Flights from Los Angeles?

[retired4213]

I will be on the Star next March and I'm wondering if a 12:05pm Flight on Southwest is too early. The ship arrives at 8:00am in San Pedro Thanks on a Saturday and we will do carry off and take a SuperShuttle to LAX. The next available flight is not until 4:45pm. Thanks for any input.

[roger001]

On a Saturday that should work. However, LAX is the worst. And the last two times there, the line into the SWA terminal was out the door and down the street. After finally getting checked in, had to then process our luggage in yet another long line. Then I thought that would be it. Nope, the security line was yet a different one and it too was out the door and a half block long. Finally got out to the gate for a 2:30 flight. And it was then cancelled with us not leaving until 10:30 pm. But....hopefully all was the exception.

[SoCA6ft5]

I will be on the Star next March and I'm wondering if a 12:05pm Flight on Southwest is too early. The ship arrives at 8:00am in San Pedro Thanks on a Saturday and we will do carry off and take a SuperShuttle to LAX. The next available flight is not until 4:45pm. Thanks for any input.

It would be tight. I always work these things out backwards. Flight boards 30 minutes prior to departure (11:35), hour to negotiate check-in/security (to be safe) 10:35. Hour minimum to get from Port of LA to LAX 9:35. So if ship arrives on time and clears customs in 30 minutes and you clear customs in 30 minutes you might not need to run to the gate.

Have you considered the 2:50 PM flight out of Orange County (mind you, I'm assuming you're flying to Sacramento)? It's only 7 miles further from the port and about 5-10 minutes more driving time. Plus it's a lot easier to get into. It might be worth it for the peace of mind.

Edited August 10, 2017 by SoCA6ft5
parenthetical remark.

[don't-use-real-name]

No matter how good the timing is the ship arriving; clearance of customs immigration and getting your luggage -

ALL THIS IS FOR NAUGHT if getting to the airport is fowled by TRAFFIC on the I405 and I105.

Get within hailing (walking distance) and then being parked for an hour waiting to get into the airport loop just screws things up.

After factoring that huge variable into the equation - then comes the check-in TSA security and getting to the gate on time.

Large buses and limos do have some priority in getting to the curb to off load their fare - but getting to that point is meaningless

when parked in traffic on the 405 and 105.

Plan a -2- hour cushion for the LAX traffic.

If offered an opportunity to leave out of Orange County airport use that sane solution.

 

There are other airports to consider in this mix:

 

Santa Ana Orange County - caution near Disneyland

Long Beach - mostly short haul flights with connection to eastern cities

Ontario-San Bernardino - distant from the mix with limited service

San Diego while distant maybe a more economical solution

 

Choice of your airline can make a real difference - noted Southwest has so much traffic they can't handle it

timely in the limited space and accommodations provided.

Other biggie airlines United Delta and American suffer from this same problem.

 

retired4213 - you are pushing the envelope to its limits

roger001 - a fine example of how not to use LAX

SoCal6ft5 - a good way to look at the travel scene backward from the gate to the ship "BUT" that huge variable in between

is so hard to reason with - the least accident incident on the 405 & 105 is throwing a left handed adjustable Mexican speed

wrench at the solution that requires a metric specific fix. Your SNA airport is a sound solution.

 

One thing in favor of the OP is this occurs on a Saturday although Sunday would not be so bad either avoiding the perpetual

rush hour traffic of mid-week. But like New York city the city that never sleeps the traffic on the 405 never stops coming !

The 105 is the main freeway feeder of traffic to the LAX airport - good luck transiting this gauntlet !

 

Be patient - plan carefully - time is not on your side here - YES there have been many folks who have flown over the cuckoos

nest and escaped with singed phoenix tail feathers.

[ronrythm]

What is your backup plan if you don't make it? Will SW honor your ticket for a later flight? Also, the port does get closed for fog at times. Plan ahead.

 

 

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[fshagan]

Southwest out of LAX in terminal 1 has been a nightmare for the last decade or so. The security lines often go outside the building and down the sidewalk quite a ways. You can expect a 1 - 2 hour delay if it's busy. And, the airport is experiencing a burst of construction right now. The only good news is they moved Southwest's International flights to terminal 2, but alas, still have the security line snaking through terminal 1.

 

Burbank (BUR) and John Wayne (Orange County - SNA) are less crowded,but a bit farther away.

 

We're local, and on our NCL cruises out of San Pedro we have been very lucky in getting through Customs quickly. If it was any other airline I would say "no problem", but Southwest is the absolute worst for the security line in terminal 1.

[BirdTravels]

I will be on the Star next March and I'm wondering if a 12:05pm Flight on Southwest is too early. The ship arrives at 8:00am in San Pedro Thanks on a Saturday and we will do carry off and take a SuperShuttle to LAX. The next available flight is not until 4:45pm. Thanks for any input.

In April, we were on the Jewel and caught an 11:45 flight out of LAX. We used the NCL transfer back to LAX (we told them that our flight was at 1:30 so they would book it for us).

 

There was a supershuttle stand sending vans out as fast as they could fill them.

 

We are currently boycotting SS since we were on the Breakaway in May and the driver circled LGA for an hour trying to fill his van before leaving.

[fshagan]

In April, we were on the Jewel and caught an 11:45 flight out of LAX. We used the NCL transfer back to LAX (we told them that our flight was at 1:30 so they would book it for us).

 

What airline / terminal were you flying out of? I would say noon would be fine for anything other than Southwest ... I have seen hour long waits to get through the TSA line.