Southwest Terminal at San Diego Airport?

[jenhelgren]

Can anyone provide recent advice on the Southwest terminal in San Diego airport? Our last trip we opted out of LAX and flex into John Wayne but the flights and rental car prices are much better in San Diego right now. We will be renting a car upon landing and returning it before departure-most likely Hertz but I am also interested in any rental advice--location, walk involved, security, etc. Thanks in advance!

 

[lennyd]

you may be able to get a better price at budget

 

[jenhelgren]

Can anyone that flies into California frequently using Southwest compare John Wayne to San Diego for me? We loved SNA-even the TSA which is a 1st for us but since we plan on visiting the San Diego area also it seems to make more sense to fly into San Diego if the rates are lower and airports are comparable. We opted out of LAX due to many bad stories (which I realize are opinions only) but our kids are still young and we didn't want the airport headache to cloud our trip. I haven't been able to find much in opinions or reviews for Southwest in San Diego though.

 

[Purrkins]

Easy and efficient. I use Southwest for any flight under three hours if I can. Car rental is located off-site so you'll need to take a shuttle to the rental building. Lines can get long so if you can join a loyalty program and have the car waiting for you with the keys ready to go, that's the way to do it.

 

[Firepath]

We flew into and out of San Diego on SW in February and found it to be pretty easy. The rental cars are all centralized now (offsite) but so much easier than when they were spread out all over. If I'm not mistaken, only SW and Alaska Airlines are in the terminal which is fairly small. Bag pickup was quite close. You just grab your bag, walk over the skywalk and down to transportation, look for the one rental car shuttle which drops you right at the front of the rental garage. There were people out front giving directions and it was probably the quickest rental process I've ever gone through - much easier than at MCO. Security was busy like most places, but again the terminal is small so less people going through that check point. I think it would be quite manageable with small children and way, way better than LAX. I've never been thru SNA so can't compare. Our only issue with the San Diego SW terminal is the minimal food/drink choices in the terminal itself .

 

[jenhelgren]

Thanks to all who replied. I feel much more comfortable with our flight decisions now

 

[poison ivy]

We fly in and out of San Diego all the time and have mainly flown Southwest. The John Wayne airport is more of a regional airport. San Diego is a great city with a very easy and convenient airport. You should have no problems with baggage claim but rental pickups may be busy. Obviously it will add time to your drive. Best case is 90mins to Anaheim.

 

[bcla]

The John Wayne airport is more of a regional airport.

It may be small, but I'd consider it a major airport. It doesn't have a lot of international travel, but it serves over 10 million passengers a year. Even so, it's the easiest airport I've used in the US.

All things being equal, it's the best airport to get to Disneyland, but flight schedules, transfers, and price will factor into things. It's one of the last ones I've been to with the rental car center right across from the terminal.

 

[poison ivy]

Yes, all things being equal, I'd certainly book it as well. Unfortunately, I've only gotten a better a price with Southwest to/fr PHL at John Wayne once in 6 yrs. vs. San Diego or LAX and I compare them all the time.

 

[jcorco00]

I just went through San Diego last month. It was very easy to get to the cars via shuttle. Very easy small airport to get around, and it feels like you are landing right in the middle of downtown. My kids loved it. I would check EZ rent a car and a few of the other off brands. I saved hundreds that way with EZ and had a brand new Explorer. Disney was a much easier drive than I was afraid of.

 

[bcla]

Yes, all things being equal, I'd certainly book it as well. Unfortunately, I've only gotten a better a price with Southwest to/fr PHL at John Wayne once in 6 yrs. vs. San Diego or LAX and I compare them all the time.

The best price I've ever gotten was maybe $53 (including all taxes) round trip OAK-SNA on Alaska, but they no longer serve this route (only Southwest does). My rental car was also under $18/day before fees/taxes.