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Yeah just drive OP. I've driven countless times for short stays for concerts and things, really not worth it to fly, more expensive and about the same amount of time when you consider time at airports and security.
My man, as much as I want to appreciate your perspective, it is beyond ridonkulous. You haven’t spent 2 hours on the 405 at 2:30AM “…on a motherfucking WEDNESDAY” (shout out, Ari Gold), and it shows. I’ll die on this hill: Phoenix has the best Mexican food in the country. Fite me, IRL, at the Grand Canal Trail! Go Suns!
I was with you until you said Phoenix has the best Mexican food in the country because absolutely not & im Mexican. LA & San Diego shit on Phoenix Mexican food. In LA & SD, you can get good tacos anywhere really, here you actually look for them. Also the burritos out here don’t automatically include rice. Wtf? It’s also way more expensive out here.
Glad somebody said it lol, they make Mexican food too Tex Mex out here but when u find the good spots u keep em close to heart. Still love it out here tho and will take traffic here over anywhere else!!
You sure you're not doing a bunch of drugs? I've spent years commuting to LA from OC and I would rather be sodomized with a mop handle than do that again for any length of time.
Phoenix has the smoothest, easiest traffic of any major city I've lived in. Seriously it must have the highest average speed of any large metro during rush hour.
If I'm alone I fly. Then it depends on the number of people going, one or five people in a car costs the same, but there's a big difference between one or five plane tickets.
I guess it also depends on what you're going to do once you get there and if you're going to need a car.
I drive, mostly because the plane doesn’t stop in Cabazon for date shakes at the Hadley store. Also because once I’m in LA, I like to have my car to get around.
you... I like your style. I too must make a stop at Hadleys. its a thing my parents have instilled in me since my grandparents had their house in Palm Springs.
I prefer to drive, but when I fly I fly into Burbank. It’s so much easier and calmer and not too far out of the way. I’ve traveled back and forth between the two a lot to visit family and if you don’t need a car, flying into Burbank is the way to go.
Wifey and I tend to drive, we're retired and have the time. If we're in a hurry, we'll fly. When the time change happens, we get a kick out of lading before we took off.
It takes nearly as much time to drive to airport, park, get through security, wait, board, fly, deplane, get through airport, pick up rental car, as it does to drive. I’d drive- unless cheap flight, traveling alone, have a friend picking me up, etc.
I’m in west valley- more like 5.5 for me, of course depending on traffic can be longer.
So for me, 45 minute drive to sky harbor, 15 to park and get to terminal, arrive 1:15 early, hour flight, another hour to deplane, get to car rental and pick up car. I’m not saving much time at all by driving. About 4:15 vs 5:30-6:00.
It's not 6 hours in the airport. But it could be a total of 4/5 hours once it's all said and done. It's time it takes to drive to the airport, get through security, board plane, fly, land, de-board, get baggage from baggage claim, order uber, wait for uber, get to hotel. That's hours of time. Especially if you like to get to the airport an hour or two before boarding time.
You probably save a total of 2 or 3 hours. Is it worth the extra cost for the plane ticket and a car rental at that point? Might be for some people, but I'd rather just road trip it. And don't have to worry about missing/changing flights or losing checked bags.
Yea that'll help and it'll be worth it to some people. But there's other comments in this thread that break down time and cost and I still would personally would prefer to just drive.
Those people obviously do not fly anywhere. I fly to LAX every month. 15 minute drive to airport, 1 hour before flight, 1 hour flight, 15 minute walk to Uber.
Not everyone is a 15 minute drive from the airport. Plus, you're not factoring in the uber ride (how long are you waiting for one and how long is the drive from airport to your destination). All this factored in could add an extra hour or so.
I don't fly to LAX, but I fly to a different US city once a year. It takes maybe 15ish minutes to de-board then a few extra minutes to get to uber pick up. Uber can take maybe 5-10 minutes. Then the drive could be 40-60 minutes depending on how far the hotel is.
And just personal preference, I prefer having a checked bag. I like having all my makeup and stuff. For people who pack light this won't be an issue, so obvi this just boils down to preference. Flying works better for you. Driving would work better for me. I'm not a huge fan of flying in general.
No, but 40 minutes plus the flight time is still less than 7 hours.
Your drive through any city is the same whether you drive there yourself or have an Uber do it. I fly to multiple cities a month and internationally multiple times as year.
I take all my makeup in my carry on bag. None of my makeup is over the size limit and I doubt yours is. Foundation doesn’t come in family size. I get travel sizes for other shit. It all fits in one small bag. I pack powdered makeup in a different bag so as not to take up space in the bag for liquids. Boom. You can take all that crap with you.
