Flying into John Wayne (Orange County)

[two-foxes]

Had to respond to the email question from the gentleman asking about where to fly into....if your plans are to primarily to go to DLR, you'd be crazy to fly into LAX if you can get a flight into Orange County (I would even pay a bit more to fly into Orange County) It is about a 20 minute drive from Orange County to DLR vs the 40+ minute drive from LAX. Traffic has be bearable on all of our trips from Orange County and it is plainly a nice, clean and easy place to fly into and out of. LAX, well, it's not.

Hope it helps and enjoy DLR It is my most favorite park of all.....

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We've flown into both SNA and LAX -- and agree that SNA is a piece of cake. Definitely go that route if you can.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Haha, I was thinking the same thing. When possible I always recommend to fly into John Wayne (OC). It is significantly faster, easier, cleaner and did I mention much faster? And if you are renting a car rather than using a shuttle this will be an easier drive. We use Super Shuttle, and their service is much better at John Wayne than at LAX.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Haha, I was thinking the same thing. When possible I always recommend to fly into John Wayne (OC). It is significantly faster, easier, cleaner and did I mention much faster? And if you are renting a car rather than using a shuttle this will be an easier drive. We use Super Shuttle, and their service is much better at John Wayne than at LAX.

If you are an American Express cardholder there's also a great SuperShuttle coupon on their website.

 

[safetymom]

I guess I will be the odd one then. I have never had any problems flying in or out of LAX. I have also flown into Orange County. We used the Disneyland Express last time and it was wonderful. All the other times I drove.

 

[msteddom]

Long Beach is also a great alternative airport. It is about the same distance away from DLR as John Wayne is. It is a small airport, so it might be difficult to find a flight, but keep it in mind,you could find something that works for you!

Melissa

 

[concept5123]

thanks guys even better i got my question read online and i got people here helping me here too

 

[daneenm]

We always use SNA when we fly to DLR. Given the size of LAX and the traffic, I am guessing it is a MUCH longer trip than going through SNA.

--Daneen

 

[BriarRosie]

Long Beach is also a great alternative airport. It is about the same distance away from DLR as John Wayne is. It is a small airport, so it might be difficult to find a flight, but keep it in mind,you could find something that works for you!

Melissa

Heh, I just flew in and out of Long Beach for the first time, and it was a shock for me. You see, I consider O'Hare my "home" airport. I have flown into SNA. It's a beautiful airport, very convenient to Disneyland. I also like their SuperShuttle service.

At Long Beach, there are only 4, count 'em, 4 gates. And I half expected to see the cast of "Wings" working there. It was very strange dealing with that airport. Would I use them again? Sure, if the price is right. But I prefer Orange County/John Wayne Airport more.

I have to fly into LAX when I do the Adventures by Disney trip later this year. I wish I had the choice of airports, but I won't get pickup/dropoff from any other airport as part of the package.

 

[msteddom]

Heh, I just flew in and out of Long Beach for the first time, and it was a shock for me. You see, I consider O'Hare my "home" airport. I have flown into SNA. It's a beautiful airport, very convenient to Disneyland. I also like their SuperShuttle service.

At Long Beach, there are only 4, count 'em, 4 gates. And I half expected to see the cast of "Wings" working there. It was very strange dealing with that airport. Would I use them again? Sure, if the price is right. But I prefer Orange County/John Wayne Airport more.

I have to fly into LAX when I do the Adventures by Disney trip later this year. I wish I had the choice of airports, but I won't get pickup/dropoff from any other airport as part of the package.

Well I didn't say Long Beach was fabulous, I just said it was an option!

Seriously though, I am not a fan of LAX, and while I do think that SNA is the best airport for Disneyland, I think Long Beach is much more convenient than LAX as long as the price is reasonable.

Melissa

 

[BriarRosie]

Well I didn't say Long Beach was fabulous, I just said it was an option!

