Is it really that much better to fly into SNA?

[keltiesmom]

E are planning our trip for sept 2015 and the cost difference for us to fly to LAX over SNA is a lot of money. Around 700-900 difference! It's been years since I have flown into LAX to go to DL, our last trip was SNA and it was so nice! We will be taking the DL express because we want to avoid bringing car seats for the little kids if that makes a difference.

 

[Blue32]

E are planning our trip for sept 2015 and the cost difference for us to fly to LAX over SNA is a lot of money. Around 700-900 difference! It's been years since I have flown into LAX to go to DL, our last trip was SNA and it was so nice! We will be taking the DL express because we want to avoid bringing car seats for the little kids if that makes a difference.

Are you saying it is $700-900 more to fly into SNA? No question, I would save the money and fly into LAX. While SNA is a nicer experience, I would not put pay that much more to fly into that airport. Yes, LAX is busy, and further away, but I would not put the premium that high for SNA.

 

[bcla]

It's worth it if the additional cost isn't that much. For me, $700 (assuming US dollars) isn't worth it.

I like the place because it's closer, traffic usually isn't too bad to/from there compared to the maze getting to/from LAX, it's easy to get around, and the rental car center is right there. That being said, I've flown in for a lower fare than with LAX, so SNA was the overwhelming choice.

However, I live close enough that I'd rather drive. My wife doesn't like it though. Our total time flying is something like 4-5 hours if all the ground travel and padding is included. We can drive down in 6 hours with a short stop, although typically we'll stop for an hour for lunch or dinner. I also prefer the flexibility of not having to adhere to a flight schedule.

 

[Ljbadfan]

It says the op said it was 700 to 900 more to fly into lax. I would fly into Sna cause it's closer and cheaper. We always fly into Sna when we go to disneyland

 

[knitster]

I definitely pay extra to fly into SNA, because the experience is so much better all the way around. But, I wouldn't pay $700-$900 more.

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Check LGB too... That's our preferred airport... Since I love to fly jet blue, and it's even tinier than sna, and super close to the parks too!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

If you are saying LAX is cheaper, I would absolutely fly into there. We've flown in/out of LAX on our last 4 trips to DL and actually find it very easy to navigate (we fly Southwest). It's always been cheaper for us to fly into LAX and when you multiple it times 6 of us, it's always a significant savings.

 

[DahliaRW]

Check LGB too... That's our preferred airport... Since I love to fly jet blue, and it's even tinier than sna, and super close to the parks too!

But no Disneyland Resort Express, which would mean the OP would need to bring car seats which she wants to avoid.

But, I wouldn't buy plane tickets for September 2015 until July at the very earliest.

 

[jina]

We love flying into SNA but we can fly southwest so it costs about the same to do LAX or SNA so it's a no brainer for us. For $700+ I'd definitely stick to LAX.
Even flying into SNA we need to bring a car seat as we find it's overall quicker and cheaper for the 3 of us to take a taxi versus the Disneyland bus. But we just stick the car seat in the hotel room closet and forget about it until our taxi ride back to SNA.

Haven't tried long beach yet - but that looks comparable in terms of ease to the parks. If flying into LAX just try to time it so you're not arriving or departing during rush hours.

 

[cmpeter]

For $700-$900, I would fly into LAX. We usually ended up flying into LAX because of the price difference. Even paying for a car service/limo to get us to DLR it ends up being less expensive. We do plan our arrival/departure so we aren't competing with rush hour traffic. It generally takes us an hour from LAX to DLR.

 

[taffy]

One word ..

YES

 

[bumbershoot]

Check LGB too...

As Dahlia said, there's no coach transportation, but even if the carseats weren't an issue, it means different transportation options and that is always worth thinking through.

But, I wouldn't buy plane tickets for September 2015 until July at the very earliest.

So true.

the cost difference for us to fly to LAX over SNA is a lot of money. Around 700-900 difference! It

So there is a difference of at least $700. If it was that much lower for SNA I'm sure there wouldn't be a question. So this must mean it's that much higher to go into SNA.

