jg70124

My client is right off the 405 in Huntington Beach, 12 miles north of SNA and 20 miles south of LAX.

I haven't been to LA in years, and so am looking for some guidance about which airport would be better.

In favor of LAX:
- more flights from Newark
- some flights on 757-200's which have power to the seats
- the flights seem to get diverted less often
- there are upgrades available for my dates on LAX but not on SNA.

But, I'm guessing that the whole car return/shuttle to terminal/security thing will be longer at LAX than at SNA. Plus, I'll be driving back at noon on a Thursday, so traffic could be nasty.

What's the consensus here? Go for the upgrades (LAX) or avoid the traffic (SNA)?

auh2o

Yes, SNA would be better. But at noon on Thursday the trip from LAX is likely to take only about 35-45 minutes. The biggest difference is that the rental car facility is just a quick walk from the teminal at SNA but a shuttle bus at LAX.

brendamc

HB seems a whole lot further than only 20 miles South of LAX - is that correct? What are the times? If you're flying in or out during morning of afternoon/evening rush hour, then hands down SNA. If late morning to mid-day, LAX would be fine - love those upgrades!!

jg70124

Woops. 30 miles. http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=15...6919&z=11&om=1

Arriving Sunday ~8pm, leaving Thursday ~3pm.

Rocketman93455

It takes about 1 hour from the gate to engine start on a rental car at LAX if you have preferred service and do not have to wait in the lines. Return is about 1/2 hour from turn in to the terminal. I travel the 405 daily from HB to LAX and the traffic going north into LAX starts bunching up just past the 105 on a nominal day at 1pm when you would be heading to LAX for your departure. I would count on an hour drive to LAX at that time on Thursday but give yourself 1.5 hours if you can. Your Sunday drive should be no problem.

If you fly into SNA the rental car times are half the LAX times and the freeways are pretty clear.

If it were me, I would think the traffic hastles are minimal compared to risking an E- seat on a 319 for a 5 hour flight that would probably be delayed or diverted to ONT. Good luck! and enjoy your stay!

jg70124

Well, I waited too long and now there aren't any upgrades on LAX either. In fact there are only middles available whether I go to LAX or SNA. Argh.

Are a lot flights diverted going into SNA? I didn't see any for the last few weeks on flightaware.com

jacknyoc

SNA is a lot easier all around...but doesn't have the flight options of LAX. sna to hb at the worst is 30 min...at least 3 times that from lax during rush hour. non rush hour...10 min sna-hb and 30 min lax-hb. anymore, it seems rush hour or construction or a caltrans sweeper train can hit on almost any day and any time of day. i'd do sna in a heartbeat if I had the option...

jacknyoc

sorry, missed your most recent post. sna traffic has been increasing a bit, but nothing significant and has not been from lax. ont is growing and seems to be getting the lax spill-over since it's owned by the same entity (sna is not). ont is an option for you if it offers better flights...about 45 min. non-rush hour. san is also an option...but about 1 1/2 hr at non-rush hour.

UNITED959

Which airline are you flying?

I'd take SNA over LAX, for sure. So much easier to deal with, and a LOT closer too. From most places in HB, you can clearly see the planes landing and taking off from SNA.

UNITED959

Having landed at SNA probably 50x/year for the past 4 years, it's never happened to me.

hangpilot

I visit HB occasionally, and SNA is definitely preferred by my friends who lives out there. In fact they would rather go to ONT than LAX.

auh2o

Exactly. Unless the OP is on the last flight in and somehow got delayed past 11:00PM, the chances are slim to none.

mbstone

Neither. JetBlue from JFK-LGB (a hop and a skip from HB along the 405, or you could take side streets).

TelevisionTdTina

I live in HB, and work 2 exits past LAX. I often choose to drive the 45 mins.(non-rush hour) to SNA after work for a flight, then deal with the potential hassles of LAX. Unless, I need a red-eye to JFK.

There should be no traffic issues from HB to SNA at that time of the day on a Thursday.

jg70124

Now that's a tempting suggestion...

I usually fly CO from EWR - I'm elite, and EWR is closer to my house. (EWR is usually 30 minutes and never more than 45. JFK can be anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, and there's no way to tell which it's going to be until you're sitting in traffic).

But that 34" seat pitch is awfully tempting, especially since JetBlue seems to be about 1/2 the price of CO.