Seriously though, I am not a fan of LAX, and while I do think that SNA is the best airport for Disneyland, I think Long Beach is much more convenient than LAX as long as the price is reasonable.

Melissa

Well, yeah. If I had to choose between Long Beach and LAX and LB was more reasonably priced, I'd jump on it again. It was my first experience with Jet Blue, and I liked them for the most part.

 

[Iggipolka]

I completely agree with flying into John Wayne (SNA) over LAX. It's so much closer to DL and much easier to get to, than flying into LAX.

Also, I'd recommend taking Super Shuttle for $10 pp from SNA over Disney transportation any day. Super Shuttle can be booked online and we've never had to wait for a shuttle, but I've heard of people waiting for an hour plus for Disney's transportation.

 

[stitchlover]

We flew into LAX in June on our trip to DLR and believe me next time we will be using John Wayne (SNA). LAX was crazy and the drive was horrible and this was at 11pm! We are from D/FW so it's not like we are used to some tiny airport and town. We will go to SNA next time.

 

[drakethib]

Are their any majors that fly into John Wayne?

 

[daneenm]

We fly American when we go. I believe Southwest also flies in to SNA.

--Daneen

 

[two-foxes]

Are their any majors that fly into John Wayne?

Soon, there may be no such thing as major airlines But, UAL, Delta, American, US Air and perhaps a few others as well fly into SNA. We usually fly Denver based Frontier into there, but have flown UAL as well.

Oh, the ONLY thing I really really dislike about that airport....the takeoffs. Due to very strict noise ordinances, the takeoffs scare the living yahoo outta me. They have to gain a whole lot of altitude in a very short period of time....which make the takeoff a bit more extreme than I care for...sometimes the pilots give you a heads up, some times they don't....and tons of passengers may not even notice. But for us obsessive compulsive about routine and noises on takeoffs (I know I can't be the only one!), it is a bit stressful!

 

[Iggipolka]

Oh, the ONLY thing I really really dislike about that airport....the takeoffs. Due to very strict noise ordinances, the takeoffs scare the living yahoo outta me. They have to gain a whole lot of altitude in a very short period of time....which make the takeoff a bit more extreme than I care for...sometimes the pilots give you a heads up, some times they don't....and tons of passengers may not even notice. But for us obsessive compulsive about routine and noises on takeoffs (I know I can't be the only one!), it is a bit stressful!

OMG..I so agree! I hate those take offs. The pilot revs up the plane really high while stationary on the ground and then releases the brake and the plane peals out. After a very steep takeoff, they cut the engines way back, which is so scary! Freaks me out every single time.

 

[SamSam]

Another option would be Ontario Airport, it's 25 miles from Disneyland. It's a very pleasant airport to fly into and several major airlines fly into it.

 

[pjhorton21]

The ONLY advantage LAX has over the other three airports serving the area are the number of flights (and non-stops) available. LAX is almost always congested - and let's be honest, old, crowded and can be intimidating. Signage is lousy too. I admit, our family flies out of LAX on occasion only because we can't get a non-stop out of the other airports. It's our last choice.

Burbank (BUR) - Nobody has mentioned this airport - probably because it is the farthest from DL - out in the S.F. Valley.

Long Beach (LBG) - If Jet Blue flies out of your home airport, there's a good chance you can get a direct flight to Long Beach (it's one of JB's hubs). So you have to walk out of the plane, and baggage claim is outside - the weather is usually nice and it's quick! No traffic! If you arrive in the morning, you should have a quick trip to DLR on the 91 eastbound. If you arrive in the afternoon...well, be patient - you'll get there!

Ontario (ONT) - My airport of choice - clean, relatively new. 30 minutes from airport to DL (as long as there's no traffic). Never had to wait in a security line for longer than a few minutes.

John Wayne (SNA) - The closest and preferred choice for those visiting the resort due to its proximity and nice condition. As for the takeoffs, our family gets a kick out of it - of course one of our favorite rides is California Screamin'.