I will be off to LAX in F on a redemption this summer, and just trying to figure out my internal flight plan.
I will probably spend the weekend with friends in LA, and then fly up north.
Keen to avoid the traffic and hassle of LAX, so trying to fly out of SAN (san Diego) or ONT (Ontario, CA) , and plan to fly either to SEA or Portland, Oregon which I understand is the closest major airport to where the Spruce Goose is
www.sprucegoose.com.
Also consider flying from Burbank - a small and manageable airport, and Alaska also fly from there up north, or you could always try Southwest.
I am Silver with United until the end of 2005, so keen to book pre-demotion to enable E+ seating if I fly United, but also interested to know whether you believe it worthwhile foregoing E+ and travelling Y on Alaska or even upgrading to F on the Alaska/AA codeshare (which I understand is 150% BA miles but no TPs or lounge access, even on AA codeshare).
If you fly Alaska First, you get access to their lounge, even when booked on an AA flight number. Apparently shouldn't get tier points, but there have been mixed results on this front. Alaska and AA F wasn't great - I flew SEA to LAX via SFO, and just got drinks on each leg, despite the SEA-SFO leg being just under 2 hours.
How far is McMinnville from Portland, Oregon, (time-wise) and is there anything else to see in the vicinity? Suggestions on where to stay ($150-$200 range per night).
No idea, sorry.
Is it realistic to drive from McMinnville up to Seattle? Anything else I should check out in Seattle?
As noted, the Museum of Flight is worth a trip. If you don't have a car, I'd recommend getting a public bus as the cab fare was almost $30. The Boeing factory tour at Everett was good, but you don't get to see that much - but that may be due to the production line being very slow at the moment - there were only 3 airframes on the 747 production line that we saw, and all were freighters. It's best to pre-book, and I would suggest renting a car to get there, then after the tour maybe drive out to catch the ferry to Whidbey Island which was really picturesque. In Seattle, we enjoyed the Underground Tour in Pioneer Square and Wild Ginger was a good place for dinner. Coctails at the W Hotel were also extremely good.
I will be flying on AS SEA-PSP one way, drive to LAS (ovoiding the overpriced car rental firms in LAS) and then a few nights at Wynn and Barry Manilow Concert (there, I am not ashamed!!) before he croaks and back for shops and culture in SFO, probably on TED.
I see from search that
Aerotec and
ChickenorBeef recently visited, so any input from them would be appreciated.