Question for MRY based members
Oct 3, 2016, 1:24 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Philadelphia & Palm Springs
Programs: UA-GS 3MM, AA-gold, Amtrak Select +, Bonvoy Titanium, Honors gold
Posts: 79
Question for MRY based members
HI all and thanks in advance for the advice!
Thinking of spending a few days in Carmel next August, 2017..would drive down from SFO, but options for return would either be driving on a weekday back to SFO for a 10am flight to the east coast, or take the 6am UAX to LAX and connect on east...Weighing options of WX delays vs the drive in rush hour back to SFO...any and all thoughts are appreciated..What would you do?
Thinking of spending a few days in Carmel next August, 2017..would drive down from SFO, but options for return would either be driving on a weekday back to SFO for a 10am flight to the east coast, or take the 6am UAX to LAX and connect on east...Weighing options of WX delays vs the drive in rush hour back to SFO...any and all thoughts are appreciated..What would you do?
Oct 3, 2016, 2:05 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,998
HI all and thanks in advance for the advice!
Thinking of spending a few days in Carmel next August, 2017..would drive down from SFO, but options for return would either be driving on a weekday back to SFO for a 10am flight to the east coast, or take the 6am UAX to LAX and connect on east...Weighing options of WX delays vs the drive in rush hour back to SFO...any and all thoughts are appreciated..What would you do?
Thinking of spending a few days in Carmel next August, 2017..would drive down from SFO, but options for return would either be driving on a weekday back to SFO for a 10am flight to the east coast, or take the 6am UAX to LAX and connect on east...Weighing options of WX delays vs the drive in rush hour back to SFO...any and all thoughts are appreciated..What would you do?
So, my advice is to return through LAX.
Last edited by zombietooth; Oct 3, 2016 at 2:15 pm
Oct 3, 2016, 2:59 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Tri Valley Area Northern CA
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 579
HI all and thanks in advance for the advice!
Thinking of spending a few days in Carmel next August, 2017..would drive down from SFO, but options for return would either be driving on a weekday back to SFO for a 10am flight to the east coast, or take the 6am UAX to LAX and connect on east...Weighing options of WX delays vs the drive in rush hour back to SFO...any and all thoughts are appreciated..What would you do?
Thinking of spending a few days in Carmel next August, 2017..would drive down from SFO, but options for return would either be driving on a weekday back to SFO for a 10am flight to the east coast, or take the 6am UAX to LAX and connect on east...Weighing options of WX delays vs the drive in rush hour back to SFO...any and all thoughts are appreciated..What would you do?
An alternative would be to drive up to SFO the night before and taking the 10 am flight (I'm assuming this is a non stop). Even if you left MRY and drive to SFO late evening, you still will have plenty of time to sleep/rest and catch your flight.
The big advantage is having more options. In the Summer, there is fog/marine layer, which could delay your MRY flight. At least if you are at SFO and there are delays, you have a lot more choices (wait for your flight, transfer to a connection, go into another city).
Last edited by PBAudit; Oct 3, 2016 at 3:05 pm
Oct 3, 2016, 3:43 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Philadelphia & Palm Springs
Programs: UA-GS 3MM, AA-gold, Amtrak Select +, Bonvoy Titanium, Honors gold
Posts: 79
Thanks for the car return info...quite helpful!
Many thanks. Hoping to stay in MRY 2 nts as that is all I can allocate to my schedule. Figured if I would drive it's a 5:30am departure....:I appreciate the advice and will consider it!
Many thanks. Hoping to stay in MRY 2 nts as that is all I can allocate to my schedule. Figured if I would drive it's a 5:30am departure....:I appreciate the advice and will consider it!
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Oct 8, 2016 at 5:25 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
Oct 3, 2016, 5:48 pm
#5
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,453
Oct 3, 2016, 7:18 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NorCal - 1K 2MM
Posts: 2,089
I'd go with the early morning MRY departure. Departures are far more likely to get out despite fog than are arrivals to arrive. And the 6am departure arrives the previous night, so you don't care how late it is.
As others have stated, the weekday morning rush on Hwy 1 and 17 is catastrophic; in the worst case, you can spend almost one hour on the 12 mile stretch from Watsonville to the fishhook in Santa Cruz, for example (I drive that almost every day), and that's just a small fraction of your proposed drive. Unless you can allow 6 hours for the drive and car checkin, your odds of missing your SFO departure, although modest, still probably well exceed the odds of the 6am MRY departure canceling due to fog.
As others have stated, the weekday morning rush on Hwy 1 and 17 is catastrophic; in the worst case, you can spend almost one hour on the 12 mile stretch from Watsonville to the fishhook in Santa Cruz, for example (I drive that almost every day), and that's just a small fraction of your proposed drive. Unless you can allow 6 hours for the drive and car checkin, your odds of missing your SFO departure, although modest, still probably well exceed the odds of the 6am MRY departure canceling due to fog.
