# LAX or SAN Diego airport?



## maggie (Sep 4, 2009)

We will be staying at Riviera Beach and Spa. Would you recommend flying into LAX or San Diego's airport? I am leaning towards San Diego because it is somewhat familiar to us. Sound right to you? We will be renting a car at the airport.


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## ricoba (Sep 4, 2009)

Can you get a good flight into either Long Beach or John Wayne (Orange County)?


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## Luanne (Sep 4, 2009)

Between the two, definitely San Diego.  I would avoid LAX at all costs.  Just for fun I'm going to check the distance from several of the airports to see which one is the closest.  I'll be right back.

San Diego:  39 miles
Orange County:  87 miles
Ontario:  100 miles
Long Beach:  107 miles
LAX:  125 miles


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## maggie (Sep 4, 2009)

Wow, fast responses! I did check John Wayne and it was a lot more expensive and involved a couple of plane changes. I wondered if we should avoid LAX so I think it will be San Diego then. From my Yahoo map search it seems to be about 65 miles which should be fine.


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## MULTIZ321 (Sep 4, 2009)

Luanne said:


> Between the two, definitely San Diego.  I would avoid LAX at all costs.  Just for fun I'm going to check the distance from several of the airports to see which one is the closest.  I'll be right back.
> 
> San Diego:  39 miles
> Orange County:  87 miles
> ...



Luanne,

I think you miscalculated.

If Riviera Beach and Spa Resort is located at 34642 Pacific Coast Hwy, Dana Point, CA 92624 then that's only about 24 miles from John Wayne airport in Orange County. Depending on time of day and traffic, less than a half-hour drive.

John Wayne airport would be high on my list of where to fly into for that location and much closer than San Diego airport.


Richard


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## Luanne (Sep 4, 2009)

MULTIZ321 said:


> Luanne,
> 
> I think you miscalculated.
> 
> ...



The Riviera I was checking is in Ramona.  I guess I was looking at the wrong one. 

Okay, I was just checking again for the correct resort (using the information in the reviews here) and found a Riviera at 34630 Pacific Coast Hwy in Capistrano Beach.  Is that the same one, or another one????

Using the address above:

Santa Ana:  24 miles
San Diego:  68 miles

And, by the way, I found all of this my using mapquest driving directions.


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## Fisch (Sep 4, 2009)

maggie said:


> We will be staying at Riviera Beach and Spa. Would you recommend flying into LAX or San Diego's airport? I am leaning towards San Diego because it is somewhat familiar to us. Sound right to you? We will be renting a car at the airport.



If cost isn't an issue SAN, very easy ariport to navigate.  Probably the easiest of any big city.  However, You can usually get tickets $100 or $200 less per ticket out of LA.  So depending on how many are flying that can add up.

We have been driving to LAX from North County SD because we can get non stop flights not available out of SD.  And we save mucho dinero.


Al


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## ricoba (Sep 4, 2009)

I did my suggestion based upon my understanding that Riviera is in Dana Point, thus either John Wayne or LGB would be closer.  But having said that, I don't think that LAX is the major pain in the "arse" that many people think it is.  So if you get a cheaper fare to LAX, and if cost is an issue, I don't think LAX is a bad option.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Sep 4, 2009)

In the past I have found that there are often good fares into Long Beach, and that's without considering JetBlue.  Long Beach is also easy to navigate. Ontario also often has good fares.

Either of those would be better than LAX.  My experience with Orange County is that fares are generally higher using that airport, though occasionally there are fare specials during which prices are competitive.


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## Luanne (Sep 4, 2009)

Okay, using the correct address:

34642 Pacific Coast Hwy
Dana Point, CA 92624

Santa Ana:  24 miles
Long Beach: 43 miles
Ontario:  60 miles
LAX:  62 miles
San Diego:  65 miles

The "best" of course will depend on cost, how many connections may need to be made, cost of car rental from the airport, etc.


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## Bill4728 (Sep 4, 2009)

Changing planes always rules out an airport for me. Since we fly from Seattle any of the airports in SoCal can be direct and therefore we fly into Long beach. Even though it is a little farther, the much shorter time at the airport more than makes up for it. 

That said, if LAX is about 55 miles & SD is about 65 miles from Riviera Beach. Traffic can be a nightmare from LAX to Dana Point but traffic from San Deigo can also be very bad. BUT LAX has carpool lanes most of the way. SD also has them but not most of the way. 