It's not worth that much. Not at all. LAX is a perfectly fine airport to fly into or out of. (it's tricky if you're driving there, or if you are a local picking people up at the airport, but it's not tricky for the travelers using transportation) It's straight forward for such a big airport and simple IMO.

SNA is some highway and some city street driving on a coach or shuttle, and is generally longer-feeling than you think it should be.

LAX is a fairly straight shot, and for us always feels *shorter* than we expect.

Flights have to be the same cost or cheaper into SNA for us to be happy about going there instead of LAX, because we find LAX to be so simple as a traveler. It also cannot involve a change of airplanes, especially not a change of airplanes IN LAX. Which I've seen. And laughed at. We're happy to be on the ground and driving instead.

 

[mystic_path]

LAX is a bigger international airport which allows more airlines to fly in and out of whereas SNA is smaller with less airlines limiting you to the airlines you choose to get you to SNA such as those low cost airlines we all love. Smaller airports can also have a high surcharge and landing fees. So there are going to be some reasons why it's cheaper to sometimes fly into LAX opposed to SNA. However in all my years of going to Disneyland I have flown into both airports and tend to frequent SNA more so. Fly into which airport gives you the best deal for sure but I rarely find a huge difference in price between the two airports. Depending on who you book through, and when you book you can find plenty of options available to you.

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

The bonuses to flying into SNA and LGB are:

Proximity to the Resort.
Not dealing with LA traffic.
Smaller airports, smaller TSA lines.

I would pay up to a $200 difference for the convenience factor. But $700? I'd probably suck it up and fly to LAX.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Probably not the norm, but the TSA agents we encountered at SNA were super laid back and nice. They smiled, joked a little, and were super friendly. There was virtually no line either. It was the best airport security experience we ever had.

 

[starjazz]

If the issue is car seats, check out payless shuttle. We are using them, and they provide car seats for their shuttles. We're a big group of 9, but round trip is $210 plus gratuity, so it'll likely run $250. But, when you figure its like $17 per adult each way on the Disney bus, and we are 6 adults, its nearly a wash. Plus, with payless, its a direct private shuttle.

 

[Blue32]

It says the op said it was 700 to 900 more to fly into lax. I would fly into Sna cause it's closer and cheaper. We always fly into Sna when we go to disneyland

Yes....the first line of the post says that. But the title and the rest of the post suggests the opposite. I suspect they meant that the LAX flights were cheaper.

 

[DahliaRW]

If the issue is car seats, check out payless shuttle. We are using them, and they provide car seats for their shuttles. We're a big group of 9, but round trip is $210 plus gratuity, so it'll likely run $250. But, when you figure its like $17 per adult each way on the Disney bus, and we are 6 adults, its nearly a wash. Plus, with payless, its a direct private shuttle.

@starjazz - if you're not locked into payless, you might want to look in Lansky. They are 180 RT from LAX (we have 6 going to DLR and 8 coming back) and they provide seats too.

 

[MommyJKM]

We usually rent a car and the last trip took the Disneyland Express and LOVED IT! They have an unadvertised AAA discount which makes your trip $20 roundtrip per adult and kids ride free.

I think someone told me you can't pre-order the AAA discount but we did it straight at the airport.

My cousin took it from LAX and said it was great because they were in horrible traffic and the kids just played games.

You probably will hit some traffic from LAX but that's just Southern California.

 

[SweetAlex]

We've always flown into LAX and personally, I hate that airport. It's so busy, so overcrowded, confusing, and just not a happy place to be. Then you've got to fight to find your luggage, chase your shuttle down, drive through the horrendous traffic around the airport, just to hit the horrendous traffic on the roads. The driving is insane. By the time we get to our hotel, we're all tired, nauseated and grumpy.

This time around, we are flying into SNA and I'm pretty excited about it. I've heard it's so much easier and so much closer. As it's our first time, I can't yet say if it's better but I've got my fingers crossed!

Almost $1000 is a lot. Are you sure that's right? Our travel agent was able to get us tickets for the same prices as flying into LAX. Maybe do some hunting on Expedia to compare and see if it's the same...