Looking for airport/flight advice

[crystal1313]

I agree with LAX to avoid hassles of layovers. But do hire a car service. Best travel time I have had from LAX is 45 mins with no traffic. But I have also had 90 mins. Your arrival time will make the difference.

Do you recommend a car service? Thanks!

 

[felice]

Karmel Shuttle are recommended, also Lansky's have good reviews too.

 

[Jason2015]

I'm going to be the voice of dissent...

I'd totally go for a short layover. Admittedly, 2 out of 3our kids and 2 out of 5 grands have ADHD. Those layovers are life savers. Time to walk around (run if we find an empty gate!), snack/meal time, general stretching and being more than 2" apart. Pairing that layover with a quicker drive to the hotel is a win-win for our crew!

I would agree with you on all of this, until this year. But flying has become a nightmare with staffing shortages and weather causing massive delays and headaches. I would fly direct and deal with the minor stress traffic and LAX will cause as opposed to the possibility of getting a flight interruption in Denver or elsewhere and having to deal with rebooking, longer layovers, etc.

 

[lalasmama]

I would agree with you on all of this, until this year. But flying has become a nightmare with staffing shortages and weather causing massive delays and headaches. I would fly direct and deal with the minor stress traffic and LAX will cause as opposed to the possibility of getting a flight interruption in Denver or elsewhere and having to deal with rebooking, longer layovers, etc.

We've been delayed and cancelled multiple times over the past 2 years but would still choose the lay-over. But of course, easy person has what works for their family.

 

[PirateBrigade]

I hate LAX, but in this case, I would fly into it because of the direct flight benefit. Also, if you are delayed/cancelled, there's probably better flight opportunities to hop to vs. the limited offerings at (my two favorite so-cal airports) LGB and SNA. Definitely hire a car, the rental car shuffle is atrocious.

I'll add, if you miss a connection in PHX, you'll likely end up driving the final leg to so-cal (6hr drive), or pay the walk-up fare for Southwest into any of the 5 local airports. Not terrible, but kills half your day (driving) and you probably weren't planning on it.

 

[PirateBrigade]

I'm going to be the voice of dissent...

I'd totally go for a short layover. Admittedly, 2 out of 3our kids and 2 out of 5 grands have ADHD. Those layovers are life savers. Time to walk around (run if we find an empty gate!), snack/meal time, general stretching and being more than 2" apart. Pairing that layover with a quicker drive to the hotel is a win-win for our crew!

Ya know, I know I just wrote my answer as LAX, but this makes great sense.

Either the OP spends an hour+ in traffic from LAX to Anaheim, or they spend an 1-2 hours on the ground in PHX and a quick 20-30min drive from SNA to DLR. That's a decent trade off.

But, with air travel what it is right now, the direct flight rules all. But I like your dissent!

 

[DisSurfer878]

Last time I flew into LAX (at 10:30 at night..) I had to wait MORE than an hour for the car to reach me because airport traffic was a disaster. I avoid that airport as it's one of the worse in the country IMO for airport curbside congestion. SNA or Long Beach every time

Not to mention LA traffic to Anaheim depending on time of day. It can be mind numbing

To be honest that's a failure of the car service you used, not LAX.

 

[Kit Jackson]

I think I’ve got myself psyched out that LAX with 2 kids is going to be a mess but it’s sounding like maybe it’s manageable based on the feedback I’m getting.

I am not trying to be rude and pry into your personal life. The only reason I am asking these questions is to get a better idea of what your concerns are so that you can get better advice. What are your concerns about LAX with children? Aside from size, is there something that makes LAX different from any other airport?

 

[Cal-Pie]

Since I purchased tickets for my October trip, my flights have been changed 5 (yep, 5!!) times. 4 times by Delta, which I finally gave up on and got my money back, and once by American since I rebooked with them. As much as I hate LAX, if I had the option for a direct flight, I'd take it. Unfortunately, I'm flying from a small regional airport, so my options are limited.