Ontario to San Pedro?

[39august]

How much further from San Pedro is Ontario airport than John Wayne airport, please? We can get much cheaper rates into either of these airports than LAX. We flew into John Wayne last May and looking for any other possible airports for next year. Long Beach is not an option.....much higher.

[mjesf]

SNA is 34.5 mi from the World Cruise Center

ONT is 60.7 mi from the World Cruise Center

 

A difference of 26.2 mi or the length of a marathon :p.

 

Especially with regard to ONT, don't forget to factor in a cost and hassle factor associated with getting to San Pedro from the airport. Consider putting LAX and LGB back into the mix when you search for airfares, as the which airport is cheaper winner fluctuates from second to second.

[39august]

Thanks for replys. A bit too far for ONT! I always check various airports before booking any one airport. I am flying into FLL for a cruise out of MIA in Sept. Saved $200 pp and the shuttle is only $30 pp round trip.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

I live about 20 minutes from the Ontario Airport, and it is an outstanding airport. ONT as it is called is served by Super Shuttle and Prime Shuttle, which will take you direct from the airport to San Pedro (but you should fly in the night before your cruise). The shuttle vans are right outside the Baggage Claim area and this is no hassle at all.

 

Super Shuttle has a website that will give you a quote. My guess is that it will be about $60 one way for two persons (but check this).

 

And frankly, the others who told you that Ontario is too far away from the cruise terminal are not correct. ONT is served by freeways which have carpool lanes and these lanes really save lots of time. And shuttle vans use the carpool lanes practicly all the way from ONT to the cruise terminal in San Pedro.

 

Another idea is to stay at a hotel in the ONT area, and use Super Shuttle or Prime Ticket the next morning. There is a very nice Hilton hotel in the ONT area with walking distance to some restaurants.

[kenish]

It depends on when you arrive into the LA metro area too. Traffic from SNA can be bad in the afternoon but tolerable. Traffic from ONT to the ports is worst in the morning and it will be present almost the entire distance. Some of the worst traffic in the nation will be along the route, although it's not as bad as a year ago due to the severe unemployment and widespread housing foreclosures in the Ontario area (also some of the worst in the nation).

 

Both airports are way better than LAX as airports (arriving and departing). All things being equal choose SNA simply due to distance.

 

SNA has more airlines and flights than ONT but fares at SNA are often much higher.

[jasmith52]

If you can get a bargain airfare roundtrip from Ontario I say go for it. Consider renting a car to drop in Long Beach (downtown) or near San pedro. Also as others have mentioned Supershuttle would work. Just don't try the commute during LA rush hour. The worst is maybe 6:30-10 weekday mornings and 3-7 weeday evenings. Skip rush hour commutes and I don't see a problem at all. On a Saturday, You could drive from Ontario to the port in just over an hour. I have done it personally.

 

Alternately if you fly in the night before there are a couple 3 star hotels near Ontario that you could spend the night there. As I understand it some of those hotels go for around ~$50/night on priceline.

 

It would be kind of like flying into Palm Beach to catch a Miami cruise. I haven't done that (yet) myself, but would certainly consider it with the right bargain airfare.

[Fredr]

hello,

 

I respectfully disagree with the prior posters. First, there are carpool lanes on all of the freeways serving the Ontario Airport, and the carpool lanes are used by Super Shuttle and Prime Shuttle. Even during heavy traffic, vehicles using the carpool lanes are generally not subject to any delays.

 

Second, the Ontario Airport has several very nice hotels including a Hilton, Residence Inn, and a Marriott. As for the economy, the really bad foreclosure areas are a long way from the ONT area. It is simply not true that this area is some kind of a wasteland.

 

And if you do want to rent a car, the car rental facility at ONT is one of the nicest, easily accessible such facilities in the USA. You could check to see if there are any one -way rentals but it is my understanding that only Enterprise has an office in San Pedro or Long Beach that is accessible by shuttle to the cruise terminals.

[kenish]

True, the relevant thing to the OP is fares, the airport itself, and traffic.

 

Off topic but I stand behind the comment about the ONT area...some areas are very nice and upscale, but the Riverside / San Bernardino area is one of the top 5 in the USA for unemployment (>25%) and foreclosures, which have hit newer areas hard. It's sad to visit relatives in the area. Turn onto their street and see a forest of "Bank Owned" signs and their neatly tended home surrounded by weed-choked lots.

 

On topic- ONT as an airport is great, I've used it and they get high marks in travel media polls. However JetBlue and Hawaiian have pulled out and the rest have reduced service due to the previously mentioned local economy. (SNA has two new airlines and several incumbents have increased service after Aloha went bust). I've found schedules to/from ONT to be more restricted than SNA but as long as something works for OP, I agree either airport is fine. Car rental is a breeze at both airports and a shuttle will be far cheaper from SNA due to distance.

 

You're doing the OP a disservice to say traffic is a non-issue. Several neighbors work in the ONT area and carpool lanes save some time but they have not found a congestion-free route. True, it's improved with the downturn (less commuters) but please don't imply the carpool lanes are never congested. I did say there is traffic even from SNA but at least there are fewer miles involved. Between 9am-2pm or after 6pm on weekdays or anytime weekends the traffic should be fine from either airport.

 

As Wineaux stated, if the fare from SNA is identical or a few bucks more than ONT, why incur the additional miles and time? If the total savings is $100 or more from ONT then it should be strongly considered.

 

No slam on the Inland Empire but OP needs to get the best balance of fare, airport experience, and travel time.

[Fredr]

hello,

 

I am not doing anyone a disservice. I live in Claremont and the Ontario Airport is not located in an area of high foreclosures. There are areas farther south and east of the airport that have been hard hit by the economy but not the immediate area around the airport and where the hotels/restaurants are located.

 

Further, the hotels in the vicintiy of SNA are on average much more expensive and while the poster may save some money on the shuttle, probably not enough to offset the higher cost of the hotel.

 

As for carpool lanes I didn't say that there would be light traffic as there is always traffic no matter where you are in Southern California. My point is that the carpool lanes work and allow you to go from one part of this big area to another without delay or slowing for traffic.

[Desert Cruizers]

If long Beach isn't an option, then I would lean toward John Wayne. Depending on your traffic you looking at perhaps a differance of 20 to 30 min driving time, if you chose Ontario. We live in Riverside Co or about an hour from Ontario, CA