Is it really that much better to fly into SNA?

[PatMcDuck]

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!

I can deal with LAX, but the shuttle to the rental cars is a pain, I have a special needs adult, with a large wheelchair, between hanging onto him, and the chair, and luggage, it's a bummer. And returning rental cars is a little tricky there, too. SNA is a dream, it's more like MCO, you walk over to get your rental car.

The drive is longer from LAX, but the traffic is not really that bad for me (from NY/NJ/Philly area). But, with SNA, you avoid most if not all traffic jams though. We are going to DL next month, and I found flights to SNA for less than LAX, so I am so glad, but I usually use LAX to save $$, and to use airlines like Virgin America and JetBlue.

So I try to avoid LAX, but will use it to save more than $100 for sure.

 

[2tinkerbell]

The last 2 trips I have flown into LAX because there were more flights to and from with several direct flights.

I factor in ground transportation, tips, etc. into the cost of the airfare when I am deciding which is the better deal. I have found that SNA and LAX come out within $50 difference. For that, if there were better flight times, I would fly into SNA. Just like it better and it is closer.

 

[ClaraOswald]

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.

How old/big are the kids who would need car seats?

We always fly into SNA but for us, the price is almost the same for LAX. If we could save $900...I would probably consider LAX. But we rent a car/bring a car seat anyway so that's a non-issue for us.

 

[knitster]

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...

That's been my experience with LAX as well. And the TSA agents are always extremely rude and aggressive with us.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

That's been my experience with LAX as well. And the TSA agents are always extremely rude and aggressive with us.

Interesting. We've always had super nice ones at LAX!

 

[bcla]

One thing about SNA is that takeoffs are a white knuckle adventure because of the noise restrictions they have once it gets off the ground. They have an extremely short main runway (considering it's for large jets) and can't lengthen it because everything has been built around the airport.

The procedure is to do something like 90% power starting with the brakes on and a sudden acceleration that's the equivalent of a drag race start. Then they go up at an extremely sharp angle and are required to cut down the engine drastically to reduce noise. This graphic was from an article in the Orange County Register:

The neighbors are lobbying to change the flight path to keep the noise down. They're talking about an S-path to get around the residential neighborhoods before it gets over the water.

 

[stephe1987]

If one airport is significantly cheaper, I'd choose the cheaper airport.

That said, my family and I will *not* be going to the SNA airport ever again if we can help it. I am from Northern California but I went to college in Southern California and have family down there, so I've been quite a few flights. I'd always flown to Burbank or LAX and never experienced any problems. But this March we decided to try the SNA airport for our Disneyland trip. Both of those flights were much worse than any other flight we'd ever been on. I'm used to the ear pressure/popping, even a slight pain. But this was severe ear pain on both flights. There were also a lot of random stomach drops that we'd never really had before on the flights. Maybe a little turbulence but these drops felt like we were on a roller coaster. The takeoff and landing were way too steep, so I'm not at all surprised about the ear problems. Also, every other time my ears have "unpopped" within a few hours after landing, but this time my ears were clogged for most of the day after the flight as well. And the second day even had times of the dull pain that normally end after the flight is over. Next time we go to Disneyland we'll either drive down or fly to LAX and just have a slightly longer distance to travel.

Disneyland Express goes from both SNA and LAX, so that shouldn't be an issue. Just watch the times because if you're flying in at night the last bus from LAX leaves later than the last bus at SNA.

 

[Phoenixrising]

For me at least knowledge is power, and after hearing about SNA for the first time and discovering my fav airline flies into there we gave it a try. Everything that was mentioned on the boards was correct, and knew what to expect about the landings and takeoffs. For us, SNA is our airport of choice when visiting DL. Yes the take offs and landings at SNA can be crazy, but if you know what to expect it's less stressful. The last wild ride of the trip is the take off from SNA. After flying into LAX once for a DL trip, I try to avoid it, and fly whenever possible to SNA.

 

[krispin41]

@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.

Someone here just had a bad experience with Lansky's and car/safety seats (you should be able to find the post if you do a search) so you may want to read that thread before considering Lansky's.

Here's the link to the thread I was talking about. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3353689&highlight=lansky+s

 

[lalasmama]

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.

Is it worth $700-900 more to fly into SNA? Not in my opinion!

Pluses for SNA:
Smaller, easier to navigate in my opinion
Ground transportation is all in one place

Negatives for SNA:
Usually equal or higher prices to fly into
Steep flight paths make my stomach knot up
The walk to Ground Transportation annoys me, especially for the last flight of the day
Time restrictions--closes at 10 or 11pm, which is a bad thing if your plane is late!