I'd call this a toss up but lean toward LAX because of the carpool lanes but lean toward SD for the easier airport access.


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## Luanne (Sep 4, 2009)

Bill4728 said:


> Changing planes always rules out an airport for me. Since we fly from Seattle any of the airports in SoCal can be direct and therefore we fly into Long beach. Even though it is a little farther, the much shorter time at the airport more than makes up for it.
> 
> That said, if LAX is about 55 miles & SD is about 65 miles from Riviera Beach. Traffic can be a nightmare from LAX to Dana Point but traffic from San Deigo can also be very bad.
> 
> I'd call this a toss up.



According to my calculations LAX is 62 and San Diego 65.  So, if the choice were between those two only, I'd go with San Diego.  I know the original poster said to fly into Orange County would require a plane change, don't know about the others.


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## UWSurfer (Sep 4, 2009)

Given that the resort is basically halfway between the two, I would first look at the cost of tickets, convenience of the flights (stops, layovers...) & the cost of a rental car.

If the costs are close or close enough not make a difference, then San Diego is probably the better bet of the two.

BTW, Long Beach Airport is bad, no make that lousy.   You don't want to use Long Beach!     (Common SoCal folks, don't let the cat out of the bag how great...eh, um...LOUSY...I mean lousy LB is....eh, oh well  ).    

Honestly, Long Beach is probably the easiest and most convenient of all airports in this region.  My cousins flew down from the bay area on Jet Blue for $49 each way last weekend and were completely awash in praises how easy and nice it was.

Most often I fly out of LAX as the volume of flights there usually yields the best fares & flight schedules.


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## funtime (Sep 4, 2009)

San Diego for convenience; LAX for price as well as the cheaper price of a car rental.  Any where you go in So Cal you have to get used to the freeways and car culture.  If you want to tag a day or two on your trip decide where you want to tag it on and then use that airport.  Have fun!  Funtime


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## ricoba (Sep 4, 2009)

UWSurfer said:


> BTW, Long Beach Airport is bad, no make that lousy.   You don't want to use Long Beach!     (Common SoCal folks, don't let the cat out of the bag how great...eh, um...LOUSY...I mean lousy LB is....eh, oh well  ).



Yup you are right on the money...LGB is a terrible airport.  I mean it only has one small terminal, no jet ramp, outside baggage delivery, arrivals and departures all in the same place...yep it's really a crappy place....I don't know how anyone in their right mind could ever suggest Long Beach to anyone....so your secret is safe with me!!!


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## Luanne (Sep 4, 2009)

ricoba said:


> Yup you are right on the money...LGB is a terrible airport.  I mean it only has one small terminal, no jet ramp, outside baggage delivery, arrivals and departures all in the same place...yep it's really a crappy place....so your secret is safe with me!!!



Not sound dumb, and I know I could look it up myself,  , but besides Jet Blue, what airlines fly into Long Beach?


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## maggie (Sep 4, 2009)

So much to mull over. I didn't think about the difference in car rental prices. We will be flying Delta. I will continue doing some price comparisons and see what works the best. Thanks for all the responses.


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## ricoba (Sep 4, 2009)

Luanne said:


> Not sound dumb, and I know I could look it up myself,  , but besides Jet Blue, what airlines fly into Long Beach?



Alaska is I think the main carrier, there is also an American flight or two, and there are US Air flights as well.  But Jet Blue and Alaska are the two main carriers.

As I remember there are at least 3 Alaska daily flights from LGB to SEA TAC/Seattle.  which works great for us since we normally fly south to north.

Cora, my wife is in Vancouver, BC right now.  I always check Alaska out of LGB first, but this time she got a better flight price on Virgin America to SeaTac, and she drove with my parents up to BC.


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## maggie (Sep 7, 2009)

Update on which airport to use -- SAN or LAX? We needed to fly Delta so husband could get enough miles to qualify for silver medallion this year (business travel very curtailed), plus we have a free companion ticket that you get when you renew the Platinum Sky Miles card. However, the flights have to be in L,U, or T class. That turned out to be a problem with flights from ATL to SAN which is where I really preferred to fly. Yes, the flights out of ATL were all T's or L's, I forget which, but when you add the connecting flight to ATL, that turns them into Q's! That is kind of crazy. We could drive or take a shuttle bus to ATL and fly from there but when you add the cost of that and the time and hassle, it turned out, after MUCH horsing around with it, that the cheapest and best times, using the companion flies free ticket, was to LAX, so there you go. I wish I could have made it work to LGB or SAN, but it wasn't possible. I guess I should be happy that I am getting a free round trip flight to California (somewhere),  but it was such a pain and I couldn't get what was convenient and preferable, I am not as happy as I should be. I'll get over it, though. I am looking forward to being there. Thanks for everyone's advice.


