Hi

I took Roadrunner since they were the first to show up.....

had to pay upfront before we left the airport ! first time that ever happened

worked out good for me as I was the first one out and only 1/4 mile from the freeway, others were going as far as Santa Barbara

No better or worse than the other guys

cost was $40

thanks for your suggestions...

Rally

Thank you all for the helpful FT suggestions. Much obliged.

JetBlue nonstop IAD-LGB then 30-45 mins down the I-405 (in your rent-a-car, of course). OK, you could fly to SNA via PHX (US) or DFW (AA) but the traffic isn't that bad from LGB-SNA, at least I'd rather take the freeway drive over the connection hassle and time hit.

LGB isn't bad option...neither is LAX, depending on time of day (mid-day is 1/2 hour to cover the 35-40 miles).

SNA is best...AA, UA, US, DL, CO and others thru their major hubs. We're not that much out of the way...or inaccessible...and depending on date, airline, flights, often times you'll be able to fly to SNA for less than flights into LAX these days. It all depends...like all other airports and airlines these days. any way you cut it, you'll do just fine if you play it smart...

have a good flight and trip...

Driving down the 405 is a real iffy proposition, except at off hours (late at night). It's really a lot more trouble than just going direct. I would even fly directly to LA and take one of the puddle jumpers to SNA rather than attempt to drive it. Coming back you will have to allow all sorts of extra time for traffic and the long ride from the rental car agency to the terminal. I just can't see how it's worth it.

Mapquest shows it as 41 miles , so by the time you get out of LAX and on the freeway you need to add 10-15 minutes if you are lucky,

if you could make it from LAX terminal to SNA terminal in an hour you are doing good,

and this does not include renting a car and returning it !

Rally

Another pitch for LGB....
...distance to SNA is 22 miles
...most of the traffic on I-405 between LAX and SNA is N of LGB
...you will be out of LGB with your bags and car in 10 min flat (no rent-a-car bus)

You absolutely without question want to fly into SNA. I have flown them all thousands of times and often inbound on one and outbound on another. LGB used to be a great nice airport until Jet Blue overloaded the facilities at Long Beach. I have flown in and out of all three, LAX,SNA,LGB thousands of times. The only reason not use SNA is they shut the airport down late evening. You can get plenty of real jets going from PHX to SNA.

Funny, SkiAdcock, I think all of the non-LA residents who posted, view the drive from the perspective of occasional LA drivers and to us, the traffic is just an awesome thing!

No doubt, SNA.

You can do IAD-SFO-SNA on UA.

But why would you *want* to fly via SFO?

SFO is among the most subject to delays and bumps in the nation...

DEN, PHX, or DFW all look like better options to me.

Try to avoid flights scheduled to arrive SNA after 9pm. If it's delayed enough to miss the 11pm curfew (10pm weekends), the flight will divert to LAX.

Other options-

ONT- About 45 minute drive to the SNA area if there is no traffic. Traffic from that direction into Orange County is absolutely horrific in the morning, and reverses itself in the evening. But I'm assuming you'd arrive in the evening and will be going in the "good" direction.

SAN- Since you want to avoid driving, the Amtrak station is a 10 minute cab ride from the airport (there may even be shuttles). There is fairly frequent train service and the trip to Irvine is about 80 minutes. Most but not all trains stop in Irvine. It's about 10 miles to SNA from the station. Late at night, you may have a long wait for a cab. The station mainly serves commuters. It's in a very safe area so there's no issue waiting around the station late at night.

CLD- United Express has service from LAX and you might be surprised and find a low IAD-CLD fare. There are several Amtrak stations about 5 miles away, I believe Encinitas is the closest.

I'd even consider driving from SAN or CLD. I live 15 miles south of SNA and the drive to SAN is only 15-20 minutes longer than to LAX. If there is any traffic, SAN wins. Driving tip coming from the south- Route 73 is a toll road that bypasses the "El Toro Y" (I-5 / I-405 junction). It's expensive and under-used, so you can breeze right up to SNA if the traffic report says the "Y" is congested.

Unfortunately not having a car in The OC here is a major handicap. (There's a reason why the US HQ and design studios of many car and motorcycle manufacturers are in the county.)

BTW, another post suggested IAD-LAX-SNA. UA is discontinuing LAX-SNA service soon, I don't recall the date.

Hope this helps, have a good trip!

Allow me to introduce you to my biggest enemy, ORD. :D

DEN? Not in the winter. Summer it's okay.

I would connect in SFO for a few reasons. 1) It's a 4.5-5 hour flight so for working on the plane, one has a significant duration to complete tasks. 2) Service is typically a touch better on transcon routes. 3) On UA, great chance of getting a 3-cabin aircraft.

AV? MV? :D CLD is a great little airport if you're in south OC.

LAX-SNA was discontinued on Jan 6, 2008.

In the MV area :) Not too many people are even aware of CLD, or think of it as an option. I still remember just after 9/11, UA had a CLD-BWI fare for IIRC $120 RT! I almost visited friends, but had something already going on.