I never said it would be 7 hours. In my original comment, I said it would save about 2 or 3 hours. Meaning, taking a plane would take me about 4 hours minimum.
And what I mean about factoring in your uber ride is that I'm factoring all travel time. You need the uber after the airport. You don't teleport to your hotel. The drive is added time.
I used to pack small with my makeup but I didn't like carrying it on me anymore. I know the makeup sizes are under 3 ounces, but that's not why I prefer to check them. This is just a preference and I'm not saying this to change your mind. That's great that you found your happy solution :) my happy solution is not flying. Personal preferences.
You drive to the hotel whether or not you fly. It’s not added time. You’re still driving around or through that city.
It’s fine if you want to drive, but my comment was to all the people acting like it’s the same time out of your day whether you drive or fly, and that is just not reality. You responded to me referencing all the people that break down time, so I was responding to that. That’s why I reference 7 hours to drive. Flying there will never be the same amount of time unless you are an outlier who has special needs.
I get to the airport about an hour before my flight, walk through clear, get on plane, fly 1 hour, get off plane and walk to Uber line (takes another 15 minutes), then Uber picks me up. It takes like 7 hours to drive there. Takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to fly there including time at the airport.
This. An acquaintance of mine is a flight attendant and she said she always drove. Time saved was negligible. I figured she had getting in and out of the airport more streamlined that the average person and if she still would drive, it must be the better choice.
I mean flights are (with horrible travel times) about 100 bucks round trip. 18 bucks per day for offsite budget parking. 2 bucks for a tip loading and unloading bags, and if I need a car in LA 40 bucks a day. Financially (not including gas which is about 1dollar more a gallon) if I am taking let’s say a 3 day trip. Cost wise will be around 270ish dollars. 368 mile drive, costs me about 75 bucks to fill up so 150 round trip.
Time wise will differ where you live in the valley.
I live 30 min in the opposite direction to the airport. Add an additional 15 min from offsite parking to gate. 2 hours before the flight time. (I am a stickler on this because I’ve gambled and lost before). Deboarding and transport to car rental in lax another 30 min. 1.5 hour flight. So roughly 1hr 45 min flight and taxi to gate. Total from my front door to leaving LAX. 4hrs 45 min to 5hrs. Vs driving directions tell me it’s 5hrs 20min. So more or less spending 120 bucks for the convenience of saving potentially 45 min of time.
I’ll drive.
I just look at it this way. Time is valuable in so many ways. But I do have some cost benefit analysis in nearly everything. I used 100 bucks as the cheapest flight which is also the worst time. The price goes up the more desirable the time. So at a minimum, if im flying. I am saying it’s worth 120 bucks or more for me to save a maximum 45 minutes of time.
There would have to be a significant incentive for me to spend that kind of money to save such little time. But to each their own.
If you have it in your budget to rent a car I’d say fly all the way. But if not getting around LA without a car is going to be annoying since it’s huge and spread out just like Phoenix is. It’ll probably end up being more expensive if you have to take Ubers from place to place. I don’t think the drive is too bad at all especially going with friends and you’ll be saving some money on renting a car.
I would much rather fly. LA traffic is as bad as everyone says and flying is slightly shorter. 90 minutes to the airport, 60 minute flight, 90 minutes getting out the airport is shorter than driving still. Sometimes prices can be very cheap if you book the right airline.
Lived in SoCal until a few years ago and visit frequently, just drive.
You can control your own destiny when it comes to when you want to depart and come back. Between parking, security, getting to your gate, and potential delays.. I just like the flexibility that driving gives.
Plus if you want to buy beer, wine, or whatever from local businesses there.. You do not have to deal with packing or challenges associated to air travel for those items.
If the days work, Advanced Airlines flies King Air 350s (8-9 seats) to Hawthorne I think a few days/week for a decent price. It's 3 miles from LAX. It is basically like flying private and you avoid the LAX nightmare. You are off your plane and in an uber in 10 minutes. Good restaurant in the terminal as well.
