What is a "good" price for a flight from East Coast to West Coast?

[5 Disney Fans]

I'm thinking of taking the family to Disneyland next summer and I was looking at some airfare prices and they seem all over the place. Some are very high but others seem reasonable. Since we are taking 3 young kids I want a non-stop flight only.

We are pretty flexible with airports on both sides...we can depart from Newark or Philly and could arrive in Orange County (SNA) or LA. So far the best price I have seen is about $332 r/t.

Anyone w/ experience in what is a resonable or "good" price for a cross country flight? When I look at farecast they list flights for $199 from Philly to LAX on sooner flights but of course not for 2008 yet. But THAT is a price I'd hop to get

Thanks

 

[sue1013]

I've only flown to CA once this past May. We flew from Newark to San Francisco then from LAX to Newark 235 rt. That was on Continental. We flew back Memorial Day weekend so may have been high due to that but I didn't think the price was bad.

 

[bavaria]

$300 is a very good fare. I fly coast to coast all the time and routinely pay $500-700 or more.

The days of $198 coast to coast are gone on legacy carriers, and I suspect gone on low cost carriers as well.

 

[Lewisc]

Virgin America has an introductory fare of $149 O/W from JFK to LAX.

$300 R/T might be the low fare to shoot for.

 

[DisneyDotty]

I'd jump all over a $300 fare. I'd been looking for flights from Chicago to Anaheim--ranged anywhere from $261 (still kicking myself that I didn't snag that!) to well over $500. We ended up paying $319/person. I'm happy with that, especially as we're traveling Thanksgiving week!

 

[MrMarv]

Orange County (SNA) is a very expensive airport to fly in & out of because flights are controlled by the local politicians insofar as frequency goes, which means higher prices. It's the most expensive airport on the West Coast, period.

But I agree with everybody else; anything under $300.00 is gravy.

I do expect to see lots of those prices come springtime (if not sooner), since the airline industry (at least the big 'Stupid Six', is still in a very precarious position, and especially with gas prices being what they are these days.

As a 50+ years-long resident of LA, those folks in south Orange County have had to put up with those skyhigh airfares for decades, as opposed to LAX, Long Beach (home of JetBlue), Bob Hope/Burbank, or Ontario.

But given the prices of houses down there, and with the forthcoming bloodbath in the real estate market which will not improve until 2009-10, the airlines are bound to have some rough times ahead, so grab anaything under $300.00 which pops up.

 

[vacation dreamer]

I'm thinking of taking the family to Disneyland next summer and I was looking at some airfare prices and they seem all over the place. Some are very high but others seem reasonable. Since we are taking 3 young kids I want a non-stop flight only.

We are pretty flexible with airports on both sides...we can depart from Newark or Philly and could arrive in Orange County (SNA) or LA. So far the best price I have seen is about $332 r/t.

Anyone w/ experience in what is a resonable or "good" price for a cross country flight? When I look at farecast they list flights for $199 from Philly to LAX on sooner flights but of course not for 2008 yet. But THAT is a price I'd hop to get

Thanks

We fly from BWI to Burbank with prices anywhere from $198 R/T to $300 R/T

 

[jennib5426]

I fly Jet Blue to Long Beach Airport from Washington DC and usually pay around $250 -$300pp. I really like Long Beach airport for going to DL. The drive is only about 20 minutes and you don't have to get on the interstate.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I have been getting a lot of Southwest dings this summer for one way for $79-99 from either Dulles or BWI to LAX, SFO, and SEA for travel in Sept/Oct.

An excellent fare, which does occasionally come up even on legacy airlines, would be $99 each way.

 

[Lewisc]

The runway length, 5700ft, precludes coast to coast flight for many (fully loaded) aircraft. I don't know much about SNA but I doubt there is available land to increase the runway length. Airports generally limit flights if the airport is near a residental area. My guess is there isn't an economical way to purchase enough land to lenghten the runways and have enough extra space to limit the noise impact on local residents. It's not clear if the parking lot and terminal is large enough to support increased operations.

Sometimes the politicians get it right. The LA area has airports like LAX which are designed to handle large number of flights.

Orange County (SNA) is a very expensive airport to fly in & out of because flights are controlled by the local politicians insofar as frequency goes, which means higher prices. It's the most expensive airport on the West Coast, period.

But I agree with everybody else; anything under $300.00 is gravy.

I do expect to see lots of those prices come springtime (if not sooner), since the airline industry (at least the big 'Stupid Six', is still in a very precarious position, and especially with gas prices being what they are these days.

