Question for Bumbershoot or anyone who flies out of Seattle

[BC Disney Lover]

We would love to fly out of Bellingham on Alligiant but they only fly on certain days that just wouldn't work for us and the difference between going out of Seattle and Bellingham on Alaska is crazy expensive.

Bclydia - "Domestically Challenged Mom..." love this quote, luckily I found just the kind of man your daughters looking for. He cooks, cleans, does laundry and is the taxi for the kids baseball games, golf and school.

 

[katy621]

Alaska Airlines would be your best bet.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Anyone ever flown into ONT airport?

ONT airport is awesome! It's our closest one and we frequently use it. I love ONT. So much nicer than LAX. When you are picking someone up you can usually park within 2-3 walking min. of the terminal. It is a great airport to use. My 2nd choice would be SNA (John Wayne, OC). Unfortunately, most of the time SNA flights are more to MCO than ONT.

We flew once out of LAX (Jan. 05) because I got a killer deal ($178 r/t) from LAX to MCO direct! We flew on Song before it became sucked up by Delta. (I know it was always a part of Delta, but it worked independently). The bummer about going out of LAX, for us, was we had to leave home 3 hrs. before our flight to allow driving time ( 1-1/2 hrs.) and parking offsite time, etc. We were about 1 hr. early for the flight but that worked out well for another reason (long story). Coming home took a little over 2 hrs.

I really prefer ONT. Only negative is that noone flies direct to MCO from ONT. Best rates I'm finding for Sept. are $318/rt on Delta. SW is over $400 right now. With rising fuel costs I'm wondering if I should book it at $318 since it may not fall, but might actually go up (like this weeks gas prices-27 cents this week alone! )

ONT is a really easy airport to negotiate and isn't really much farther to DLR than SNA. I would rec. planning on arriving at ONT any other time than early in the a.m (to avoid the morning commute-it can be a nightmare) and of course, prime time drive home time (say 4-6 p.m.) But even night drive time is better than in the a.m. Most commuters are heading into OC in the a.m.

Good luck

 

[Vacation Dad]

At SeaTac airport, don’t even think about parking in the airport parking garage. Stay at one of the nearby parking lots that have shuttles, we have used Shuttlepark2 many times and they work great - usually $8-$9 a day. They also take reservations online, so if you are going over a holiday period you can still be assured of having a spot waiting for you.

 

[Aubrielle]

I've never seen a rate lower than $99! I love to fly Alaska because they have a lot of NON-STOP choices....very important to us!

As for parking, if you choose an offisite parking venue, do some research online ahead of time. We found a coupon for one free day of parking, which was a really nice savings.

Have fun on your trip!

 

[Hambletfamily]

We fly into LAX out of Seattle. We have flown several airlines, Southwest, Northwest, Alaska, and for our next trip we will be flying Virgin American Airlines. They are flying West coast now and have some excellent rates.

 

[c&m]

Also agree with other posters to check out JetBlue and Virgin America.

For our trip in mid-July, we got airfare on Virgin for $86 from SEA-LAX non-stop. Since we are ending our trip in San Diego, we booked JetBlue for $104from SAN-SEA non-stop.

We love flying Alaska, but they were too expensive for our dates. If you can get your flights for $99 each way, then go for it!

 

[TiggerandTink]

I think a lot of my problem is the day we're flying back is a Friday. Rates seem to be going up for some reason because of this. Maybe I can convince the boys to stay another night


So this may seem a bit odd... but i've NEVER flown on a commercial airplane. Ever. Just tiny little Cessna 4-seat airplanes for maybe 1hour trips here and there. So this is a first for me. On websites like expedia, travelocity, etc, in addition to the plane tickets, which are ranging from $270 to $300, the terms of use mention a $50 booking fee per person or something like that, so really, the plane ticket will be like $350... is this NORMAL?

I don't know if $50 is the norm but I know that those sites do charge a booking fee. I often use them to search for flights but then go to the actual airline website and can get the same fare (or even less sometimes, weird I know) without the booking fee.

