Locals. we need traffic help, please? Last year we missed flight from LAX!

[cinderlexa's mom]

Last year, after our wonderful DLR trip, we missed our flight home out of LAX!

We thought we allowed plenty of time to drive from Anaheim to LAX in pre-rush hour traffic + drop off our rental car. (We left Anaheim 3 hours before our 7:30AM flight, and it didn't cut it!)

We seriously underestimated not only morning rush hour traffic, but also the amount of time we'd need to wait to be picked up by a National Car Rental shuttle to get to the LAX terminal.

Any advice on time to leave, routes, taking National Shuttle or cab, etc, would be GREATLY apreciated!

Here's my specifics:
Friday, July 31: Flight departs at 11:30AM from LAX. (Airtran) Returning car to National Car Rental, must take National shuttle (or cab) to LAX terminal.

What time should we leave Anaheim?
Should we take a cab instead of NCR shuttle to terminal?
Should we take a specific route during morning traffic?
Will Friday morning traffic be as bad as Tuesday? There were no stand-stills, just slow going in spots.

Thanks in advance for any advice you might share!

 

[LavenderPeach]

I can't give too much help but I think a friday morning should be better than a tuesday morning (theoretically). Of course an accident or road work will slow you down no matter what. I drive from San Bernardino County to Orange County often which can be a tough drive during rush hour and I had less traffic on a Friday than on a tuesday. Friday afternoon/evening would be horrible but my theory is that the morning is better because more people might take friday off to get in a 3-day weekend. LA traffic is just bad though.

Also, maybe someone has an alternate freeway route for you to take that might have less traffic. Which freeways did you take last time?

Sorry I couldn't be of more help but at least this will bump your thread up. Good luck!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

What I always do is spend the last night at an Airport area hotel. I will turn in the rental car at night and use the hotel's shuttle in the morning.

And, for example, if you are staying at a chain hotel such as Marriott or Hilton the Airport hotel will usually match (or come very close to) your rate. My next trip, in JUly, I am staying at the Marriott Suites Garden Grove/Anaheim at $112 a night and I was able to get a special rate of $118 at the LAX Airport Marriott. That way I get to the hotel, check in, turn in the rental car, and have a leisurely dinner. In the morning I do not have to do any rushing as I am less than a mile from the airport.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, my first question is...do you really really need a rental car? Super Shuttle, Grayline's Disneyland Express, and various limo services are all good options. There's also an Alamo location right in DTD, and various car agencies around the area, if you need one for a day or so.


That said, if you do really want/need that car, I would schedule to be at the car dropoff 3 hours before. We almost missed our flight last December, but it was because of me me me...got to the gate 5 minutes before it was supposed to take off, but it had been delayed.

It's not a good feeling. So much so that on our last family trip, hubby ixnayed the rental car, and we went with Grayline instead.

 

[cinderlexa's mom]

Thanks for the replies so far!

To clarify:

• we must rent a car
• we must fly out of lax
• we must stay in Anaheim the night before our flight

This is already booked. Too good to pass up, price was fantastic. Just need tips from locals on time span and routes. Any frequent DLR travelers--would love your opinions too!

TIA!

 

[jlmarr]

I'd take the 5/91/605/105 like this Mapquest map suggests. (It's easier than it sounds.) One advantage is that the 105 has a carpool lane and gets you pretty much all the way to LAX. That being said, I don't know if the Aviation Blvd address is exactly where you need to go - you should plug in a better address if you know one. (I'm also guessing on the starting address, arbitrarily picking HoJo's.)

 

[bumbershoot]

Well as I said, schedule yourself to GET to the car place 3 hours before your flight.

You have the advantage of knowing where your dropoff is, since it seems it's the same company as you used last year. Hopefully you also know the gas station location (unless you prepaid the fillup), so you're 2 points ahead of when we almost missed our flight.

But for us, it was the piddly things that added up the time, not the drive, even though we left right around 5pm on a weekday. The actual travel time wasn't awful, but all the other little things were the problem (and the issue of us leaving DCA well after we were supposed to be IN the car, and stopping to get food at WWS when we shouldn't have). So our issues were rather different.

 

[pixiewings71]

Get a rental with a Garmin, that will talk you around any delays you might run across if they are significant. We hit traffic on our way last Friday and Garmina (our voice is a lady) had me driving all over LA to avoid traffic. LOL Seriously tho, it works......we always drive so I really can't say when you need to leave, the time I had to drop DBF off at the airport we left 2 hours early.

 

[Plumeria9]

Can you leave super early, by 6a at the latest, get in the vicinity of the airport, and have a breakfast there? That way at least you will bypass much of the morning commute traffic and be where you want to be, generally. Without traffic it shouldn't take more than an hour to get up to the LAX area. HTH

 

[cinderlexa's mom]

Thanks for all the replies, they really are very helpful!

I have a lot more insight now. I just wish a had a crystal ball that could tell me how long the commute will take on a Friday morning!

 

[Disney Dreams]

Last year, after our wonderful DLR trip, we missed our flight home out of LAX!

We thought we allowed plenty of time to drive from Anaheim to LAX in pre-rush hour traffic + drop off our rental car. (We left Anaheim 3 hours before our 7:30AM flight, and it didn't cut it!)

We seriously underestimated not only morning rush hour traffic, but also the amount of time we'd need to wait to be picked up by a National Car Rental shuttle to get to the LAX terminal.

Any advice on time to leave, routes, taking National Shuttle or cab, etc, would be GREATLY apreciated!

Here's my specifics:
Friday, July 31: Flight departs at 11:30AM from LAX. (Airtran) Returning car to National Car Rental, must take National shuttle (or cab) to LAX terminal.

What time should we leave Anaheim?
Should we take a cab instead of NCR shuttle to terminal?
Should we take a specific route during morning traffic?
Will Friday morning traffic be as bad as Tuesday? There were no stand-stills, just slow going in spots.

Thanks in advance for any advice you might share!

Okay, here's the thing: If you were to leave Disneyland at 6am, you would be at LAX at 7am. If you were to leave at 7am, you could probably be there by 8:30am (maybe). If you were to leave at 8am, you could probably be there by 9:30 - 10:00am. See how it exponentially gets longer the later you leave? Welcome to So. Cal. traffic.

So, work it backwards. Your flight is at 11:30am. I like to get to the airport 1 hour prior. (10:30am) Give 45 minutes to return rental car and get shuttled to the terminal. (9:45am) Depart Anaheim 8am. I would then add in 15 minutes for "who knows what." In the car, rolling at 7:45am.

Then, if you are like me, give an extra 30 minutes for who knows what (accidents or whatever). That's 7:15am (which moves you into faster drive time traffic-wise, btw).

If you like to be at the airport more than 1 hour prior to flight time, think the rental car return needs more time, or have anything else you need to mess around with (gas? checking out? food? kids? idk what?), move your departure time forward.

As crazy as 4 hours sounds, at that hour, you never know.

Hope this helps,
Dreams (who can get from home to DL in 25 minutes at some times of the day, but needs an hour and 15 min. at other times - gotta love our traffic patterns)