Would you use Burbank airport to get to DL?

[donaldstemper]

I found some good airfares to Burbank, but I'm a little concerned about whether or not it's a good choice....some of the research I've done says that traffic can be HORRENDOUS between DL and Burbank.

We're coming in mid-day on a Monday in June and return flight leaves around 5pm on Saturday. I guess we could plan on leaving extra early for the return to help with that (I guess Saturday pm's can be bad in summer, too....)

Other considerations? Anything I might be missing? There don't seem to be a lot of good fares out there at this point, but I'm reluctant to wait much longer. I know that John Wayne/SNA is also popular, but I guess it's being worked on, might not be any better.

We'd be renting a car, driving in to DL, back to LA for our errand, and then we'd play at DL for a few days. Even the LA fares are waaay higher, I just don't want to find out there was a really good reason for Burbank being so much cheaper....

 

[Brer Cameron]

I'm not really sure. I've flown into John Wayne every time. It's just so close to the parks. It's really nice not having to devote your entire last day to going to the airport. We usually visit downtown disney one last time and then head to the airport 2 hours before our flight leaves.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

 

[Piglet99645]

I am going into Burbank for work, and will be taking a rental car to Anaheim then flying home from SNA.

I can tell you that short of renting a car, I did not find any cost-effective and time-effective way of getting from Burbank to DL.

That being said, the Burbank airport is very small and cute and easy to use. So if you are not afraid of the city driving, and you can save a bundle over SNA, it may be worth it.

Good luck!

 

[Armadillo4]

....some of the research I've done says that traffic can be HORRENDOUS between DL and Burbank.

I work in Burbank and have done the drive to DL after work more times than I'd care for. But I'm always happy when I walk through the entry turnstiles. On average, *during rush hour* it takes me 1 hr 30 min from the office to the parking structure. Sometimes it takes a little less, and sometimes a little more. I think my longest drive took 1 hr 50 min. For comparison, when I'm driving during an off-peak time (e.g. Saturday morning), it only takes 40 minutes.

Everyone values their time differently. If the cost savings of flying into Burbank is worth the extra driving time, then go for it! If you'd rather spend less time driving and don't mind paying higher fares for SNA or another airport (have you looked at Long Beach?), then you can do that too.

Good luck with your trip planning and I hope you have a great time at Disneyland!!!

 

[the donut]

Traffic can be horrendous between BUR and DLR, but it can be horrendous between LAX and DL as well. You will probably get your rental car and luggage faster at BUR since it's such a small airport. If the fares are cheaper, I would go for it. Mid-day shouldn't be too bad, espcially if you can be on the road on your way to Disneyland no later than 2pm. If there's at least 2 of you, you may also want to consider sticking to the freeways that have a carpool lane (i.e. not the I-5 the whole way). An example alternative route would be the I-5S to the I-710S to the 91E to the I-5S.

In theory, if the timing worked out well, you could take the train (metrolink or Surfliner) from BUR to DL. I've taken the train, but I didn't originate at BUR, and I have no idea how far it is from the terminal to the train station. The Surfliner tends to be a serious time sink since the train spends awhile at Union Station. Also, since you're returning on Saturday, this is probably not a great option as I don't believe the Ventura County line runs on the weekend.

Definitely check out the flights coming through SNA. It's so much closer it almost takes traffic out of the equation. If an equivalent fare were available coming through SNA, I would take that instead.

 

[donaldstemper]

Hmmm - starting to wonder if I should see if we can just do the errand the day we arrive, if we can time it - it would really make things simpler than running back and forth and would probably justify flying into Burbank.

Have to see if we can work the timing out.

 

[Presley]

If it is a considerable savings, it will be worth it. If you do manage to get stuck in bad traffic for a long period of time, just stop off and eat somewhere. Los Angeles county has so much to offer.

 

[Brady's Mom]

NO!!

Burbank was a very nice, well-kept small airport.

The traffic from Burbank to DLR was not too bad and took just under an hour. The traffic from DLR to Burbank was HORRENDOUS and took almost 2 hours. We missed our flight, even though we had enough time to check in, but not enough time to get our luggage on board (20 minutes before flight time). We ended up paying $50 more per person to fly home because we missed our flight. We rented a van since we had 6 people with us and a shuttle was not an option. The rental price wasn't bad, but it was a LOT of driving. We wouldn't do it again, ever.

Try Long Beach airport - we can usually find good fares.

 

[cloudconnected1039]

Burbank would be my last choice between the major LA airports. SNA would be first, obviously and LAX would be next. I've flown out of Burbank a couple of times and I've found a little confusing I'm just impartial to SNA though, as I am nearly in love with it and it's ease of use (with the exception of the terrifying take off...). But who cares where you fly in, you're going to DL!!!

 

[blackjackdelta]

Nice small airport but it would be my last choice. I also do not care for LAX, SNA would be #1 if you have that option.

Jack

 

[donaldstemper]

Well, I think that I've worked things out - we'll leave early in the am, arrive mid-morning in Burbank and take care of the errand before heading off to the hotel by DL.

The errand is on Wilshire Blvd, so LAX and BUR were about the same distance, and I'd rather deal with a smaller airport.

We'll fly home out of SNA, around 5 on Saturday - hopefully traffic isn't too awful. We can probably even squeeze in a brief morning at DL on Saturday and leave when it's starting to get really busy.

SNA was about $20 more/person, worth not having to drive as much...I missed it, as it was listed under Orange County and I kept looking for John Wayne

Thanks for the help, I think this will make the best of a messy situation! Worst case scenario, we can stay at a hotel in LA before heading down to DL.