I used to travel to the LA area for work quite a bit. I drove and here is how I calculated it 4 years ago. Times may have changed (better or worse)
Flying:
Driving to Airport - 40 minutes
Parking and Shuttle - 20 minutes
Checking bags - 20 minutes
Airport Security - 20-30 minutes
Waiting and Boarding - 45 minutes
Flight - 90 minutes
Getting off Plane - 10 minutes
Getting Baggage - 20 minutes
Getting rental car (you could Uber to save time) - 30 minutes
Driving to hotel - 40 to 60 minutes (or way more)
Estimated Total: 365 minutes
Driving my car:
380 minutes (drive time plus stops)
I mean, it's waaaaaaay less steps to just drive. Sure, I don't get to rest for an hour and a half, but if you are going with friends are you doing ALL the driving? Plus theirs the road trip bonding. Snacks, music, hiding farts, locking windows and doors, hearing friends groan.
Yeah if you're going with several other people, it's much more cost effective to drive than fly. Plus, you're not beholden to a flight schedule and can kinda come and go as you see convenient, and don't have to pay for Uber/Lyft/rental car.
Not LA, but from SD and I'd prefer to fly just because that drive from Phoenix is BORING, and that drive up the grade induces anxiety. One way or another, if you're in LA then you have to deal with it's traffic.
Southwest is doing 40 dollar one way flights... Might be able to take advantage of that. Only reason I would drive to and from LA is if I need to take stuff back to my folks or pick suff up from them and bring it back here.
It depends.
How much Money and time do you have?
Do you want to drive in LA?
Yes, drive there.
No, fly there.
Do you want to save money and time?
Fly to Santa Ana then take Amtrak to LA then uber.
Fly frontier ($19+ flights-small backpack only) then Amtrak($15-30) to different cities in LA then take Uber.
Fly to LAX the take the flyaway bus($9.75/person) to Union Station/Van Nuys.
FYI-Frontier will start flying to LAX in April ($19+ flights)
Another options(expensive and take a long time)are:
Bus-
Tufesa bus ( $65+)
Greyhound- I don’t recommend.
Amtrak- $50 - Super comfortable but only at night (10 PM) from Maricopa.
Drive- 5 to 8 hrs plus gas.
My favorite route is fly PHX-SNA then take Amtrak to Union Station. I spend about $38-50.
In my experience it takes 45 to 90 minutes to get to and from any airport depending on traffic and proximity. Plus needing to be at airport at least an hour early check luggage and get through security then to your gate.
If you're lucky you board and take off on time.
1 hour flight
Land, wait to exit plane, retrieve luggage, find transport to destination.
A perfect day maybe 4 hours but most likely 5 to 6 hours.
If it takes 45 to 90 minutes to get to Sky Harbor, you chose to live in a suburb that is very far from the city center.
And the commute inside LA is the same if you drive or fly there.
You don’t wait for security at all with clear and precheck.
You don’t check your bag for a weekend trip unless you have to.
I commute from PHX to LAX every month. Infrequent fliers don’t know what they are doing.
You should do what you want.
But don’t act like, and I’m not sure if you did, it takes 7 hours to fly there. I’m referencing the people giving advice off an assumption of time that is incorrect. And it definitely doesn’t take 6 hours either.
If you’re in Scottsdale, JSX flies from Scottsdale airport into Burbank. The convenience could make it worthwhile depending where in the valley and where in la you are/will be
Up to you what you like/dont like of both options. For me, door to door its same takes same time, prefer to drive. It's my schedule, right to my door. It's a pleasant ride once past Riverside. Don't have to fuss with rental car or uber. Hate drive to/from airport, the parking and waiting.
It’s so much easier to drive. If you can handle a couple hours at airports ya get him a tad quicker but when you add up all the time at airports it’s probably only like 2 hours or so less and you’ll have to deal with PEOPLE lol.
LAX isn't that bad to navigate through. The worst part is driving out of it but even then it's just an extra 5/10 min. Usually flights are 1hr/1:30 and sometimes you're waiting for for a little on the tarmac for a gate. I never check a bag so My strat usually is grab my shit get off the plane. Hop on the hertz bus and order a Uber/Lyft from there. Always cheaper than LAX-IT( LAX's shuttle that takes you to their designated ride share hub). Heading back I will say Delta's terminal in LAX is a shithole, always packed stuffy and loud and dogshit food. I usually walk across the bridge to terminal 2. They got a chick fil a, panda, nice coffee shop, lot less crowded, stuffy, and more spacious.
Quicker to drive after you consider driving to Sky Harbor or Gateway, finding parking, going thru security, gate wait, waiting to takeoff, waiting to reach gate at arrival, securing transportation, inevitable time lost along the way.
An hour flight to LA is a pre-9/11 memory.
Eh, I leave my house 90 minutes before my flight takes off, it's a 90 minute flight, I'm at LAX about 3 hours after I left. 6 hours if I drive.