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## John Cummings (Sep 9, 2009)

maggie said:


> Update on which airport to use -- SAN or LAX? We needed to fly Delta so husband could get enough miles to qualify for silver medallion this year (business travel very curtailed), plus we have a free companion ticket that you get when you renew the Platinum Sky Miles card. However, the flights have to be in L,U, or T class. That turned out to be a problem with flights from ATL to SAN which is where I really preferred to fly. Yes, the flights out of ATL were all T's or L's, I forget which, but when you add the connecting flight to ATL, that turns them into Q's! That is kind of crazy. We could drive or take a shuttle bus to ATL and fly from there but when you add the cost of that and the time and hassle, it turned out, after MUCH horsing around with it, that the cheapest and best times, using the companion flies free ticket, was to LAX, so there you go. I wish I could have made it work to LGB or SAN, but it wasn't possible. I guess I should be happy that I am getting a free round trip flight to California (somewhere),  but it was such a pain and I couldn't get what was convenient and preferable, I am not as happy as I should be. I'll get over it, though. I am looking forward to being there. Thanks for everyone's advice.



I have used all of the airports several times except for Long Beach. Ontario is our home airport and my favorite but is a long drive to Dana Point. LAX isn't that bad depending on the time of day. If you arrive in the afternoon, you will be in for some serious traffic on 405. In that case I would probably opt for the coastal route which will be pretty slow also but at least it is a much nicer drive.


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## Rent_Share (Sep 9, 2009)

ricoba said:


> I did my suggestion based upon my understanding that Riviera is in Dana Point, thus either John Wayne or LGB would be closer. But having said that, I don't think that LAX is the major pain in the "arse" that many people think it is. So if you get a cheaper fare to LAX, and if cost is an issue, I don't think LAX is a bad option.


 

I too am suprized at all of the LAX Bashers

I am closest to Long Beach (which I have never used)

Almost exactly the same distance from ONT and LAX

Almost always choose LAX unless there is an equivilent non stop with the same fare out of Ontario

Even though I am local I did have a stint where my car was at my work assigmnent (18 months) and I would rent a car when I arrived home, i also am experienced at Airport Parking, Super Shuttle and even the GreenLine

Miss a flight in connection to one of the smaller airports and your likely to get in a day later, going to LAX you are more likely to get a connection.

I have even flown into LAX when my car was parked at ONT to avoid being stranded in an airport overnight


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## ricoba (Sep 9, 2009)

Rent_Share said:


> I too am suprized at all of the LAX Bashers
> 
> I am closest to Long Beach (which I have never used)



I don't think it's bashing, it seems to be fear of traffic.  Which if you are coming to visit Southern California, you just have to expect as a normal part of life here.

I did a drop off and a pickup at LAX within the past few days.  Both went very smoothly and easily.  I am not sure if people realize that LAX is a number of terminals shaped in a "U" configuration.  Each major airline has it's own terminal.  For example Southwest is Terminal 1, Alaska is Terminal 2, United is Terminal 7 etc.  This may sound confusing, but it makes dropping off and getting picked up at LAX pretty straight forward.  

Here is a LAX maps page, showing terminals, parking and directions.

While traffic can be quite heavy in LA, we do a very good job here of giving directions and signage etc for freeways and major streets in and out of LAX.

Regarding Long Beach....you really need to try it if you are able...it is a great little airport...but shhhh, I'm not supposed to tell anybody that!


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## Rent_Share (Sep 9, 2009)

My secret is T6

2/3rds of the gate traffic goes through TSA at 5 (Delta) or 7 (United)

Same number of Gates 1/3 the ticket counter traffic . . .  

