Flying from LA to San Francisco

[Aust]

To fly from LA (staying in Anaheim) to San Francisco - what is the best airport to go from? LAX or one of the smaller ones? Which is the closest to Anaheim? We are looking at doing an overnight trip to San Francisco in the middle of 7 nights at Disneyland and it would be great to minimise travel time to and from the airports.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

It depends on what airline you are flying on. If you fly SWA I would recommend you fly out of Ontario (John Wayne airport) to SFO.

 

[Maleficent59]

The most convenient in terms of transportation and distance is to fly from John Wayne, Santa Ana (SNA) to San Francisco (SFO). If you do not have your own transportation, an alternative is SuperShuttle (www.SuperShuttle.com) from any Disneyland area hotel to SNA for the discounted fare of $10 per person (the non-discounted fare is $22 for the 1st person and $9 for each addn person). Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have direct flights. At SFO, it's very convenient to take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to San Francisco if not renting a car.

Alternatively, you may fly from SNA to Oakland (OAK). From Oakland, it's a (relatively) quick drive over the bridge into the city. But I would not advise this during rush hour! Public transportation from Oakland is simple: AirBart - a shuttle - to the BART station and BART into SF. You may also fly out of Long Beach to Oakland on JetBlue. Ontario is a bit further east and the drive on the 91 freeway from Disneyland to Ontario is not one I would recommend, but Southwest flies from Ontario to Oakland. I don't recommend flying in/out of LAX (too far).

One last thing, bring a light jacket or sweater when visiting SF. It may be sunny during the day, but it will cool down in the evening (or it may be foggy all day). Sorry, more info than you asked for! Have a great visit to Disneyland and San Francisco!

 

[aurorae]

When I go to SF, I fly in and out of Oakland. I use BART as described to get to SF.

The reason I do this is that SF is such a busy airport, and there is a good chance of flight delays.

You pays your money and takes your chances, but I have found the Oakland flights to generally be on time.

Likewise, from Anaheim, I would go to SNA rather than LAX. Not only closer on the ground, but smaller airport with less chance of delay.

 

[heidispidi]

This is all great info to have, seeing as I'll be flying with the original poster (and my DD). Big sis, I'll await your emails later this morning - get researching/planning!

For the record, I'd like to stay near Fisherman's Wharf, as it's close to Pier 33, where you get on the ferry for Alcatraz, and it's on the bay. Check out a website for the Argonaut, it looks great! I'll have a look at the Marriott later today.

 

[Aust]

Thanks for all this - so what would be the best airline to fly from SNA to SFO with? And how long is the trip from Anaheim to SNA on the SuperShuttle (we're staying at HoJo)?

Sorry for so many questions but our knowledge of LA airports and US domestic airlines is pretty minimal!

 

[PrincessInOz]

It's about 14 or 15 miles from John Wayne Airport (SNA) to Disneyland. If taking a cab, I'd say allow about 30 minutes for travel time; not sure about SuperShuttle time.

There are quite a few commercial carriers that fly out of SNA, including SWA, American Airlines (AA), United, Delta etc. I'd say this will come down to $$ for flights in/out and your preference for flight times.

We traditionally fly AA - because we can accumulate Qantas Frequent Flyer points with them - but we have flown United, Delta, Continental as well. For our May trip, I wanted to fly with SWA this time but the flight times didn't suit us.

You could either book directly on the carrier website; or try Expedia etc.

 

[arthursiew]

Thanks for all this - so what would be the best airline to fly from SNA to SFO with? And how long is the trip from Anaheim to SNA on the SuperShuttle (we're staying at HoJo)?

Sorry for so many questions but our knowledge of LA airports and US domestic airlines is pretty minimal!

Virgin America! It's cheaper than AA and about the same as Southwest. However, they will end their SNA service on May 26.

 

[Maleficent59]

I fly Southwest (SWA) most of the time. I've found that the first two flights of the day generally run on time. The first flight is more hectic and filled with business people and the second flight is much less crowded. There are a couple of great things about Southwest: 1) if you need to change your flight, there is no penalty fee - they will just apply the cost you paid towards the cost of the new ticket as long as the trip is within a year and 2) there are no check-in baggage costs. However, I should note that if you are not familiar with SWA, that there are no seat assignments. See the section under boarding assignments: http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/checkin.html

Depending on the number of passengers, consider a taxi, private shuttle or the Business Express Svc on SuperShuttle - shared shuttles can take you all over town before you get to your destination (we've also booked shared shuttle rides in the past and were the first to be dropped off or the only passengers - you can never tell). If it's not prime rush hour, a taxi between Disneyland (DLR) and SNA should cost $40-50. To make an appointment in advance: http://www.yellowcab.com. The ride between DLR and SNA is usually about 20 to 30 minutes depending on the time of day. However, when booking the shuttle, they give you a specific window of time for pick-up. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to look at the cost of SuperShuttle from LAX to the hotel (should be reasonably priced compared to other modes of transportation).

I read the post above about Fishman's Wharf. Here is the official website: http://www.fishermanswharf.org/
If you like chocolate, make sure you swing by Ghiradelli's!

 

[tommya60]

We were in SF last summer, we stayed at the Holiday Inn on the wharf. Great location, easy access to everything, reasonable prices. There is a drugstore across the street where you can purchase a muni pass for in the city transportation (includes the cable cars). The city transportation to Pier 33 and Alcatrez are on the corner, very easy. It's not super deluxe, but it was nice, clean and very convenient.
FYI you need to make reservations for Alcatrez....and they do sell out on some days.

 

[Maleficent59]

Sorry! Double Post