Hello.

I'm going to a convention in late August at the Sheraton Pasadena. From ORD on UA the prices with a connection to BUR are almost $600. If I fly into LAX the price is cheaper.

I would like to know would if be better to drive to Pasadena or take the connection at SFO or DEN? I fly to California on a Thursday and leave Sunday, my first trip to Cali!!!

I used to go to Pasadena weekly for work and always flew into LAX for a couple reasons. First there were direct flights so it saved me time connecting. Second, there were more options for IROPS. And finally, the price was almost always better flying to LAX.

That said, flying into BUR will significantly reduce your driving time to Pasadena. LAX to Pasadena can be brutal depending on what time of day you are going. I would always fly out on Sunday nights to avoid the traffic but returns on Thursday evenings were awful. If you are getting in around rush hour on Thursday your drive to Pasadena will not be pretty. Sunday coming back shouldn't be terrible but you never know in LA.

What babeavs13 said... +1

We just did something similar. We had to be at UCLA and Azusa Pacific on the same day so we thought we'd split the difference for our hotel.
The 210 is a parking lot. Even with the carpool lane you're screwed.

I lived in Pasadena for 13 years and am a UA frequent flyer. I fly into BUR often, but only via SFO. I refuse to fly DEN-BUR on UX's CRJ-200 flights. I fly in and out of LAX the most, but am familiar with all of the routes to get to Pasadena in case of traffic. LAX has superior terminal facilities and flight options in case of irregular operations.

BUR is a great option for ease of baggage and rental cars, both are a few steps from the gate. There is no lounge or any decent food options gate side, but there is free wifi.

FYI, connecting in SFO will most likely require a change in terminals via a gate side shuttle bus.

I find ONT and LAX to be about the same driving time for the most part, if that helps.

I'd fly into BUR if I had the option and wasn't paying from my own pocket. LAX can be a clusterflog around the weekends with vacation travelers, and traffic across LA to Pasadena can be a mess anytime near rush hour.

Oh, by the way, don't call it "Cali." That's in Columbia.

If you are going to Pasadena, BUR is obviously easier. But it depends on the price difference and whether you are paying the ticket yourself.

Incidentally, Sheraton Pasadena is walking distance to the Gold Line Del Mar station so you can get to/from LAX without a rental car pretty easily so something to consider... if you are on a per diem, you can pocket the difference by forgoing the rental car

Take FlyAway Express Bus to Union Station ($7) and transfer to Gold Line towards Pasadena ($1.50 + $1 for TAP card). Get off at Del Mar station and Sheraton is 1 block to the East. Do the reverse to get back to LAX (although you won't need to buy another TAP card so it's just $1.50 for Metro and $7 for FlyAway)

With a connection, you will probably add 2 hours or more to the flight? I would just do the direct flight to LAX. Sunday should not be a problem with traffic and on Thursday, you just have to wait out the traffic. If you get to LAX between 3:30 and 7pm, just stay in the area.. have dinner .. and wait until traffic is over and head to the hotel.

are you getting a car?

when i stay in pasadena, i never get a car, and flying in/out of LAX is easier: just take the flyaway bus to union station ($7) and the gold line to pasadena (del mar is probably the best station for the sheraton). you could also take the green line shuttle and then ride metro green -> blue -> red -> gold, but i think that may actually cost more than flyaway, takes much longer, and has all the hassles of changing trains often.

If I fly into LAX I was going to get a car, didn't know there was a bus/train.


Thanks everyone for the information about the flyaway bus and gold line. I wish every big city was connected by train like Chicago

I'll look into all options. When I looked up direct ORD/LAX, I wanted to get the early flights so I can get in about 9/10am and drive. Or, take a connection via SFO or Denver which in price is north of $550. Flying into LAX is less than $430.

I also considered WN with connections in LAS, OAK, and some others. WN was $150 cheaper with connections than UA with connections.

I have some options. Thanks everyone! I just made Silver on UA, first time I have ever had some type of "status" with an airline. So I wanted to make the most of it and just use UA the rest of this year.

One other thought...

Have you looked at flying into Ontario? (ONT)

While it's 11 more miles than LAX, you won't have to transit downtown Los Angeles and some of the worst and most crowded freeways and interchanges in Southern California....

If you opt for the flyaway, getting in at a non-rush hour time is still advisable, as the bus is still subject to regular traffic. It can take up to an hour sometimes to get to union station.

If you can manage to not have to drive during your stay, that'll be a big +! The Sheraton is close to lots of cool stuff to explore in your non-convention time.

I'd be careful on BUR. Assuming you're on UA, it will most likely mean connecting through SFO. United Express is notorious for cancelling Skywest operated flights when SFO has weather delays - BUR is a prime candidate for it.

On top of that, SFO is closing the "1s" this summer through September. That will reduce throughput even further.

Plus, you normally depart out of T1 on Skywest which makes a Greyhound bus terminal seem posh and requires a transfer bus.

So, I would avoid BUR to be honest right now. LAX or ONT would be my recommendations.

UA cancelled 2 SFO-BUR turns yesterday, so IMHO avoid!