But if you aren't going to Houston, Cleveland or Newark you are out of luck

I do avoid T1 at all costs



> *Golden Rule of Business travel -* When allowing extra time for your destination all flights will be on time, when no contingency time is budgeted all bets are off, Flights returning home are more likely to be delayed since they have the benefit of the entire day's screw ups to apply the domino effect. My business/pleasure flying ratio is around 400:1 so I cannot comment much on leisure flying, but rest assured the airlines are mopre likely to make you late for the beach/ski slopes than the office.


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## John Cummings (Sep 9, 2009)

ricoba said:


> I don't think it's bashing, it seems to be fear of traffic.  Which if you are coming to visit Southern California, you just have to expect as a normal part of life here.
> 
> I did a drop off and a pickup at LAX within the past few days.  Both went very smoothly and easily.  I am not sure if people realize that LAX is a number of terminals shaped in a "U" configuration.  Each major airline has it's own terminal.  For example Southwest is Terminal 1, Alaska is Terminal 2, United is Terminal 7 etc.  This may sound confusing, but it makes dropping off and getting picked up at LAX pretty straight forward.
> 
> ...



Alaska is Terminal 3 not 2. We fly Alaska from LAX to Cancun.


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## i39249 (Sep 13, 2009)

*SNA*

For the cheapest and most direct flights, I always go LAX.  However if its within price range, I will go with Orange County (SNA) or Long Beach (LGB), in that order........


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## ivorius007 (Sep 14, 2009)

*LAX Sunday afternoon not busy*

I drove our relatives yesterday to LAX from San Diego and the whole trip was very smooth.  Not much traffic (for LA), and the airport was surprisingly quiet.  I dropped our relatives at Lufthansa and we stayed at the curb for at least 5-10 minutes saying goodbye and no one hassled us or told me to drive on.  There was very little traffic unloading there.  That's not the case at San Diego airport, where you can't stay more than a minute or two to unload passengers and often the cars are three deep by the curb.


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## maggie (Oct 17, 2009)

Update from original poster: We flew into and out of LAX because of various restrictions connected with using a companion flies free ticket from Amex/Sky Miles card renewal. No problem driving to Capistrano Beach or to LAX on the return -- mostly because of the carpool lane. Using that made all the difference in the world. Also, our schedule was such that we drove at probably the best possible times. Still, it was a bit of culture shock because the freeway traffic is so fast and so heavy. There is always somebody who has to weave in and out in a crazy way but most of the drivers are very reasonable. During the week we drove to Joshua Tree National Park, spent the night and ended up returning on Monday evening after dark. Traffic up and down the mountains then was just plain scary to me but husband seemed to manage fine, even when we went through a barrage of pieces of lumber bouncing all over the road. The LAX airport was chaotic and getting through security very slow. We had plenty of time so it was not a problem but I would advise people to plan for spending a lot of time in lines at LAX. So much for the traffic report. We had a fabulous vacation and are trying to figure out how to go back soon. This time we want to go to Palm Springs and fly into Ontario.


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## ricoba (Oct 17, 2009)

Glad to hear y'all had a good experience at LAX.

It's not really the nightmare that some people think it is.  Sure it can be busy, but there was only one time where I can remember a nightmare situation there and that was due to delayed flights at the Tom Bradley terminal that backed up the whole airport.

Freeways...again they can be hit or miss.  Glad they were a hit for you.


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## CalifasGirl (Oct 18, 2009)

Luanne said:


> Not sound dumb, and I know I could look it up myself,  , but besides Jet Blue, what airlines fly into Long Beach?


http://www.longbeach.gov/airport/airline_travelers/airlines.asp

Alaska, Delta, US Airways

It's pretty limited, which is why I avoid using LGB. I used to live 15 minutes from LAX, so I flew LAX almost exclusively. LGB was 30 minutes away and both BUR and SNA were about 45 minutes away. The trick to avoiding traffic is to use the driveways that cut through towards the parking lots. If I'm flying United, I cut through immediately to avoid the traffic from Terminals 2-5. Sadly, there's no way to avoid the traffic if you fly American. There's no cut throughs to Terminal 4.

Now that I'm in Monterey County, I have to haul myself for 1 hour to SJC or catch a flight from MRY which is 30 minutes. I was so spoiled in LA. I miss being only 15 minutes from LAX. Plus, I don't know if you know this, but if you're picking up someone from LAX, the parking lots give you the first 15 minutes FREE. Otherwise it's $3 for the first 2 hours. And I always parked in Lot B because you can leave your car there for $8 per day. What a bargain!


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