California - SFO/LAX is it always this bad?

I've traveled to San Fancisco two times in the last three weeks. I've had trouble on 3 of the four legs.

The first time there was a delay from SFO to LAX causing me to stay overnight, because it was weather related I had to pay for hotel.

The second time going out to SFO there was an ATC, too much fog for take off?
The third time returning, the plan had hail damage, had to wait 3 hrs. for a replacement plane.

No alternate routes since it was the last flight going to AUS.

Is this why people hate LAX/SFO?
Are the delays this common, or did I just hit a bad few weeks?


Mike

Welcome to the SFO-LAX flights. Consistently delayed. Usually only the first flight in the AM is reliable.

And you are very, very lucky that you did not try this on the old Shuttle by United flights. 3-6 hour delays were the norm.

Welcome to the SFO-LAX flights. Consistently delayed. Usually only the first flight in the AM is reliable.

And you are very, very lucky that you did not try this on the old Shuttle by United flights. 3-6 hour delays were the norm.oh, the joys of the old shuttle....i flew it sfo-bur 2x per week for 2 years <oy>

as to sfo-lax/lax-sfo delays....all it takes is a "little bit of fog" at sfo (early morning or evening) to phugly things up royally

Should I go through SJC? Unfortunately, doesn't look like the have options with my preferred airline.

Is JetBlue o.k.? I've heard many horror stories. Or are the stories exaggerated.

Mike

Should I go through SJC? Unfortunately, doesn't look like the have options with my preferred airline.

Is JetBlue o.k.? I've heard many horror stories. Or are the stories exaggerated.

Mike

As previous posted above if you fly into SFO regardless of the airline a little bit of fog creates massive delays as they can't do parallel landings and SFO goes to 1 runway.

SJC does not have the same issues but the flights are further between as SFO flights leave usually every hour.

Can you fly out of Oakland? Whenever I have to go to San Francisco I will always go through Oakland. SFO just has way too many weather issues.

Can you fly out of Oakland? Whenever I have to go to San Francisco I will always go through Oakland. SFO just has way too many weather issues.

I suppose, but I hear OAK is a terrible airport. Should I not be concerned?

Mike

I suppose, but I hear OAK is a terrible airport. Should I not be concerned?

It is a smaller airport that is not as nice inside. To get to BART, you have to take either the AirBART bus or the AC Transit #50 bus. But weather delays are much less common than at SFO.

If your actual destination is further south, consider SJC as well.

Jet Blue is generally a nicer airline to fly economy class in than most others (more legroom, individual TV). They did have one huge weather related meltdown a few years ago.

Please continue to follow this thread in the California Forum, which includes SFO and LAX.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Is it "always" this bad? I think you know the answer is no. At certain times of the year, it happens. Also, different cities. LAX occasionally closes for a while due to fog. I flew from London to Sacramento with a connection at LAX. I made it to SMF, but my bags didn''t, and SMF was closed for a couple of days by the Tule fog (ground fog). That's when I remembered: always put some clean underwear in your carry-on bag! I did not find the airport shuttle bus from the BART station to the Oakland airport at all onerous. Easy to use. I always preferred to fly into Burbank or Ontario, rather than LAX, but more for ease of us than because of weather.

Is it "always" this bad? I think you know the answer is no. At certain times of the year, it happens. Also, different cities. LAX occasionally closes for a while due to fog. I flew from London to Sacramento with a connection at LAX. I made it to SMF, but my bags didn''t, and SMF was closed for a couple of days by the Tule fog (ground fog). That's when I remembered: always put some clean underwear in your carry-on bag! I did not find the airport shuttle bus from the BART station to the Oakland airport at all onerous. Easy to use. I always preferred to fly into Burbank or Ontario, rather than LAX, but more for ease of us than because of weather.

Sure, I know it couldn't be that bad every day, but figured people would chime in and give me some advice. As you said, maybe its by time of year, time of day, ect...I've heard about the famous fog, I figured the planes just knew how to deal with it.

Mike

I suppose, but I hear OAK is a terrible airport. Should I not be concerned?

Mike

In my opinion, you heard wrong. The "old" terminal at Oakland is being rehabbed, and the positives are already showing. Terminal 2 is also being upgraded with a new selection of restaurants including some local favorites (Otaez, for instance with Lois the Pie Queen, Heinholds and Koi coming soon). The new wing is about as nice as airports get. The restaurants here tend to be popular chains or local transplants. What Oakland doesn't have is shopping, but that's of little interest to me. Have a beer instead: Pyramid Alehouse or Gordon Biersch.

Can you fly out of Oakland? Whenever I have to go to San Francisco I will always go through Oakland. SFO just has way too many weather issues.
Agree. AFTER LUV added SFO back to the schedule, we've had fistfights here over whether it is better to go direct to SFO from SAN or go through OAK. On my last trip for Bay to Breakers, I succumbed to the SFO argument, and promptly got stuck on my return flight for several hours due to ‘weather’. I have concluded that it is much better to go through OAK. Moreover, the BART trip into SF proper is much shorter. The only issue with OAK is having to endure that wretched bus trip from the airport to the Coliseum BART station on AirBART. And boy, make SURE you have EXACTLY $3 for the fair or the driver will eviscerate you. The AirBART bus drivers tend to be surly, unhappy people. In all of my worldly traveling, enduring the AirBART bus ride is one that makes me grit my teeth the most.

Personally, at the fares these days, I usually drive the SF LA route. Even factoring in the need in these days of heavy handed speeding enforcement on I-5 to keep the pedal from the metal it doesn't take that much longer than flying, door to door.

No miles, but, no need to go through security either.

LAX-SFO has been good to me lately, but there was a time when it was delayed very often, usually when I'm in a rush to catch a connecting flight.

...
Are the delays this common, or did I just hit a bad few weeks?


Mike

Bad few weeks. This year things have been much better than a couple years ago, probably due to overall reduction in flights across the industry. I would still avoid tight connections at SFO if possible.

LAX-SFO isn't a regular route for me, but I've not had any problems on the route when I do fly it. Been lucky with SFO in general, knock on wood.

Typically use AA when doing the route, but have tried Virgin America and love it.

That said, have had occasional delay due to fog, but they've been few & far between.

If you can, I'd look at OAK-LAX. Not quite SFO, but a very functional airport.

I've always had major problems in LAX, not so many in SFO. Though I tend to fly to LAX a lot more so that may account for it. LAX does majorly suck, even when there are no weather related delays it seems they always have more traffic than they can deal with and their choice of take-off and landing runways sometimes leaves you taxi-ing for 20 minutes or more as you tour the furthest extents of the LAX airport.

Bad few weeks. This year things have been much better than a couple years ago, probably due to overall reduction in flights across the industry. I would still avoid tight connections at SFO if possible.

Well, within 1 week of posting this I ended up stuck at LAX for 4 hr (all flights that day with the exception of first three or four ended up 3-5 hrs behind) - SFO had low clouds.

I was stuck at LAX about 10 days ago waiting for my SFO flight as well, something like 4.5 hours. When there is fog at SFO, priority is given to long-haul flights.

OAK is a much better airport now. Still has its problems, but a much better experience. I've also heard from a friend (but not checked out personally) they installed an AirBart ticket machine inside the terminal that accepts credit cards.