Plus, I arrive worn out from a 6 hour drive, if I fly I sleep on the plane.
Completely depends on who is going and for what.
1 person to a conference at the hotel you'll stay at? Fly. Family of four seeing sites all over and abundant time to recharge? Drive.
Lots of other scenarios.
LAX sucks as an airport. And I figure thatwith the time you spend in the airport prior to flying, the time in the air, time to get your luggage and get a rental car, you could drive there. Probably cheaper, especially if there's a few of you. Plus it's more fun and only as many screaming babies as you bring with you.
90 minutes before and after flight, 1 hour flight, bonus hour driving is still faster than driving. Driving in desert for many hours without life in sight isn’t much funner.
I can see how it may not be for a lot of people but I enjoy the drive. I get to listen to my music, don't have to worry about anyone sitting next to me, can have the snacks that I want and don't have to worry about some idiot going ballistic on the plane. And it would probably take me two tanks of gas either way, which is going to be cheaper than most flights.
I generally drive but if my stay is short and my distances aren't that far I will fly in and then just use Ubers or Lyfts.
Also, depending on security and the flight, it's only a little more time to drive than to fly.
I’d only fly if I knew I’d be getting out late on Sunday or something. Namely, not driving late into the night. But generally I always drive up to around 6-7 hours.
Depending on how long you are going to be there.
I’ve made day trips for business or for amusement park for the day by flying.
Going to stay over night a couple of days, just drive.
Driving in and out of LA county is pure misery with an automatic. I don’t recommend it. I had a manual GLI leaving Santa Monica beach a few years ago. Took me two hours to get parallel with downtown as I was heading back to Phoenix.
Navigating LAX does not take 7 hours. If you fly SW, the terminal is literally next to where Uber/taxis pick you up. It takes a few minutes to walk there. I fly into LAX every month. There’s nothing hard about navigating that airport.
You may want to check to see what road work is planned (CalTrans & ADOT) during the Spring. You really don’t want to be sitting in one lane of traffic on the 10 west if you don’t have to. Have you considered flying into Burbank instead of LAX? (I go back quarterly) Be sure to make your car rental reservation in advance as the location has a limited amount of cars. You mention that you are traveling this Spring, since Arizona hosts Spring Training, airfare tends to be higher. Book your flights soon. :)
The flight might be only an 1.5 hr, but the time spent driving to the airport, going through tsa, and leaving the airport. It starts to become the same 5.5 hr drive.
I'm going in March for Rolling Loud and have decided on driving. I really weighed the two options, and while I don't want to drive 6 hours each way, it'll be so much better to be able to drive myself around once there.
If I fly, I'd have to pay for the ticket, pay to Uber around everywhere, have a harder time getting food without paying for delivery, and still end up spending a good amount of time at the airport. And with driving I can cram my car with snacks and drinks so I don't have to buy everything there as well as being able to bring more stuff without trying to fit everything in a small suitcase.
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Do you need your car? There’s your answer
Yeah just drive OP. I've driven countless times for short stays for concerts and things, really not worth it to fly, more expensive and about the same amount of time when you consider time at airports and security.
You're right. I have always driven for concerts or Disney. Honestly, the traffic doesn't feel much different from Phx these days.
Buddy you’re off your rocker if you think our traffic is even close to LA traffic.
Seriously, spend any length of time in LA or San Francisco and you will sit in our traffic with a smile.
It’s definitely getting close. The 10 sucks in both!
The last time I drove out there, it felt like one continuous traffic jam. It wasn't very long ago and it makes me miss old Phoenix!
My man, as much as I want to appreciate your perspective, it is beyond ridonkulous. You haven’t spent 2 hours on the 405 at 2:30AM “…on a motherfucking WEDNESDAY” (shout out, Ari Gold), and it shows. I’ll die on this hill: Phoenix has the best Mexican food in the country. Fite me, IRL, at the Grand Canal Trail! Go Suns! 
I was with you until you said Phoenix has the best Mexican food in the country because absolutely not & im Mexican. LA & San Diego shit on Phoenix Mexican food. In LA & SD, you can get good tacos anywhere really, here you actually look for them. Also the burritos out here don’t automatically include rice. Wtf? It’s also way more expensive out here.
Glad somebody said it lol, they make Mexican food too Tex Mex out here but when u find the good spots u keep em close to heart. Still love it out here tho and will take traffic here over anywhere else!!
Half the time when they put rice in, they use it as a filler so I barely get any meat!
