Relocating to SNA-more UA mainline or more UX?
 

I'm moving to Orange County in a month from Chicago. I will not miss ORD in any shape nor form. Not one iota.

I'm taking over a new region within my firm and they asked if I'd like to move. :D

So my new cities I'll be visiting (I'm in sales and sell specific environmental and industrial services to oil refineries) be the north Bay area (Martinez), Seattle, Denver, Billings, and of course locally, the LA refineries I will be driving to.

Using SNA will be a nice change. I can fly UA to all the cities of course. I even though of connecting at SFO and fly to SAC for the refineries in Martinez. I know I can fly to SFO but don't want to deal with the bridges and traffic.

How's the RJ situation out there? Can I expect more mainline?

Its only a one month window, but its pretty easy to check:

1. http://www.united.com/CMS/UADocument.../timetable.pdf

2. Go to page 229

3. Skim the fourth column, "Eqp." Compare to page 99 if you don't know what a given abbreviation is.

4. Derive conclusions.

It looks like there's a pretty solid number of mainlines with a smattering of CR7s mixed in (to DEN and SFO).

SFO-SMF/SAC - (two of my fav airports) and really any cities served by UX are most susceptible to wx delays - often the first to delay or cx. That said, UX operates high frequency between SMF and SFO so in theory you can take the next flight. That that said, OAK (served nonstop from SNA by WN) faces a fraction of the delays SFO has (fog), and would get you into Martinez a bit faster and probably more reliable.

Good luck

That's going to be your toughest one.

You can't fly to BIL nonstop, so a connection is required (UA through DEN will work).

DEN is easy nonstop on UA (SNA-DEN).

But SMF is not worth the hassle of connecting in SFO. SMF-SFO is often delayed or cancelled, and if it cancels, they're often full, so rebooking can be difficult, you'll end up driving anyway.

Plus it's takes a toll psychologically, if you take a delay you'll wish you would have flown WN nonstop anyway.

Your best bet for SMF would be WN nonstop.

But as has been pointed out, OAK is best for Martinez. But SFO is still quite doable. If you can time your arrivals appropriately, you can avoid most traffic, and the drive SFO-Martinez will be under an hour. If you drive at low traffic times, OAK is only 10 minutes closer than SFO.

Also don't forget LAX for longer, international, or reward trips. From time to time, it may be worth going out of there.

I'd seriously look at WN.

SNA-OAK
SNA-SEA
SNA-DEN

All nonstop. All jets.

Relocating to SNA-more UA mainline or more UX?
 

Thanks for all the info. Very helpful. Sorry about the SAC error. I forgot the code was SMF.

I fly international to see family so I'm firmly entrenched in UA.

You will become a WN flyer. To fly to SMF via SFO to visit Martinez is near-lunacy. If you're going to be flying SEA frequently, ask AS for a status match. Get a Priority Pass, which will give you SNA (UA Club) and SEA (AS and UA club) access.

Do not, do not, do not rely on UA for reliable SFO short-haul connections.

Check out sigalert.com if you want to see traffic conditions at various times.

Thanks. Well I can tell you there is no WN in my future. Nope.

I'm a segment flyer as it is and don't mind connecting. I already fly to BIL and know the connection at DEN.

This 1K always said that, until Express cancelations mounted. Now Southwest is my friend.

Also, I don't understand, why fly to SFO connect then drive to Martinez? SNA-OAK on WN is a no brainer.

Experience is the best teacher.... I'm thinking less than six months....

Well here at ORD my entire flying life is on Sky West RJ's (with the exception of mainline to DEN) and I think I'm batting about 25% on on-time departures so apparently nothing is different out west.

Connecting through SFO is a bit of a gamble, as you can get both mainline or United Express (in this case skywest dba United) with their CRJs.

As an aside, SNA may be my favorite airport in the US. Even the TSA agents are consistently polite and often in a good mood!

I don't like driving over large bridges that's why.

You will spend 8 to 10 hours doing what you could do in 2 hours with your master plan. You will, from time to time, not sleep in the bed you had planned sleeping in from time to time, and that won't be because you got lucky at the hotel bar. WN is the business flyer's friend out here. You can mix/match most city pairs, and there is plenty of frequency. I don't fly them very frequently, but I just suck up the $12 to not worry about check-in time, have 75% of the aisle seats available for my choosing when I walk onboard, don't have to gate check my carry-on because of RJ size (which means I can travel with one bag total).

As a UA Gold in SFO, there will be, at any given time, probably a few thousand people in the airport with higher status than you.

As far as OAK, there's free wifi and plenty of plugs. I get a xbux iced tea and it is just about as good as sitting in a UA lounge, and maybe better, because I don't have to keep running back to the monitors to see the creeping delays and/or cancellations of my flights.