How early can my return flight be?

[scienceteacher]

I am trying to make air reservations for the trip home after our cruise. We are cruising out of Los Angeles and will be flying out of LAX. How early can I get a flight? The ship is supposed to get in at 7 A.M.

[GUT2407]

I am trying to make air reservations for the trip home after our cruise. We are cruising out of Los Angeles and will be flying out of LAX. How early can I get a flight? The ship is supposed to get in at 7 A.M.

 

I wouldn't book before noon, but I'd rather have to spend time sitting waiting, than stress.

[SadieN]

1pm flight would be the earliest I'd be comfortable with. Never know what'll be happening on our freeways. Then add in the TSA issues.

Edited May 19, 2016 by SadieN

[Pam in CA]

You'll get a variety of answers. Those who live in the greater LA area and deal with LA traffic will tell you no earlier than Noon, preferably later. Those who don't live in CA will tell you, "No problem making an 11am flight! Do it all the time."

 

Even docking at 7am, it's not unusual for disembarkation to start at 8am. My last several cruises disembarking at San Pedro, there were still passengers disembarking at 10:30am which means that disembarkation started late and was slow.

 

The 110 and 405 (the highways between San Pedro and LAX) can be parking lots at any time of the day or night. The HOV lane can be just as bad. I've been at LAX at 10-11pm and it's been gridlock. Other times, it can take half an hour to get just from the entrance to LAX to a terminal. Lines to check in and go through Security can be very long. The news is recommending arriving at the airport 2-3 hours before your flight.

[paul929207]

Would the benefits of getting home early offset the chance of getting home the next day?

[VibeGuy]

Do you have PreCheck or will you fly a premium cabin? What airline do you tend to fly from LAX?

 

My number is around noon, and I add time for flights from T3-T7 because of airport roadway congestion. We have pre and usually fly up front so security lines aren't as much of a consideration. I would also allow more time if the departure port for the cruise wasn't LA - line haul cruises tend to cause customs delays at San Pedro.

[ar1950]

On our last cruise we had a 12:45 pm flight. The good thing for us was that we were off of the ship at 8:40 am, waited about 20 minutes to get through customs and then picked up bags and waited another 20 minutes for the Super Shuttle. We made it to LAX in about 40 minutes (10 of which was just getting into the airport plus we were on Southwest, so first stop). After checking bags and going through security (fast for us because we have TSA Precheck, took much longer otherwise) we had an hour and a half wait for the plane to start boarding. Luckily it was a Tuesday and there were no major freeway tie-ups. We certainly would not have wanted to try to fly out any earlier considering the things that could have delayed us getting to the airport and to our gate.

 

PS, Pam in Ca makes some good points.

Edited May 20, 2016 by ar1950

[scienceteacher]

You'll get a variety of answers. Those who live in the greater LA area and deal with LA traffic will tell you no earlier than Noon, preferably later. Those who don't live in CA will tell you, "No problem making an 11am flight! Do it all the time."

 

Even docking at 7am, it's not unusual for disembarkation to start at 8am. My last several cruises disembarking at San Pedro, there were still passengers disembarking at 10:30am which means that disembarkation started late and was slow.

 

The 110 and 405 (the highways between San Pedro and LAX) can be parking lots at any time of the day or night. The HOV lane can be just as bad. I've been at LAX at 10-11pm and it's been gridlock. Other times, it can take half an hour to get just from the entrance to LAX to a terminal. Lines to check in and go through Security can be very long. The news is recommending arriving at the airport 2-3 hours before your flight.

 

Thanks for all the advice. We decided to go for a flight at 1:45. We will get home quite late but at least we will have no worries.

[skynight]

The last time we sailed from San Pedro was 2013, and we realize there have been lots of changes since then. But for what it is worth, we flew out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County and avoided LAX altogether. We got excellent fares and everything went smoothly. John Wayne Airport is a little further from the pier in miles, but there was not much traffic getting there. Since we fly to the east coast we stayed overnight near the airport, and flew out the next morning. This way we avoid landing at midnight or the early AM.

