Originally Posted By dllovinrn Hi- I'm asking for any opinions, expert or otherwise, about our upcoming trip to DL. We are flying out from SeaTac 3/26, one way only. We would like to fly into John Wayne, in Santa Ana, avoiding LAX at all costs. The problem is this...I have been either too busy or too lazy to book our flight thus far- kept thinking I could get a better deal (there are 4 of us), and now the fares are really creeping up. What I'd like an opinion on is, should I suck it up & buy now, or go for a last minute deal? When I first starting looking 2 months or so ago, I really only looked at Virgin...we had a friend fly with them and loved it. We will be stopping in San Francisco on the way home, to see the Disney Family Museum, thus the one-way fares. Originally, it was $89.00 ea. from SEA to SNA, $39.00 from SNA to SFO, and $79.00 from SFO to SEA. It has gone up alot since then, almost double on one leg, and if were more flexibe I would really be kicking myself now!! So anyway, any opinions? I hate to spend half our vacay $ on airfare, but I'm afraid to wait for a fare sale. Don't fly all that often, so not overly experienced with the timing. As I said, I have never left it this long, and have always gotten a great deal. Thanks so much in advance!!
Originally Posted By CuriouserConstance Sign up for Southwest's "ding" program and they send you special offers a couple times a week, also they have a calender you can look at to see how much the airfare is for each day of the month. They are the cheapest I've found, by far.
Originally Posted By dllovinrn Thank you, CuriouserConstance! I remembered seing the "Ding" thing on previous post, but was too "dingy" to remember where...
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Also, look into Long Beach Airport, Alaska flies into it from Seattle, as does Jet Blue. Jet Blue has fares as low as $101 from Seattle to Long Beach, and then $39 from Long Beach to San Francisco. Alas, Jet Blue doesn't serve Seattle from San Francisco. But since you are doing "one way" fares, you can always mix and match. Long Beach Airport is 14 miles west of Disneyland, same distance as John Wayne, and Long Beach is smaller and more convenient than SNA. To get to the park, you take the main exit from the airport, and head west. It starts off as Wardlow, but changes name to Ball Road a few miles into the drive.
Originally Posted By CuriouserConstance Don't thank me, Darkbeer was the one who told me about it, lol. He's the expert. Seems like nowadays you can get one way airfare for cheaper than booking a round trip, wonder why that is?
Originally Posted By disneygrammie I have flown into Long Beach on my last two trips. I fly out of PDX on Horizon. It is always cheaper than LAX or John Wayne. Small airport but good service.
Originally Posted By dllovinrn Thanks again everyone...I've been considering Long Beach, but a co-worker just went to DLR through LGB and she said the plane was really small? Do jets fly into LGB? Or just puddle-jumpers? I'm already a nervous flyer...my co-worker was impressed by the unlimited free beer & wine, however it's not a priority for me!
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Yes, full sized jets fly into Long Beach.... Photo from Long Beach Airport <a href="http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/Theme-Parks-2006-Photos/Long-Beach-Airport-41206/DSCF7371/64244198_Zwmsw-M.jpg" target="_blank">http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/Th...sw-M.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By Pal of Minnie I love using Long Beach airport-though the terminal is tiny, and can be uncomfortable.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <To get to the park, you take the main exit from the airport, and head west.> Actually, you head east, all the way to DLR. And Long Beach is a great airport. Have flown there in a full-size jet from NY a number of times (Jet Blue). They can take all sized jets; just not very many (which makes it a very convenient airport if you're one of the few!)
Originally Posted By Longhorn12 >Long Beach is a great airport< It really is. I have also flown in their a couple of times in full size planes. OT: Is JetBlue any good?
Originally Posted By dllovinrn You guys are awesome- I'm ALMOST convinced..I am trying to figure out what kind of plane we will be flying on. We would be going with Jet Blue, which will be a first for us, but they don't seem to make that info readily available. A large majority of the reviews I read about JB, from multiple sites, were extremely favorable so I'm looking forward to using them. They have TV's built into the seat backs for each passenger, and free soda & snacks. One weird thing; JB doesn't fly from San Fran to Portland or Seattle. We'll have to use a different carrier to come home. Wanted to try Virgin (we have always used Alaska in the past), but of course, they don't fly into PDX. I've never had this much angst around airfare before!!!
Originally Posted By 73baloo I always check fares from SEA or PDX to Long Beach before any of the others. Only time I ever fly into LAX anymore is when the airfare is a steal. At kayak.com you can check for surrounding airports all. I too have ding now on my iPhone so I never miss it. Have fun.
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 Alaska often has discounts (including kids fly free) to SNA, which is the airport we always fly to from SeaTac. You can also sign up for e-mail alerts that will send you info on deals. <a href="http://www.alaskaair.com/vacations/specials.aspx?group=California&city=Disneyland%20Resort%20Vacations&airport=LAX&CID=AS_AllDeals_DisneySpecials" target="_blank">http://www.alaskaair.com/vacat...Specials</a> Here are some current Disneyland air deals from Alaska
Originally Posted By dllovinrn Thanks again everyone- finally got our airfare booked...to the tune of $1300.00! Guess we won't be staying at the Grand Californian any time soon. Thank God for Priceline! I guess I'm high maintenance...I wanted nonstop flights,(hate flying), wanted to avoid LAX, and did not want to fly from San Francisco home to Portland on a turboprop. I'm sure they are safe, but I am already a wreck on a large jet. So we are flying Alaska to SNA, Virgin to SFO, Continental home. Thanks again- good luck to all of you planning your trips!!