 

[Brady's Mom]

It sounds like you made a wise choice. You should have plenty of time at DLR on Saturday since your plane doesn't leave until 5 pm. That gives you until at least 3 pm since the drive to SNA takes about 20 minutes and still puts you at the airport well before departure time.

There isn't a lot offered at SNA - I would plan on eating on the way there or before you leave DLR, or pick up some sub sandwiches that you can take on the plane.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

In theory, if the timing worked out well, you could take the train (metrolink or Surfliner) from BUR to DL. I've taken the train, but I didn't originate at BUR, and I have no idea how far it is from the terminal to the train station. The Surfliner tends to be a serious time sink since the train spends awhile at Union Station. Also, since you're returning on Saturday, this is probably not a great option as I don't believe the Ventura County line runs on the weekend.

The Metrolink "station" (it's more of a lightrail stop than a conventional train station) is right across the street from the airport and there's a crosswalk with a stoplight between the station and the airport. The PP is correct in that the Metrolink Ventura County Line does not run on the weekends. However, there are regular Amtrak trains that run to BUR (less frequently and you would need to transfer from the Metrolink train to the regular Amtrak train at Union Station...alternatively you could transfer from Metrolink to the Red Line lightrail at Union Station and then get a taxi from the Universal or NoHo stations to BUR).

As for airports in general, BUR is my favorite out of every single airport that I've been to. I find that the staff tends to be friendlier and calmer, and there are fewer passengers (which means short/nonexistant lines), who all seem to know what they are doing (i.e. no one trying to get a full-size thing of hairspray in their carry-on through security and then complaining loudly about unfair it is that they have to get rid of it and how they didn't know that it was against the regulations or saying that they don't need to take off their belt buckle because it's not a weapon ).

I would also check fares at the Long Beach airport if I were you. It's just north of Orange County, so you would be bypassing the majority of traffic that you would hit coming from LAX (my second-least favorite airport).

 

[donaldstemper]

The Metrolink "station" (it's more of a lightrail stop than a conventional train station) is right across the street from the airport and there's a crosswalk with a stoplight between the station and the airport. The PP is correct in that the Metrolink Ventura County Line does not run on the weekends. However, there are regular Amtrak trains that run to BUR (less frequently and you would need to transfer from the Metrolink train to the regular Amtrak train at Union Station...alternatively you could transfer from Metrolink to the Red Line lightrail at Union Station and then get a taxi from the Universal or NoHo stations to BUR).

Hmm. Now I'm wondering what the best way is to get to the errand (gotta go to a consulate for paperwork, ugh) and then to DL. Is there good public transport from Hollywood/Beverly Hills to DL? It seems hilarious that the consulates are all in that part of town....I'd love to not have to drive, back seat or otherwise

 

[DebbieB]

One time I had a conference at the Sheraton at Universal Studios. I flew in early and spent a couple of days at DL. On a Sunday afternoon, it took me 90 minutes to get from DL to Universal, which isn't far from Burbank.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

Hmm. Now I'm wondering what the best way is to get to the errand (gotta go to a consulate for paperwork, ugh) and then to DL. Is there good public transport from Hollywood/Beverly Hills to DL? It seems hilarious that the consulates are all in that part of town....I'd love to not have to drive, back seat or otherwise

It depends on where you're looking to go specifically, but there are a few lightrail stops in Hollywood (which you can easily take the Metrolink to Union Station and hop on the lightrail there). If there's not a lightrail stop right where you want to go, see if there's a Rapid bus stop nearby (they are very clean and efficient). An all-day pass ($6) is good for both the LA bus system (including Rapid buses) and the lightrail system (not including Metrolink, which is a regular rail system and run through Amtrak [I think]).

Website for LA's public transit
Metrolink

HTH

 

[MAH4546]

It depends on where you're looking to go specifically, but there are a few lightrail stops in Hollywood (which you can easily take the Metrolink to Union Station and hop on the lightrail there). If there's not a lightrail stop right where you want to go, see if there's a Rapid bus stop nearby (they are very clean and efficient). An all-day pass ($6) is good for both the LA bus system (including Rapid buses) and the lightrail system (not including Metrolink, which is a regular rail system and run through Amtrak [I think]).

Website for LA's public transit
Metrolink

HTH

There are a few Subway stops in Hollywood, but absolutely no light rail.

To get from mid-Wilshire to Disneyland, public transit is an option, but none of them are particularly quick.

You can take a bus or the subway (purple line) downtown and connect to either the 460 bus (get off at 7th+Metro) which drops off inside Disneyland, or connect to Metrolink or Amtrak at Union Station, both of which go to Anaheim

 

[ludari]

I would not but that's just me. If you prefer not to fly into LAX you should consider John Wayne or Long Beach Airports.

 

[Huff]

One thing not mentioned so far is you'll be driving opposite rush hour. Middday from BUR to DLR should be average not too bad. Your return in mid to late afternoon heading north toward downtown LA from DLR. Traffic would be traveling opposite leaving downtown heading south. I would not expect bad traffic. None the less, give yourself plenty of time just in case.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

There are a few Subway stops in Hollywood, but absolutely no light rail.

That's what I'm talking about when I say lightrail. It's not a traditional rail train, like Metrolink (which is equivalent to traditional Amtrak commuter trains elsewhere), and when people say subway, most people assume that one is talking about the New York Subway system, or they think the entire system is underground (which it is not). If you want to get technical, the name of the system is Metrorail. I tend to refer to all commuter rail systems that do not use traditional rail and train technology (i.e. not the New York Subway, the El, and the Paris Metro...have never been to London, so I can't comment on the Tube) as lightrail, and all of my SoCal friends refer to it as the lightrail or the Metro. Different cultural venacular, I suppose.