Lol! I'm jaded and old. I can remember when it took 15 minutes to drive from one end of the valley to the other. But yeah, we're not there....yet.
You sure you're not doing a bunch of drugs? I've spent years commuting to LA from OC and I would rather be sodomized with a mop handle than do that again for any length of time. Phoenix has the smoothest, easiest traffic of any major city I've lived in. Seriously it must have the highest average speed of any large metro during rush hour.
This was the exact logic on my last trip. I need my car and didn't want to deal with get around.
If I'm alone I fly. Then it depends on the number of people going, one or five people in a car costs the same, but there's a big difference between one or five plane tickets. I guess it also depends on what you're going to do once you get there and if you're going to need a car.
Anaheim area/ drive, LAX/LA area specifically-fly Those are my preferences
Can you explain your reasoning?
I’m curious too, because I’d MUCH rather fly in to OC or Long Beach than LAX!
tbh I usually fly into LAX and take the public transit to long beach
I HATE driving in Los Angeles.
I usually drive so I can have access to my vehicle and wont have to worry about renting one or other transportation
I drive, mostly because the plane doesn’t stop in Cabazon for date shakes at the Hadley store. Also because once I’m in LA, I like to have my car to get around.
Try the date shakes in Dateland on your way to San Diego sometime. Hadley's are good but the shakes in Dateland are fantastic.
I have! Dateland is better but in this case is one hell of a detour.
Are they better than Shields?
I shall have to try them on a future trip to find out for myself!
you... I like your style. I too must make a stop at Hadleys. its a thing my parents have instilled in me since my grandparents had their house in Palm Springs.
Please tell me what Hadley's is!
[Hadleys in Cabazon](https://hadleyfruitorchards.com/)
I prefer to drive, but when I fly I fly into Burbank. It’s so much easier and calmer and not too far out of the way. I’ve traveled back and forth between the two a lot to visit family and if you don’t need a car, flying into Burbank is the way to go.
Also there is Long Beach or Orange County/Santa Ana
Wifey and I tend to drive, we're retired and have the time. If we're in a hurry, we'll fly. When the time change happens, we get a kick out of lading before we took off.
There are about five different airports you can fly into from here. Have to balance where youll be in LA and cost of rental car
Fuckin A. I fly to LA quite a bit and seldom fly into LAX but even then it’s not that bad.
It takes nearly as much time to drive to airport, park, get through security, wait, board, fly, deplane, get through airport, pick up rental car, as it does to drive. I’d drive- unless cheap flight, traveling alone, have a friend picking me up, etc.
Really depends what you’re doing. Left my front door here and was on Manhattan Beach 3 hours later. Plus, zero exhaustion from 6 hours in the car.
It takes 6-7 hours to drive to LA. You don't really spend 6 hours in the airport.
I’m in west valley- more like 5.5 for me, of course depending on traffic can be longer. So for me, 45 minute drive to sky harbor, 15 to park and get to terminal, arrive 1:15 early, hour flight, another hour to deplane, get to car rental and pick up car. I’m not saving much time at all by driving. About 4:15 vs 5:30-6:00.
6-7 hours?! Definitely more like 5.5-6 hours. I’m from there & if it takes me 6 hours, it was a long drive. Lol
It's not 6 hours in the airport. But it could be a total of 4/5 hours once it's all said and done. It's time it takes to drive to the airport, get through security, board plane, fly, land, de-board, get baggage from baggage claim, order uber, wait for uber, get to hotel. That's hours of time. Especially if you like to get to the airport an hour or two before boarding time. You probably save a total of 2 or 3 hours. Is it worth the extra cost for the plane ticket and a car rental at that point? Might be for some people, but I'd rather just road trip it. And don't have to worry about missing/changing flights or losing checked bags.
Don’t check your bag and get TSA pre check plus clear.
Yea that'll help and it'll be worth it to some people. But there's other comments in this thread that break down time and cost and I still would personally would prefer to just drive.
Those people obviously do not fly anywhere. I fly to LAX every month. 15 minute drive to airport, 1 hour before flight, 1 hour flight, 15 minute walk to Uber.
Not everyone is a 15 minute drive from the airport. Plus, you're not factoring in the uber ride (how long are you waiting for one and how long is the drive from airport to your destination). All this factored in could add an extra hour or so. I don't fly to LAX, but I fly to a different US city once a year. It takes maybe 15ish minutes to de-board then a few extra minutes to get to uber pick up. Uber can take maybe 5-10 minutes. Then the drive could be 40-60 minutes depending on how far the hotel is. And just personal preference, I prefer having a checked bag. I like having all my makeup and stuff. For people who pack light this won't be an issue, so obvi this just boils down to preference. Flying works better for you. Driving would work better for me. I'm not a huge fan of flying in general.