 

[katy621]

Vacation Dad you are so right about the parking garage at SeaTac. The parking at other Airports I've flown into are lots better. No matter how much they try to improve, the more mess they create.

 

[kajcwman]

Anyone ever flown into ONT airport?

This is a terrific little airport. All things being equal, I still prefer SNA or LGB over ONT, those 2 being closer to Disneyland. Still, I prefer ONT over LAX.

 

[BC Disney Lover]

Thanks for all your suggestions and tips. We booked a flight into Long Beach. We are looking into off-site parking at Sea-Tac because I remember from last time the on-site was very expensive. Now I need help with getting my family of 5 from the airport in Long Beach to the Howard Johnson. Any advice on shuttle companies to use. Someone suggested a taxi, but do we have too many people? We don't really need to rent a car because we're just doing Disney this time.

 

[imjen]

For parking at SeaTac--we like to use Masterpark. Just a couple blocks away and very secure with reliable shuttles. We like to use the covered garage parking. On their website you can get coupons for buy 2 days, get 1 free or $12.95 a day coupons.

 

[kajcwman]

Any advice on shuttle companies to use. Someone suggested a taxi, but do we have too many people? We don't really need to rent a car because we're just doing Disney this time.

We used Prime Time Shuttle the last time we were at Disneyland. (DL to ONT. We flew into LGB and out of ONT.) They were prompt, professional, and the van was clean. On the same trip MIL flew into SNA and used Super Shuttle and she too had no complaints.

Going from LGB to DL got a limo to take us to DL. It was pricier, but fun. The kids were so excited to actually ride in one.

 

[c&m]

Another vote for MasterPark. They offer secured parking at a good price. We've used them many times.

 

[bumbershoot]

Back to the original question: I was answering a question on the transportation forum here yesterday, and in doing so I checked out prices on SW. This isn't for Nov, but mid-September, but I saw a fare of $79 from SEA to SNA!!!! The way back on my chosen dates was 149 at the lowest, but that was Fri or Sat fares. I have never wanted to book something so bad as when I saw that rate, the week our AP expires...

 

[splash5]

We flew from Seattle (about a 2 hour drive from our home in Longview, WA) to LAX on Virgin America $79 each way (we paid an extra $15 for bulkhead seating - my DH and DS are both about 6 feet tall and need leg room) We were able to upgrade to 1st class for an additional $35 per person. It was amazing. All our food was free, as well as movies and entertainment. Also, their 1st class has only 8 seats, so you really feel like royalty.

 

[BC Disney Lover]

You really have to keep checking the airfare constantly. One night after midnight I went to show my Dh the flight times we'd be looking at for Alaska Airlines, the fare that had been $99 for weeks was $79. For some unknown reason I didn't book then and by morning it was back to $99

 

[seattlebusymom]

As far as parking I always use the shuttlepark2. They have really good rates and usually a coupon online! They are quick with the shuttle and have always been very nice to my kids. (Sometimes they even give busy box activities for kids)

As for transfers I found a company in Orange County that does a transfer in a nice black streach limo for the price of a super shuttle. His rates are 136.50 each way from LAX to the Disneyland area and INCLUDES the tip! :thumbsup The other two Orange County airports (SNA and LGB) are a little less at 84.50 each way or 168.00 round trip. Feel free to PM me if you want his details.

 

[RainyDayPixie]

We just booked our flights into LGB for the same price (also in OCT). I was getting really nervous with all the airlines adding surcharges! I usually fly Alaska for the nonstop.

Be careful of offsite parking. Choose one of the big lots (Masterpark, etc). We once parked at a cheaper place and we weren't sure if our car would be there when we got back! Very shady...

Depending on your flight time, it might be worth it to book a hotel the night before if they offer parking for the duration of your trip. That would break up your travel a bit, too.

 

[avalon451]

Another vote for ShuttlePark2 at SeaTac... we've used them often and felt very secure.

We're flying into LGB in October. Lorealle at HoJos suggested SuperShuttle. While it's a shared shuttle, she said it's fast and reliable, and that it's often just yourselves. She said she's only once had to share a ride with guests at another hotel.