Pluses for LAX:
More airlines means more flight options
While it's a hike to get out to ground transportation, you don't have to walk the length of the airport, which I appreciate!
Typically a little cheaper to fly in to
More gradual take off and landing
Might spot a celebrity

Negatives for LAX:
It's big, and can seem intimidating!
Ground transportation is in different spots--you catch a taxi at one site, busses at another, rental car shuttles at another
TSA can suck during busy times (we once waited in a line for about an hour!)
It seems like I wait longer here for DLR Express (I've waited more than 90 minutes before)
You spend the time waiting for DLR Express on a center island, with cars on each side of you-could be scary when keeping track of little ones!

All that being said, while I hate the hassle of LAX, I would fly in there without a second thought if we were talking about a $700 difference! Heck, I'd do it for saving $200! $100 is about our "is it worth the hassle of LAX?" price difference (ie, if it's $200pp to fly into LAX, and $300 to fly into SNA, we'll usually pick SNA).

Remember to add in other incidentals when figuring out the prices. Will there be layovers with one, or a non-stop with the other? Layovers will typically mean a meal or snacks, which we add into the cost analysis (about $20pp for our family). It will cost more for the ground transportation from LAX as well (DLRE SNA is $35, DLRE LAX is $48 round trip, per person for adults [kids under 11 are free, up to 3 freebies per paying adult]), which needs to factor into the cost analysis as well.

As an aside, OP, I know you didn't ask, but... kids traveling on planes are safer in car seats If they have their own seat on the plane, and need a car seat in the car, "best practice" (ie, safest) way to travel is with the seat on the plane too. I'll hop off my soapbox now!

 

[tinkmt]

I know this is off topic, but anyone fly into ONT? We have done LAX and SNA but we are flying into ONT next week!

 

[knitster]

Interesting. We've always had super nice ones at LAX!

I'm sure it's the luck of draw, we just ended up with a couple of really grumpy agents and they made a lasting impression. :s

 

[keltiesmom]

Op here. We want to fly to SNA but it is way more so sorry for confusing some of you. We have 4 kids who would need a car seat or booster seat so hauling them all through security is a complete PITA. I know it is safer for the kids to be in their seats on the plane it's a pain and we feel the risk is minimal. We brought car seats on our last trip when we only had 3 kids so I know what we are dealing with when it comes to them. As for renting seats that is not an option for us because I do not trust that the seats have been treated properly and that they haven't washed the harness which is why we need the DL express. I'm not sure how I feel about hanging out in the middle of the Rd with little kids that long for a bus both flights would be direct flights so comparable in that respect. I don't remember the landing/take off in SNA to be all that bad but I do remember the kids having a hard time with their ears. A large part of me feels like it's totally worth it but then there's the other part of me that thinks that would pay for our AP upgrades. I really hate the idea of going to lax. I feel like I'm picking our hotel all over again. Thanks for all of the input.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Op here. We want to fly to SNA but it is way more so sorry for confusing some of you. We have 4 kids who would need a car seat or booster seat so hauling them all through security is a complete PITA. I know it is safer for the kids to be in their seats on the plane it's a pain and we feel the risk is minimal. We brought car seats on our last trip when we only had 3 kids so I know what we are dealing with when it comes to them. As for renting seats that is not an option for us because I do not trust that the seats have been treated properly and that they haven't washed the harness which is why we need the DL express. I'm not sure how I feel about hanging out in the middle of the Rd with little kids that long for a bus both flights would be direct flights so comparable in that respect. I don't remember the landing/take off in SNA to be all that bad but I do remember the kids having a hard time with their ears. A large part of me feels like it's totally worth it but then there's the other part of me that thinks that would pay for our AP upgrades. I really hate the idea of going to lax. I feel like I'm picking our hotel all over again. Thanks for all of the input.

The car seat thing seems most important. So go wherever it's easiest to get a shuttle that doesn't need the use of car seats.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Op here. We want to fly to SNA but it is way more so sorry for confusing some of you. We have 4 kids who would need a car seat or booster seat so hauling them all through security is a complete PITA. I know it is safer for the kids to be in their seats on the plane it's a pain and we feel the risk is minimal. We brought car seats on our last trip when we only had 3 kids so I know what we are dealing with when it comes to them. As for renting seats that is not an option for us because I do not trust that the seats have been treated properly and that they haven't washed the harness which is why we need the DL express. I'm not sure how I feel about hanging out in the middle of the Rd with little kids that long for a bus both flights would be direct flights so comparable in that respect. I don't remember the landing/take off in SNA to be all that bad but I do remember the kids having a hard time with their ears. A large part of me feels like it's totally worth it but then there's the other part of me that thinks that would pay for our AP upgrades. I really hate the idea of going to lax. I feel like I'm picking our hotel all over again. Thanks for all of the input.