Oct 3, 2016, 7:32 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MRY - CNX - TXL
Programs: UA 1K / *G / Marriott PE / Expedia Gold+ / Hertz PC
Posts: 7,058
Flying to East Coast I would go through LAX. If I were going further I would overnight before in SFO.
The nice thing about the morning flight is you'll know the night before if the flight doesn't make it in because of fog/Marine layer. If the plane gets there it shouldn't have an issue getting out.
The nice thing about the morning flight is you'll know the night before if the flight doesn't make it in because of fog/Marine layer. If the plane gets there it shouldn't have an issue getting out.
Oct 3, 2016, 9:48 pm
#8
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,331
Excellent advice on this thread. There's nothing easy or pleasant about getting from Carmel to SFO for a 10 am departure. You would be miserable and stressed the entire way.
There's a chance your MRY departure may get cancelled (it happens) but I'll take that over 2.5 hours in traffic + dealing with SFO, any day....
Enjoy the Central Coast... my home too.
There's a chance your MRY departure may get cancelled (it happens) but I'll take that over 2.5 hours in traffic + dealing with SFO, any day....
Enjoy the Central Coast... my home too.
Oct 3, 2016, 10:06 pm
#9
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MRY - CNX - TXL
Programs: UA 1K / *G / Marriott PE / Expedia Gold+ / Hertz PC
Posts: 7,058
Excellent advice on this thread. There's nothing easy or pleasant about getting from Carmel to SFO for a 10 am departure. You would be miserable and stressed the entire way.
There's a chance your MRY departure may get cancelled (it happens) but I'll take that over 2.5 hours in traffic + dealing with SFO, any day....
Enjoy the Central Coast... my home too.
There's a chance your MRY departure may get cancelled (it happens) but I'll take that over 2.5 hours in traffic + dealing with SFO, any day....
Enjoy the Central Coast... my home too.
I just don't like the gamble on ex-MRY if it's going to be a TATL/TPAC flight.
In fact I'll never do MRY-SFO-XXX. I'll do MRY-LAX-XXX if it's the earlier flights.
Coming home I'm more inclined to gamble with XXX-SFO-MRY in the event there's an issue with MRY I can just get a car and drive myself back down. The frequency change when it went to the CRJ from the EMB has also made it hard to even have a decent option to connect as a lot of times it is a 4.5-6h lay over at SFO.
Oct 3, 2016, 10:41 pm
#10
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NorCal - 1K 2MM
Posts: 2,089
I notice no one has commented on the ridiculously relaxed vibe of the MRY airport, which should be another factor in your decision. It is possibly the most pleasant and unwound station on all of UA. The TSA guy also cooks the hot dogs at the snack bar. Well, not really, but it almost could be that way. Compare this to the SFO zoo. They're in different universes. It's a huge pleasure to start a trip as relaxed as you will be with a MRY departure.
Oct 3, 2016, 11:26 pm
#11
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MRY - CNX - TXL
Programs: UA 1K / *G / Marriott PE / Expedia Gold+ / Hertz PC
Posts: 7,058
I notice no one has commented on the ridiculously relaxed vibe of the MRY airport, which should be another factor in your decision. It is possibly the most pleasant and unwound station on all of UA. The TSA guy also cooks the hot dogs at the snack bar. Well, not really, but it almost could be that way. Compare this to the SFO zoo. They're in different universes. It's a huge pleasure to start a trip as relaxed as you will be with a MRY departure.
TSA PreCheck lite which is still fine.
Funny about the TSA, they're super nice but what Starman mentioned is more closely related to what it was like flying out of TEX. You'd check in, sit in the waiting area and the the 3 agents came out of the office upstairs or pulled up in a car 10 min before the inbound Great Lakes Beechcraft was due to arrive.
Oct 4, 2016, 4:10 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Philadelphia & Palm Springs
Programs: UA-GS 3MM, AA-gold, Amtrak Select +, Bonvoy Titanium, Honors gold
Posts: 79
I notice no one has commented on the ridiculously relaxed vibe of the MRY airport, which should be another factor in your decision. It is possibly the most pleasant and unwound station on all of UA. The TSA guy also cooks the hot dogs at the snack bar. Well, not really, but it almost could be that way. Compare this to the SFO zoo. They're in different universes. It's a huge pleasure to start a trip as relaxed as you will be with a MRY departure.
Oct 4, 2016, 5:30 am
#14
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MRY - CNX - TXL
Programs: UA 1K / *G / Marriott PE / Expedia Gold+ / Hertz PC
Posts: 7,058
Oct 4, 2016, 5:56 am
#15
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,453