[Redwing55]

Thanks for all the advice. We decided to go for a flight at 1:45. We will get home quite late but at least we will have no worries.

 

Good call, but we've have some success with getting to airport early then ask if the airline would be willing to move us to the earlier flight. We've done it twice (FLL) with no fare increase. Worth a shot.

[Mommypig]

We also use John Wayne airport over LAX. Smaller airport, shorter lines.

[myfuzzy]

Would the benefits of getting home early offset the chance of getting home the next day?

 

I see the same question time and again, if getting home is an issue, maybe getting off at the last port of call and fly home from there. Also, maybe booking a cruise that doesn't give you a tight time frame to get back home, or just stay home

[cruisequeen4ever]

First, don't book a flight before the time Princess indicates as the earliest recommended flight. That's around 12:00 or 12:30 for LA. Then, my rule of thumb is to add an hour or 2 of padding just to be safe. LA traffic can be a nightmare.

 

 

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[riclop]

I am trying to make air reservations for the trip home after our cruise. We are cruising out of Los Angeles and will be flying out of LAX. How early can I get a flight? The ship is supposed to get in at 7 A.M.

 

No earlier than noon.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Thanks for all the advice. We decided to go for a flight at 1:45. We will get home quite late but at least we will have no worries.

 

Good call. As a native Angeleno, I've seen jams on the 405 even on weekend days.

 

I see the same question time and again, if getting home is an issue, maybe getting off at the last port of call and fly home from there. Also, maybe booking a cruise that doesn't give you a tight time frame to get back home, or just stay home

 

Number one, you could be running afoul of the PVSA by doing this. Number two, not all ports are set up for easy disembarkation. And number three, you miss an entire day of your cruise.

 

The solution if you want a morning flight is to stay a day post-cruise.

[nanabananna]

I see the same question time and again, if getting home is an issue, maybe getting off at the last port of call and fly home from there. Also, maybe booking a cruise that doesn't give you a tight time frame to get back home, or just stay home

 

Don't be so rude to others. Just bc they asked a question maybe they didn't know how much time to allow.

 

Be Happy and share a smile.:)

[4cats4me]

I am trying to make air reservations for the trip home after our cruise. We are cruising out of Los Angeles and will be flying out of LAX. How early can I get a flight? The ship is supposed to get in at 7 A.M.

 

 

 

If the ship arrives on a sat or Sunday then I would recommend a noon flight or later. If you do walk off you could make an 11:30 flight. However, with the TSA situation at airports this summer, you might want to stick with a noon or 1:00 flight.

If your ship docks on a weekday, definitely make your flight at 1:00 or later to allow yourself plenty of time.

[WupperAV]

The earliest it can be is 0001 hrs. Listen to Pam. She give solid advice. We usually schedule the latest flight out and maybe go fishing or drag the port.

Edited May 21, 2016 by WupperAV

[RocketMan275]

I am trying to make air reservations for the trip home after our cruise. We are cruising out of Los Angeles and will be flying out of LAX. How early can I get a flight? The ship is supposed to get in at 7 A.M.

 

I think I would be looking for other places to research this question. Just google TSA and waiting lines. Three hour waits just to get through security are becoming common.

[lolane1]

I think I would be looking for other places to research this question. Just google TSA and waiting lines. Three hour waits just to get through security are becoming common.

 

Just a thought for everyone. Somehow I got approved for TSA precheck. Honestly, I don't know how, but I see with a fee, anyone can apply. It isn't offered on all airlines but when I fly Delta and American, I skip the LONG lines. Last time there were only 3 people on the precheck line and the regular line wrapped round and round. It was great and you don't have to remove shoes, belts, etc.

 

https://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck

 

On the left, there is a link to check airports and airlines in the US.

[scienceteacher]

Don't be so rude to others. Just bc they asked a question maybe they didn't know how much time to allow.

 

Be Happy and share a smile.:)

 

Than you for your support. I was insulted by their response.

[myfuzzy]

Than you for your support. I was insulted by their response.

 

Sorry for the insult, you asked, I gave you multiple answers. You can add this, book your airline anytime you want......if you make it, you make it, if you don't, go to plan b.