If it makes you feel better, we've done LAX (using the DLE) with 4 kids many times. You could always wait inside until about 10-15 mins prior to your pick up time and then go outside.

 

[DahliaRW]

Someone here just had a bad experience with Lansky's and car/safety seats (you should be able to find the post if you do a search) so you may want to read that thread before considering Lansky's.

Here's the link to the thread I was talking about. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3353689&highlight=lansky+s

Yes, though that poster also thought a harnessed booster seat was an unsafe choice for their child with a harness to booster seat used with a 5 point harness is a totally appropriate choice (I'm a car seat geek). They also expected a random shuttle drive rto know how to install car seats. I'm sorry, it's your responsibility as a parent to install seats safely and verify that, not the random driver.

You can call and request information on their seats if you're worried. They'll tell you exactly what they are bringing.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Yes, though that poster also thought a harnessed booster seat was an unsafe choice for their child with a harness to booster seat used with a 5 point harness is a totally appropriate choice (I'm a car seat geek). They also expected a random shuttle drive rto know how to install car seats. I'm sorry, it's your responsibility as a parent to install seats safely and verify that, not the random driver.

You can call and request information on their seats if you're worried. They'll tell you exactly what they are bringing.

Yeah, I wouldn't take too much of that "review" seriously as there's all kinds of weird going on there. (Though, I, personally wouldn't use rental car seats AT ALL anyway.)

 

[lalasmama]

Op here. We want to fly to SNA but it is way more so sorry for confusing some of you. We have 4 kids who would need a car seat or booster seat so hauling them all through security is a complete PITA. I know it is safer for the kids to be in their seats on the plane it's a pain and we feel the risk is minimal. We brought car seats on our last trip when we only had 3 kids so I know what we are dealing with when it comes to them. As for renting seats that is not an option for us because I do not trust that the seats have been treated properly and that they haven't washed the harness which is why we need the DL express. I'm not sure how I feel about hanging out in the middle of the Rd with little kids that long for a bus both flights would be direct flights so comparable in that respect. I don't remember the landing/take off in SNA to be all that bad but I do remember the kids having a hard time with their ears. A large part of me feels like it's totally worth it but then there's the other part of me that thinks that would pay for our AP upgrades. I really hate the idea of going to lax. I feel like I'm picking our hotel all over again. Thanks for all of the input.

It's a hard decision, isn't it? I assume you have looked at other airlines to see if there's something more reasonable for flying into SNA? If not, check on kayak.com, and, if Southwest flies in your area, check them out. I'd suggest Jet Blue as well, as their prices are about 33% lower than SWA for our flights, but they go into Long Beach, which would require at least bringing car seats, even if you don't use them on the plane. I've got a 10yo who is in the middle of graduating from her booster, along with 3 grandsons (3y, 2y, and 3m), so I totally understand the annoyance and frustration of car seats while traveling! We've actually decided we won't be taking any grandkids on a plane ride until they are booster-only, just to make things easier.

Like a previous poster said, if nothing else, you can try to time it so that you are on the center island waiting for the DLR Express bus for only 10-15 minutes. Still a challenge, but not impossible... Perhaps you can have a video or game ready to go on an electronic device to get all the kids sitting together while you're out there on the island? We're not big electronics fans, in general for little ones, but all bets are off when I need them to stay in one spot for some reason!

 

[keltiesmom]

It's a hard decision, isn't it? I assume you have looked at other airlines to see if there's something more reasonable for flying into SNA? If not, check on kayak.com, and, if Southwest flies in your area, check them out. I'd suggest Jet Blue as well, as their prices are about 33% lower than SWA for our flights, but they go into Long Beach, which would require at least bringing car seats, even if you don't use them on the plane. I've got a 10yo who is in the middle of graduating from her booster, along with 3 grandsons (3y, 2y, and 3m), so I totally understand the annoyance and frustration of car seats while traveling! We've actually decided we won't be taking any grandkids on a plane ride until they are booster-only, just to make things easier. Like a previous poster said, if nothing else, you can try to time it so that you are on the center island waiting for the DLR Express bus for only 10-15 minutes. Still a challenge, but not impossible... Perhaps you can have a video or game ready to go on an electronic device to get all the kids sitting together while you're out there on the island? We're not big electronics fans, in general for little ones, but all bets are off when I need them to stay in one spot for some reason!

we are from Canada so southwest and JetBlue don't fly here I believe. I have been looking at last minute travel for prices and there aren't many flights from YVR to SNA coming up. There are lots to LAX though.

 

[Butte Family]

we are from Canada so southwest and JetBlue don't fly here I believe. I have been looking at last minute travel for prices and there aren't many flights from YVR to SNA coming up. There are lots to LAX though.

WestJet flies in SNA. It's a great option from YVR