Flight help- non-stop LAX or connect to SNA

[drea21]

Hi all.

Next month we are doing an 8 night trip- first 3 nights at the Legoland Hotel (Yes, I know Legoland is a one day park, the kids are dying to stay at the hotel) then 4 nights in Disneyland, and finishing up with one night in Huntington Beach (so mom and dad can regain their sanity )

My question is, our current flights are Pittsburgh to LAX, non-stop, both ways. We wouldn't land in LAX on our first day until 4:30pm, we are checking luggage, and renting a car, then need to drive to Carlsbad, so the first day is a complete wash. Our option is to change the flight that day and fly into SNA, BUT we would have to connect in Phoenix. I usually try to avoid connections, but in this case it is appealing to me because we would land in SNA at noon, so although the travel time is longer, we arrive 4 hours earlier. I'm assuming we would also get to Carlsbad a lot faster without dealing with rental car shuttles and the chaos of LAX (never flown through there before, this is just based on reputation).

Coming home the flights out of SNA aren't as appealing as far as times, so it looks like we will keep our LAX departure (any input on the commute from Huntington Beach to LAX on a Sunday morning is also appreciated!) I was surprised that for the rental car it was actually cheaper to pick up in SNA and drop off at LAX than just our LAX-LAX option.

We are a family of 4 (kids 6 and 3), we will have a bigger carseat and a stroller, plus I'm sure 4 checked bags. So avoiding the whole rental car shuttle situation with all of our crap is also a plus. Any suggestions or input on what you would do in my situation?? Thanks!

 

[Pintail]

The connection through Phoenix is not a problem.

PHX airport has great food, clean and plentiful restrooms, a kids play area in the B Gates of Terminal 4 (with a Starbucks next to for parents), and is organized.

The noon landing time in SNA is great, because LA traffic closer to 5 pm on weekdays is miserable - driving South to Carlsbad.

SNA is 30 minutes closer to Carlsbad, and the car rental pickup is in the parking garage across the street from the terminal.

If you get your car from Hertz, and have an AAA membership - one carseat is free, and will save you that hassle of bringing your large carseat.

You will likely still need a booster for your six year old which you could bring, renting it could be an unneeded expense. I would just put it in your checked bags.

The drive from Huntington Beach to LAX on Sunday morning should not be bad.

If you have time for Duke's restaurant while in Huntington Beach, it is on the beach next to the pier at Huntington, and one of our favorites.

Be sure to valet at Duke's - much easier and only a few dollars.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[drea21]

Thanks pintail!

We had a horrible connection experience years ago and my husband is reminding me of it, he just wants to leave the flight alone into LAX, but I think the benefits of SNA outweigh the risk of a missed connection We are Coming in on a Saturday, so not a weekday.

My 6 year old uses a booster, we just throw it in the car seat bag with the big one, but good to know about the AAA deal. We always book through Costco for the free second driver, I was surprised how cheap the rentals were! $250 for 8 days in a standard SUV.

 

[pmaurer74]

We are flying from PIT to SNA instead of LAX. I had the same question as you did. I prefer nonstop as I hate take offs but with two kids we thought they might need a break between flights so our stop is in Denver. Great arrival time and the price was only $120 more to fly into SNA which I understand is closer and smaller airport than LAX and not having to deal with traffic.

 

[Frozen2014]

We are flying from PIT to SNA instead of LAX. I had the same question as you did. I prefer nonstop as I hate take offs but with two kids we thought they might need a break between flights so our stop is in Denver. Great arrival time and the price was only $120 more to fly into SNA which I understand is closer and smaller airport than LAX and not having to deal with traffic.

Can I ask how long your stop over is? We also had the option of flying direct from Toronto to LAX or flying with a stop over with one option being Denver. A lot of the stopover times were around 1hr and wasn't sure if that was enough time (never done a stop over and don't know Denver airport). For us, the direct flight to LAX is a lot more than with a stop so we're probably flying direct to LAX going there and return from SNA with 1 stop.

 

[pmaurer74]

Can I ask how long your stop over is? We also had the option of flying direct from Toronto to LAX or flying with a stop over with one option being Denver. A lot of the stopover times were around 1hr and wasn't sure if that was enough time (never done a stop over and don't know Denver airport). For us, the direct flight to LAX is a lot more than with a stop so we're probably flying direct to LAX going there and return from SNA with 1 stop.

50 minutes going down and 2 1.2 hours coming back. I was concerned about that too but it was the best flight time and we arrive at 2pm

 

[Frozen2014]

50 minutes going down and 2 1.2 hours coming back. I was concerned about that too but it was the best flight time and we arrive at 2pm

I was seeing a lot, if not most, flights with a layover around the 1hr mark so I guess if it was an issue, they wouldn't offer it. And if you are flying in 4.5 months (from your signature) then weather issues won't be a factor. Have an awesome trip.