I have loved flying in and out of SNA on AA. Only complaint is the usual late equipment coming in from DFW to return to DFW. However it does allow more time at the Oasis Grill & Sky Lounge. Ask for Coach or Kim, they both make a great Bloddy Mary

SNA is great minus the lack of any public transportion :td:

LGB to LAX
 

We're flying IAD-LGB on Friday, arriving 4.15pm, departing LAX on an international flight @10.30pm. Would be grateful for any advice on how best to get from LGB to LAX, plus any tips on somewhere to get a reasonable early evening meal (not at LAX).

Thanks

For $39+Tip, I used Supershuttle to make this same exact trip after a flight to LGB on B6. Although I do have some bad Supershuttle stories, in this instance I would recommend it.

LGB is a small enough airport so it was easy to find the pick-up point, and the Supershuttle van that was there to pick us up was waiting for us on our arrival. The driver even called me to let me know he was there and I got a message when I turned my phone on right after landing. My sense is most people who use Supershuttle are headed into L.A., so while there was another couple in the van, we were dropped off first, since LAX is on the way to downtown.

I know you're flying out on JetBlue but this is better suited for Los Angeles Forum. I'll be moving it over there.

You might check the major car rental agencies...
...most allow drop-off from LGB - LAX with no one-way fee. That way you can go get a nice meal somewhere between the two w/o freting what to do with your luggage.

^^^^
Your LGB rent-a-car with free drop should cost less than a shuttle. For enroute dining, try the Hokkaido Buffet, 3030 Cherry Av, Long Beach (405N to Cherry Av N and make an immediate U-turn).

I'd second the car rental idea if there's no drop off fee. If you have a car there are plenty of places in Manhattan Beach you could eat at. MB is 10-15 from car rental agencies/LAX. If you wanted a view of planes landing, Proud Bird is an option near LAX. They have 'early bird' pricing that ends either at 6-6:30pm - ie, orders must be placed by then. Cheers.

Thanks to everyone for the advice - I booked with Alamo, no one-way fee. NZ (via Manhattan Beach) here we come!

Travel time
 

Hi LAX experts! I'll be in Palm Springs until Saturday this week, and will drive to LAX to catch the 21.15 BA flight back to London. Considering 2.5 hours check-in and dropping-off the rental car (AVIS), what time do you reckon it'd be safe to leave PS and drive over to LAX? Do you also suggest a particular routing, or areas to avoid for the drive to the airport?

Many thanks!

Similar information may be found in this older thread; hope this helps!

The route I would avoid is the 60 Freeway where it branches off the 10 near Beaumont. Take the 10 instead; it's wider and safer.

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=731620

Thanks for this and posting the other link! Most useful! Let's hope I won't get lost around LA!!

I'll be arriving on AS 562 PDX-LAX at 9:02 am on May 25 in seat 6F and with no checked luggage. PDX-LAX flights on AS have a good (89%) on-time rating.

I'm attempting to catch the northbound Coast Starlight train leaving Union Station at 10:15 am.

Talk about cutting it close.

The Flyaway bus leaves LAX for LAUS at the top and bottom of each hour, and it's about a 30-minute drive between the two.

So, if the bus is late leaving LAX, I might be able to run out and catch the 9:00 departure, getting me to LAUS at ~9:30 or a hair later (9am traffic is hopefully past rush-hour, and I think the bus uses the 105 and 110 freeways with carpool lanes). That'd be perfect.

If I miss the 9:00, there's a bus at 9:30, which would theoretically get me to Union Station by 10:00, leaving me literally seconds to print my ticket from the Quick Track machine and find the Starlight's departure track.

What do y'all think? Is this doable? (I like to live by the seat of my pants...) At the worst, I'd miss the train and have to rebook for a later Pacific Surfliner.

If the consensus here is that I'm crazy and I'd never make it, I can think of two other options: take the Van Nuys Flyaway and then a cab to the Van Nuys Amtrak station or pay an extra $40 or so and book the nonstop ANC-LAX flight that gets in at 7am (I'd only be losing 30 total BIS miles by skipping the layover in PDX--I'm surprised it's so few, but I guess an ANC-LAX Great Circle route really does parallel the length of the West Coast...)

What would your recommendation be? (Part of my problem is it's an idealogical drive of mine to pay as little as possible for airfare, so even though it's only $40 difference and it would make my life a lot easier (though I don't mind connections and even enjoy them, usually), I feel like I'm losing at the game if I pay any more than necessary...)

The Flyaway buses do not leave right at departure time. That is when they begin their loop through the terminal road horseshoe. While it should be pretty quiet on a Sunday during the Memorial Day holiday, expect at least a 13-14 minute delay before it heads out from the last terminal (#7). I've been picked up at T-7 dozens of times, and always note when the bus arrives. On a busy day, it can take up to 25 minutes for the bus to leave LAX.

So in theory the 9:00am bus would get you to Union Station just in time, but not the 9:30.

I've had very good luck with using the Fly-Away bus from LAX to Union Station. Three out of four trips have left on-time and four out of four trips it has arrived early (5-10minutes early).

STILL, I would not want to miss the Coast Starlight. I would not take the FlyAway at 9:30 unless you really do not want to spend the money for a shuttle or cab.

Can you standby for an earlier AS flight?