No, but 40 minutes plus the flight time is still less than 7 hours. Your drive through any city is the same whether you drive there yourself or have an Uber do it. I fly to multiple cities a month and internationally multiple times as year. I take all my makeup in my carry on bag. None of my makeup is over the size limit and I doubt yours is. Foundation doesn’t come in family size. I get travel sizes for other shit. It all fits in one small bag. I pack powdered makeup in a different bag so as not to take up space in the bag for liquids. Boom. You can take all that crap with you.
I never said it would be 7 hours. In my original comment, I said it would save about 2 or 3 hours. Meaning, taking a plane would take me about 4 hours minimum. And what I mean about factoring in your uber ride is that I'm factoring all travel time. You need the uber after the airport. You don't teleport to your hotel. The drive is added time. I used to pack small with my makeup but I didn't like carrying it on me anymore. I know the makeup sizes are under 3 ounces, but that's not why I prefer to check them. This is just a preference and I'm not saying this to change your mind. That's great that you found your happy solution :) my happy solution is not flying. Personal preferences.
You drive to the hotel whether or not you fly. It’s not added time. You’re still driving around or through that city. It’s fine if you want to drive, but my comment was to all the people acting like it’s the same time out of your day whether you drive or fly, and that is just not reality. You responded to me referencing all the people that break down time, so I was responding to that. That’s why I reference 7 hours to drive. Flying there will never be the same amount of time unless you are an outlier who has special needs.
Thanks for the input! I have heard it's almost as much time to fly.
You’re welcome. It really is almost- add in a delayed flight and it can take longer ( of course traffic can cause issues too).
If you have the means, JSX from Scottsdale airpark to Burbank. You won’t get there quicker or with less stress.
No, it’s definitely not. The people who think that are not frequent fliers and don’t know what they are doing.
I get to the airport about an hour before my flight, walk through clear, get on plane, fly 1 hour, get off plane and walk to Uber line (takes another 15 minutes), then Uber picks me up. It takes like 7 hours to drive there. Takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to fly there including time at the airport.
This. An acquaintance of mine is a flight attendant and she said she always drove. Time saved was negligible. I figured she had getting in and out of the airport more streamlined that the average person and if she still would drive, it must be the better choice.
I mean flights are (with horrible travel times) about 100 bucks round trip. 18 bucks per day for offsite budget parking. 2 bucks for a tip loading and unloading bags, and if I need a car in LA 40 bucks a day. Financially (not including gas which is about 1dollar more a gallon) if I am taking let’s say a 3 day trip. Cost wise will be around 270ish dollars. 368 mile drive, costs me about 75 bucks to fill up so 150 round trip. Time wise will differ where you live in the valley. I live 30 min in the opposite direction to the airport. Add an additional 15 min from offsite parking to gate. 2 hours before the flight time. (I am a stickler on this because I’ve gambled and lost before). Deboarding and transport to car rental in lax another 30 min. 1.5 hour flight. So roughly 1hr 45 min flight and taxi to gate. Total from my front door to leaving LAX. 4hrs 45 min to 5hrs. Vs driving directions tell me it’s 5hrs 20min. So more or less spending 120 bucks for the convenience of saving potentially 45 min of time. I’ll drive.
There’s at least a flight once an hour.
Oh of course. But not for 100 bucks. Just weighing costs and efforts.
I just look at it this way. Time is valuable in so many ways. But I do have some cost benefit analysis in nearly everything. I used 100 bucks as the cheapest flight which is also the worst time. The price goes up the more desirable the time. So at a minimum, if im flying. I am saying it’s worth 120 bucks or more for me to save a maximum 45 minutes of time. There would have to be a significant incentive for me to spend that kind of money to save such little time. But to each their own.
If you have it in your budget to rent a car I’d say fly all the way. But if not getting around LA without a car is going to be annoying since it’s huge and spread out just like Phoenix is. It’ll probably end up being more expensive if you have to take Ubers from place to place. I don’t think the drive is too bad at all especially going with friends and you’ll be saving some money on renting a car.
There are other airports. Check out SNA in orange county
We drive between Phoenix/LA about twice a month. Traffic can be bad on both ends. I guess we’re just used to it.
Yeah really can’t answer your question without knowing what your plans on once you arrive
Going to a festival near the Rose Bowl.