As a 50+ years-long resident of LA, those folks in south Orange County have had to put up with those skyhigh airfares for decades, as opposed to LAX, Long Beach (home of JetBlue), Bob Hope/Burbank, or Ontario.

But given the prices of houses down there, and with the forthcoming bloodbath in the real estate market which will not improve until 2009-10, the airlines are bound to have some rough times ahead, so grab anaything under $300.00 which pops up.

 

[5 Disney Fans]

Currently, according to Continental's website,... leaving from Newark and arriving at SNA is the same price as landing at LAX. $312 r/t.

Given there is no difference in cost would I be better off landing at SNA if I am staying in Anaheim? I will be renting a car and am used to driving in NYC so hopefully driving in Cali won't be too much of a shock to my system

Orange County (SNA) is a very expensive airport to fly in & out of because flights are controlled by the local politicians insofar as frequency goes, which means higher prices. It's the most expensive airport on the West Coast, period.

But I agree with everybody else; anything under $300.00 is gravy.

I do expect to see lots of those prices come springtime (if not sooner), since the airline industry (at least the big 'Stupid Six', is still in a very precarious position, and especially with gas prices being what they are these days.

As a 50+ years-long resident of LA, those folks in south Orange County have had to put up with those skyhigh airfares for decades, as opposed to LAX, Long Beach (home of JetBlue), Bob Hope/Burbank, or Ontario.

But given the prices of houses down there, and with the forthcoming bloodbath in the real estate market which will not improve until 2009-10, the airlines are bound to have some rough times ahead, so grab anaything under $300.00 which pops up.

 

[DisneyDotty]

I believe SNA is much closer than LAX in terms of proximity to DL. Our ride from SNA to DLHotel was maybe 20 minutes. Check out Mapquest for distances.

 

[puffkin]

Most of the DINGS I have seen from PHL to the West cost are $99-$129. I have done the trip on Delta for $300 and that was a last minute trip (booked 3 weeks out) but with a connection in Atlanta.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

In addition to the length of the runway at SNA, there are strict noise abatement measures in place at takeoff. This limits commercial aircraft to B757 and smaller, and a few A300s.

Pilots execute a steep climb at takeoff and reduce power at 1000 ft, often resulting in a few exciting moments of zero Gs, before turning and heading out over the ocean where they can once again throttle to full power and reach cruising altitude. As a passenger, it's either the best takeoff you've ever experienced or the scariest. FAA regulations require the Captain be in control of the aircraft on takeoffs from SNA, not the FO. An exception to this procedure occurs during Santa Ana wind conditions that force a reverse pattern takeoff on 17L.

Residents in the Newport Beach area will never support any measure to increase either the number of operations at SNA, nor the size of aircraft. Freeways bordering the east and west end of the runways preclude any lengthening thereof.

Interesting Factoid: SNA is also known as John Wayne Airport, named so after the actor's death. As a longtime Newport Beach resident who lived under the flight path, he HATED having the airport there and was a big supporter of noise abatement measures. Go figure.

The runway length, 5700ft, precludes coast to coast flight for many (fully loaded) aircraft. I don't know much about SNA but I doubt there is available land to increase the runway length. Airports generally limit flights if the airport is near a residental area. My guess is there isn't an economical way to purchase enough land to lenghten the runways and have enough extra space to limit the noise impact on local residents. It's not clear if the parking lot and terminal is large enough to support increased operations.

Sometimes the politicians get it right. The LA area has airports like LAX which are designed to handle large number of flights.

 

[MrMarv]

John Wayne/Orange County Airport is indeed much closer to Disneyland & Disney's California Adventure than it is to LAX, no more than 15-20 minutes tops.

And Ex-PirateShopGirl's description of what pilots to have to execute when taking off & landing is perfect; there are pilots who hate going through all of that, but since that airport has far fewer flights than any other major West coast airport between Seattle & San Diego, that's why the fares in & out of there are the highest of any major airport out here.

 

[bavaria]

If one is not driving from LAX but instead taking 'airport bus', the time factor is really not that different. My Disney travel partner usually flies into SNA while I fly into LAX, and by the time she gets the car and drives to the hotel, I am almost there. Usually my 'airport bus' experience is about 45 minutes from LAX, as the bus can take the HOV lanes.

of course, all bets are off if you try Super Shuttle from LAX - my last time with them it was 3 hours from LAX to Anaheim, and that included one passenger calling his wife to come get him as he was so sick of trailing around Orange County. That was the trip that made me swear off Super Shuttle (and claim that poking a needle in my eye would be preferable than ever taking them again! )