Long Beach vs. LAX vs. John Wayne/OC

[babyatlas]

last time we flew into John Wayne/OC. it was awesome! no waiting, no lines, super easy in and out. loved it. right now it would cost us about $500 MORE to fly here so I'm looking at Long Beach. Is this an easy one to get in and out of as well. is is farther from DL? what about LAX...which i've never flown into but somewhat imagine it to be a nightmare.
appreciate it!

 

[StarWarsJez]

I can't talk about the other two but LAX is a pain to fly into as it can take up to two hours to get to Anaheim if you hit the traffic (it's hard NOT to hit bad LA traffic!). If your chosen flight lands after 2:00pm then expect a long car/taxi ride!

 

[Sjwillia]

I have flown into LGB 4 times now and love it. Cost from PDX is always much cheaper than going to SNA. LGB is very small and easy to navigate, although there are fewer transportation options to Disneyland. I think a shuttle needs to be arranged in advance if that is the method you prefer. We rented a car once and took a taxi 3 times. Both were very quick and easy. Cost was $45 plus tip to hotel and $55 plus tip back to the airport. I estimate it is a 10 minute longer drive from LGB than SNA.
I hope you have a wonderful trip.

 

[Misskitty3]

LGB is our favorite airport to fly into.....even easier than SNA! I would have to have FREE airfare for all 4 of us to even consider flying into LAX!

 

[Albytaps]

I can't talk about the other two but LAX is a pain to fly into as it can take up to two hours to get to Anaheim if you hit the traffic (it's hard NOT to hit bad LA traffic!). If your chosen flight lands after 2:00pm then expect a long car/taxi ride!

We must have gotten lucky because we didn't hit traffic at all. We flew in at 11am on a Sunday and flew out at 4pm on Friday. We took the DL Express and it took 45 minutes each way.

Actually, LAX was a breeze compared to some of the horrors I've been in such as JFK in NY.

 

[pixiepowers]

Another vote for Long Beach! From my experience with all 3, this is the easiest airport to get in and out of. You walk off the plane, claim your luggage, and are a few steps away from transportation - we always take a cab - no waiting and cost-effective for a family of four. Because of it's small size, I feel like we get extra time at the parks because we can get there closer to our flight time (security is FAST!). (Plus, Jet Blue is almost always delayed - ha!)

 

[gerilyne]

haven't tried long beach yet (though from what is being said maybe next year since our flights already booked through SNA).

I would avoid LAX whenever possible. This year I think it would have saved us maybe $75 to fly into LAX but I'd pay the additional cost for the ease of arriving and departing from a smaller more friendly airport.

 

[GeneralTso]

We avoid LAX at all cost. ALL cost.
Flying into OC you are practically there. Bam, less than half hour and you are at your hotel.

Burbank and Ontario, you have to deal with a lot of traffic to get into Anaheim. Lots of lost time.

 

[poohmickey]

Another vote for Long Beach. It is the smallest of the three and very quick to get in and out of. Also an easy drive to and from Disney. Our favorite part was getting back to the airport and walking through security without any waiting - loved it!!

 

[Luv2Diz]

We avoid LAX. We flew in/out of Long Beach for our trip 2 weeks ago and it was easy. Small airport and very convenient to use. Traffic wasn't a hassle at all around this airport.

 

[nervous1sttimer]

I have been AGONIZING over this decision for weeks and months now. I can book non-stop flights into LAX on Spirit right now for $351/pp (Delta is $438).

It's going to cost me $460 to fly into SNA on Southwest and the flights have an additional stop, so travel time goes from 4.5 hours to 7-8 hours.

I really don't know what to do!

 

[Gisele]

I have been AGONIZING over this decision for weeks and months now. I can book non-stop flights into LAX on Spirit right now for $351/pp (Delta is $438).

It's going to cost me $460 to fly into SNA on Southwest and the flights have an additional stop, so travel time goes from 4.5 hours to 7-8 hours.

I really don't know what to do!

I would take a really good cost analysis look at your situation. Will you be paying significantly more money in total for travel to SNA including transport from the airport to your hotel in comparison to money saved by flying into LAX including travel from here to your hotel?

 

[Stitch35]

I have been AGONIZING over this decision for weeks and months now. I can book non-stop flights into LAX on Spirit right now for $351/pp (Delta is $438).

It's going to cost me $460 to fly into SNA on Southwest and the flights have an additional stop, so travel time goes from 4.5 hours to 7-8 hours.

I really don't know what to do!

In this situation I would fly into LAX. $109/pp savings plus 2.5-3.5 hours less in air time (may equal 1-2 extra park hours). Maybe see what it would be 1 way to/from lax and 1 way to/from SNA and maybe mix the two?

 

[lalasmama]

I have flown into LGB 4 times now and love it. Cost from PDX is always much cheaper than going to SNA. LGB is very small and easy to navigate, although there are fewer transportation options to Disneyland. I think a shuttle needs to be arranged in advance if that is the method you prefer. We rented a car once and took a taxi 3 times. Both were very quick and easy. Cost was $45 plus tip to hotel and $55 plus tip back to the airport. I estimate it is a 10 minute longer drive from LGB than SNA.
I hope you have a wonderful trip.

Susan--totally off topic, but I noticed you're from Dayton. I grew up in McMinnville! Small world!

 

[SplashMo]

I prefer John Wayne over LAX. If you do go to LAX take the Disney express and not a shuttle service as they might stop all over the place..

 

[CailinFig]

If the cost to fly into LB and LAX are the same or similar, fly into LB. We avoid LAX unless there's no other option.

 

[redwing]

I have flown into LGB 4 times now and love it. Cost from PDX is always much cheaper than going to SNA. LGB is very small and easy to navigate, although there are fewer transportation options to Disneyland. I think a shuttle needs to be arranged in advance if that is the method you prefer. We rented a car once and took a taxi 3 times. Both were very quick and easy. Cost was $45 plus tip to hotel and $55 plus tip back to the airport. I estimate it is a 10 minute longer drive from LGB than SNA. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

When I read this, I literally said, "OH, CR**!!" out loud--lol! We are flying from PDX, too and have already purchased tickets for PDX to SNA . Never even thought Long Beach could be cheaper...now I don't even want to look! I wonder how much I could have saved

 

[Mousequake]

When I read this, I literally said, "OH, CR**!!" out loud--lol! We are flying from PDX, too and have already purchased tickets for PDX to SNA . Never even thought Long Beach could be cheaper...now I don't even want to look! I wonder how much I could have saved

The cost differential flying from PDX to SNA/LGB is usually pretty small, but there are occasional times where there can be significant savings. Don't stress out about it! SNA is still a GREAT airport to fly into from PDX.

 

[redwing]

Susan--totally off topic, but I noticed you're from Dayton. I grew up in McMinnville! Small world!

And I live in Forest Grove...DEFINITELY A SMALL WORLD

 

[smithfamilyof7]

And I live in Forest Grove...DEFINITELY A SMALL WORLD

We live in Amity!

We have flown into both SNA and LB. SNA wasn't bad at all but I preferred LB. It's SO small. Like, half the terminal is modular buildings and you walk out on the runway to get into your plane. (That said, we were there during construction, maybe it's an actual building now.) For a family with a bunch of small kids, it made walking through the airport really easy. We had reserved a shuttle and it was there waiting for us. Plus, we loved JetBlue (which doesn't fly into SNA, I don't think)!