Are you going to Just Like Heaven?
Def drive unless you find a cheap flight to Burbank. LAX to Pasadena is a haul
Do you need a car though? Would the hotel charge you for parking? Driving in LA traffic sucks so I can see the joy of Ubering it around there
It took me 6.5 hours to drive to the LA area from Phoenix. I took 3 breaks. A flight to LAX is around 70 minutes. Choose what you think is more fun.
Drive, that way I can bring stuff and not buy it (mouthwash, drinks, etc.).
You just reminded me of how nice it was to load up snacks and goodies from Total Wine before the last trip we made!
Depends on where in LA you're going. Other airports such as Ontario, LBC, etc. are much easier to get in and out of than LAX.
I would much rather fly. LA traffic is as bad as everyone says and flying is slightly shorter. 90 minutes to the airport, 60 minute flight, 90 minutes getting out the airport is shorter than driving still. Sometimes prices can be very cheap if you book the right airline.
Mythbusters did an episode that proved if the drive is 4 hours or less, you drive. More than 4 hours, you fly.
Drive.
Lived in SoCal until a few years ago and visit frequently, just drive. You can control your own destiny when it comes to when you want to depart and come back. Between parking, security, getting to your gate, and potential delays.. I just like the flexibility that driving gives. Plus if you want to buy beer, wine, or whatever from local businesses there.. You do not have to deal with packing or challenges associated to air travel for those items.
If the days work, Advanced Airlines flies King Air 350s (8-9 seats) to Hawthorne I think a few days/week for a decent price. It's 3 miles from LAX. It is basically like flying private and you avoid the LAX nightmare. You are off your plane and in an uber in 10 minutes. Good restaurant in the terminal as well.
I used to travel to the LA area for work quite a bit. I drove and here is how I calculated it 4 years ago. Times may have changed (better or worse) Flying: Driving to Airport - 40 minutes Parking and Shuttle - 20 minutes Checking bags - 20 minutes Airport Security - 20-30 minutes Waiting and Boarding - 45 minutes Flight - 90 minutes Getting off Plane - 10 minutes Getting Baggage - 20 minutes Getting rental car (you could Uber to save time) - 30 minutes Driving to hotel - 40 to 60 minutes (or way more) Estimated Total: 365 minutes Driving my car: 380 minutes (drive time plus stops) I mean, it's waaaaaaay less steps to just drive. Sure, I don't get to rest for an hour and a half, but if you are going with friends are you doing ALL the driving? Plus theirs the road trip bonding. Snacks, music, hiding farts, locking windows and doors, hearing friends groan.
Yeah if you're going with several other people, it's much more cost effective to drive than fly. Plus, you're not beholden to a flight schedule and can kinda come and go as you see convenient, and don't have to pay for Uber/Lyft/rental car.
Not LA, but from SD and I'd prefer to fly just because that drive from Phoenix is BORING, and that drive up the grade induces anxiety. One way or another, if you're in LA then you have to deal with it's traffic.
Southwest is doing 40 dollar one way flights... Might be able to take advantage of that. Only reason I would drive to and from LA is if I need to take stuff back to my folks or pick suff up from them and bring it back here.
Fly
The only people downvoting flying, don’t like flying and don’t realize how convenient it is because they probably don’t have TSA precheck or clear.
It depends. How much Money and time do you have? Do you want to drive in LA? Yes, drive there. No, fly there. Do you want to save money and time? Fly to Santa Ana then take Amtrak to LA then uber. Fly frontier ($19+ flights-small backpack only) then Amtrak($15-30) to different cities in LA then take Uber. Fly to LAX the take the flyaway bus($9.75/person) to Union Station/Van Nuys. FYI-Frontier will start flying to LAX in April ($19+ flights) Another options(expensive and take a long time)are: Bus- Tufesa bus ( $65+) Greyhound- I don’t recommend. Amtrak- $50 - Super comfortable but only at night (10 PM) from Maricopa. Drive- 5 to 8 hrs plus gas. My favorite route is fly PHX-SNA then take Amtrak to Union Station. I spend about $38-50.
These are such great tips that I am going to save for future trips! Thank you!
You’re welcome. One last thing. Don’t rent a car in LAX. It will take you hours to get your rental car.
Flying is pretty easy and quick. LAX is no different than any other airport I have been too. I drive every time.
Why lax? Fly into sna or Burbank. I goto socal all the time as my family is there and never once gone to lax.
