worldwide glitched, and my son had a freshly broken arm in a hard splint. We waited and waited. The air conditioning had a hard time with all the stuck travelers. And yet I’d still use lax again. Employees were hard working and courteous and did all they could. Including free bottles of water being handed out.

 

[RobertaMomof2]

I only fly in via SNA or Long Beach. LAX was a nightmare when we did it one year, nope never again. Be sure to NOT offer to pick them up or drop them off. Once they see the Uber/Lyft bill they will get it. FYI SNA and Long Beach to DL Resort area is about $25 each way, so yeah. Let them learn their lesson

 

[blackjackdelta]

Don't worry, I get worked up any time anyone talks about LAX.

Have to agree with you. People fly into there over a few pennies. Switched to SNA many, many years ago and have no regrets and only a 20 minute ride to the DLR.

Jack

 

[CO2CA]

TL;DR you have been incredibly lucky. I often get stuck flying to LAX because it’s so much cheaper or transiting through LAX. Crap airport due to bad design & overwhelming demand.

I once had to catch a flight in the opposite corner of the airport because my airline went IROPS and booked us on a partner. Literally the end of arrival terminal to the end of the terminal that had our departure. Last flight of the night out of LA to HI so my 60+ year old parents and I ran through the terminal to wait forever for a shuttle bus & then hit that terminals TSA to find it backed up (about half an hour or something) with Pre-Check closed (we thought having Pre-Check might be our saving grace) and then we all ran to the end of that terminal. Luckily our flight was super delayed so we got it. Anyways, LAX is a totally crap airport namely because it has no transit system linking all terminals post security. It will get less crappier with the Olympic transit system that will shuttle people between terminals- but even that will only be ok as it will be pre-security.

The other issue is if you hit LAX at a busy time you can be waiting half an hour just to enter the airport from the freeway.

Oh, how about the remote terminal situation American has there? Ick! Miserable terminals. Like that’s not lousy enough last time I flew in 3 out of our 4 bags were missing at baggage claim only to be found an hour later having simply been left out at the remote terminal.

And don’t forget the 2 new terminals they’re looking to build before the Olympics. w00t even more construction delays! https://archpaper.com/2019/04/lax-expansion-2028-olympics/

Huh, well I'll take that. Being incredibly lucky, that is! lol

I can understand how that could be a problem, needing to go between separate terminals. Ours has an underground train that connects 3 different terminals, but those stretch for what seems like forever. We're always unlucky and end up being at the very end of the terminal with nothing surrounding it (bathrooms, decent restaurants, etc). I guess we'll just hope our luck continues at LAX.

Ok what is your home airport???

DIA. Supposedly, we have an underground concentration camp and also house the Illumanati headquarters... For whatever reason this airport attracts such wild conspiracy theories lol

 

[ktlm]

From our airport, there are direct flights to LAX. Those flights are also generally cheaper than flying into SNA. Even so, we much prefer dealing with a connecting flight and spending the extra cash to fly into SNA. SNA is one of our favorite airports, because it is generally an easy airport. You don't have to wait for a bus to take you to the car rentals. The car rental lines are usually not too bad (just occasionally long). Nothing is too spread out. It doesn't usually take an extremely long time to get your baggage. It is 15 to 20 minutes to get to Disneyland from there, as opposed to 45 minutes to 90 minutes from LAX. Even better, is that when you sadly are going home, the counter lines and the security lines are usually short. I don't think we have ever waited longer than 10 minutes to get through security at SNA. It is generally clean.

 

[DalGal]

Flying into SNA was $100 more per person (6 of us) for our upcoming trip so we are choosing to fly into Vegas and add a day to our trip just to avoid LAX. We loved SNA on our previous visit but just can't justify the price difference.

 

[PHXscuba]

Ultimately if they are paying (and you don't have to pick them up) it is their call. Part of that letting-them-adult. But I always price the total with ground transport.

The only reason I wouldn't favor SNA would be if there was only one flight per day between the two airports and if it got delayed/canceled would ruin the trip. Or if as a PP said the time/routing was much worse with layover.

I went to LAX twice last month. Sunday night it was a 1-mph-inch-along nightmare. Thursday afternoon we breezed in and out. Much wider range of experiences with such a large airport.

PHXscuba