Which airport is best?

[Tulles]

The flights to LAX are cheaper but is it worth the extra to fly into a closer airport? We are a party of 2 adult ladies so we'd also require cheap (and safe) transport back and forth from the airport to the hotel. We'd be staying at The Disneyland Hotel.

First time to California so I know nothing of the logistics there.

 

[gerilyne]

The first time I flew into LAX and while the flights were slightly cheaper than flying into John Wayne (SNA) I now only fly into SNA when I go. I find LAX too big and difficult to get around in where John Wayne is smaller, and easier to manage. It just seems less overwhelming and I have always gotten through security super quick there. To me the convenience and being only a half an hour from the parks outweighs the cost savings.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Im a solo female traveller and I fly into LAX and use supershuttle.

IMO what you need to do is

1. Compare the flight times in LAX and John Wayne airports
2. Pick the flight times which are best suited to you
3. Compare the flight prices
4. Pick which is your price range
5. Compare the supershuttle / other transport options costs
6. Pick which suits your budget

The airport which has the best times for flights, which is the best price range in your budget is where you should fly from

 

[Tulles]

The first time I flew into LAX and while the flights were slightly cheaper than flying into John Wayne (SNA) I now only fly into SNA when I go. I find LAX too big and difficult to get around in where John Wayne is smaller, and easier to manage. It just seems less overwhelming and I have always gotten through security super quick there. To me the convenience and being only a half an hour from the parks outweighs the cost savings.

That's exactly what I was wondering, the proximity vs. the savings. Do you know what the average travel time from LAX is?

 

[BadPinkTink]

That's exactly what I was wondering, the proximity vs. the savings. Do you know what the average travel time from LAX is?

LAX is a U shaped one way airport. Terminal 1 is at the left tip of the U and Terminal 6 on the right tip of the U. It could take anywhere up to 40 minutes depending on time of day to get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 6 and onto the freeway. Then it could be another 60 minutes approx, again depending on time of day and traffic to Anaheim

 

[blackjackdelta]

We only do SNA any more. The price difference doesn't outweigh the proximetry

 

[tzeitel]

SNA is about 20 minutes from DLR. An Uber is $22, a shuttle is $10 per person, cb is around $40. LAX depends on when you land - traffic can be a bear Super Shuttle is $17 each way.
SNA is super small, easy to navigate, you can be off the plane and have bags in hand in 10-15 minutes. Going through security is a breeze - I have yet to encounter a line. Unless it would save me at least $100 or the schedule was just amazing I would go with SNA. I guess it depends on where you are coming from, we are in CO and fly Southwest into SNA. Little over 2hr flight, land by 10AM, in park by 11AM.

 

[pblack]

LGB (Long Beach) is also a good option and closer to DL than LAX. It's a small airport so it's generally pretty easy to maneuver and get an Uber/Lyft/Taxi.

 

[coast2coastmickey]

I'd much prefer to fly into Santa Ana every time, but I'd say it depends on the price. Our next trip to CA (in 3 weeks) had direct flights from my city to LAX, not Santa Ana, and they were half the price. So, this time it's LAX. We never not have a rental car in CA so the transport to and from hotel is not a factor for us.

LAX is much farther from DL than SNA, and the traffic can be a bear but for the price savings it was worth it for us to go LAX this time.

I also hate how the LAX rental cars are offsite. So much more convenient in SNA, but like I said, it was worth it for us this trip to go LAX.

 

[figment_jii]

I've flow into both LAX and SNA and if I can, I would choose SNA over LAX. LAX is usually cheaper and has more options, but it's a much larger airport to navigate through and takes longer to get to DLR. I was at one of the first stops that SuperShuttle picked up from and it took 45 minutes just to get out of LAX and then another hour or so to get to DLR (including drop offs of other passengers). From SNA, I've used Uber and Lyft to get to Disneyland; they've both about the same price and pretty convenient. So unless the flights to LAX are markedly cheaper (for me, it would have to be at least $100 cheaper to consider LAX), I would go with SNA.

 

[jbh275]

We fly into LAX only when it's late at night. By the time we are off of work and fly out there, it's usually 11pm or later. One issue with SNA, the rental cars companies all close at midnight, so late flight are always to LAX. Plus, for a late flight (after 9 pm) there is no traffic and it's an easy drive from LAX to DL.

However, we always return from SNA. Not worth the traffic to get to LAX.

 

[serendipityaey]

Long Beach is my absolute favorite

 

[PinkHelloKitty]

SNA would be my first choice, because it's only 20 minutes away an Uber or a shuttle will be a lot cheaper and it's a lot smaller. Coming in from Canada we find LAX is usually way cheaper though so we end up going there. It takes roughly an hour to get to Anaheim depending on traffic, and we've had hit or miss experiences with shuttles. If everyone on board is heading to Disney it's no problem but if there are a few greater LA drop offs it's taken us closer to 2 hours to reach our hotel. We now spend a bit more for the convenience of an Uber.

 

[Aladora]

There are never any direct flights from where we live to either LAX or SNA so that is never a factor for us. Since we have to stop somewhere (typically SEA), we will always chose SNA over LAX because of proximity.

 

[ktlm]

We prefer SNA even though it is more expensive and we have direct flights to LAX, but not SNA. SNA is an easy airport. The counter lines and security lines are never too bad. It is significantly smaller than LAX and not far or overly crowded to pick up baggage. If you do a rental car (which you don't need if you only plan to go to DLR and are staying onside), they are right there to walk to with no trams, busses, etc. The drive from SNA to DLR is only about 15 minutes (as opposed to about 45 minutes to an hour from LAX). You can do the Disneyland express from there, or there are shuttle services, or even a cab wouldn't be bad since it is not that far if you don't want to do something like uber. We typically rent a car because we spend half the week at DLR and half doing other things- but I always notice the Disneyland Express bus as we walk by. We have been through LAX and for us- the time savings, ease and proximity of SNA are worth the extra cost.

 

[tarheelalum]

SNA is almost always the way to go. Unless the price of an LAX flight is something like 80% less, it's just not worth it to me. The proximity and pleasant experience of flying in and out of SNA can't be beat. LAX is like a giant ball of stress and that's not something I want to deal with on vacation. Also the added distance/traffic of LAX is not worth it. It can be double or triple the time or more to get in and out of LAX. It's just not worth it to me.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I much prefer LGB and we have direct flights there too from FL, but sometimes LAX is cheaper AND the car rental options can be cheaper at LAX too vs LGB which is something I have to consider.

 

[DharmaLou]

I won't fly to LAX for any reason if I can avoid it. If I visit my BFF or my cousin in the valley or in Ventura County I fly to Burbank. If I go to DLR, I fly to SNA. It's worth a few extra $ to save time getting in and out and being closer to my actual destination.

 

[gillep]

I will pay more to fly in to SNA, I really dislike LAX, especially how long it can take to get to your terminal when going back to the airport due to congestion, not worth the stress for me.

 

[22Tink]

Another vote for SNA. It’s so much faster. We don’t fly into LAX if we can help it.