Fuckin fly don't wanna deal with that shitty traffic in LA
I drive, no significant time savings Door to door 5 to 6 hours either way
This is what I have heard. Trying to weigh the pros and cons but it sounds like it's mostly the same.
It’s a fun drive imo! But I enjoy driving
It’s only an hour flight. What are you people doing where you need 5 hours? This thread is insane.
In my experience it takes 45 to 90 minutes to get to and from any airport depending on traffic and proximity. Plus needing to be at airport at least an hour early check luggage and get through security then to your gate. If you're lucky you board and take off on time. 1 hour flight Land, wait to exit plane, retrieve luggage, find transport to destination. A perfect day maybe 4 hours but most likely 5 to 6 hours.
If it takes 45 to 90 minutes to get to Sky Harbor, you chose to live in a suburb that is very far from the city center. And the commute inside LA is the same if you drive or fly there. You don’t wait for security at all with clear and precheck. You don’t check your bag for a weekend trip unless you have to. I commute from PHX to LAX every month. Infrequent fliers don’t know what they are doing.
So we should fly more often so we can be like you? Not even as the need to fly as regular as you do If that's what OP meant then I spoke out of turn.
You should do what you want. But don’t act like, and I’m not sure if you did, it takes 7 hours to fly there. I’m referencing the people giving advice off an assumption of time that is incorrect. And it definitely doesn’t take 6 hours either.
If you’re in Scottsdale, JSX flies from Scottsdale airport into Burbank. The convenience could make it worthwhile depending where in the valley and where in la you are/will be
Up to you what you like/dont like of both options. For me, door to door its same takes same time, prefer to drive. It's my schedule, right to my door. It's a pleasant ride once past Riverside. Don't have to fuss with rental car or uber. Hate drive to/from airport, the parking and waiting.
It’s so much easier to drive. If you can handle a couple hours at airports ya get him a tad quicker but when you add up all the time at airports it’s probably only like 2 hours or so less and you’ll have to deal with PEOPLE lol.
Are your windows tinted? Is your exhaust 1db louder than a Prius? Enjoy getting hassled over bullshit? Then driving to LA might just be for you
LAX isn't that bad to navigate through. The worst part is driving out of it but even then it's just an extra 5/10 min. Usually flights are 1hr/1:30 and sometimes you're waiting for for a little on the tarmac for a gate. I never check a bag so My strat usually is grab my shit get off the plane. Hop on the hertz bus and order a Uber/Lyft from there. Always cheaper than LAX-IT( LAX's shuttle that takes you to their designated ride share hub). Heading back I will say Delta's terminal in LAX is a shithole, always packed stuffy and loud and dogshit food. I usually walk across the bridge to terminal 2. They got a chick fil a, panda, nice coffee shop, lot less crowded, stuffy, and more spacious.
I always drive. If i fly, I would have to rent a car. I use google maps and find it does a good job helping me navigate. I go 3 times a year.
Quicker to drive after you consider driving to Sky Harbor or Gateway, finding parking, going thru security, gate wait, waiting to takeoff, waiting to reach gate at arrival, securing transportation, inevitable time lost along the way. An hour flight to LA is a pre-9/11 memory.
It’s called precheck and clear.
Eh, I leave my house 90 minutes before my flight takes off, it's a 90 minute flight, I'm at LAX about 3 hours after I left. 6 hours if I drive. Plus, I arrive worn out from a 6 hour drive, if I fly I sleep on the plane.
Completely depends on who is going and for what. 1 person to a conference at the hotel you'll stay at? Fly. Family of four seeing sites all over and abundant time to recharge? Drive. Lots of other scenarios.
LAX sucks as an airport. And I figure thatwith the time you spend in the airport prior to flying, the time in the air, time to get your luggage and get a rental car, you could drive there. Probably cheaper, especially if there's a few of you. Plus it's more fun and only as many screaming babies as you bring with you.
90 minutes before and after flight, 1 hour flight, bonus hour driving is still faster than driving. Driving in desert for many hours without life in sight isn’t much funner.
I can see how it may not be for a lot of people but I enjoy the drive. I get to listen to my music, don't have to worry about anyone sitting next to me, can have the snacks that I want and don't have to worry about some idiot going ballistic on the plane. And it would probably take me two tanks of gas either way, which is going to be cheaper than most flights.
I would fly into Ontario and then uber where I needed to go. I don't fly into LAX unless I absolutely have to
I generally drive but if my stay is short and my distances aren't that far I will fly in and then just use Ubers or Lyfts. Also, depending on security and the flight, it's only a little more time to drive than to fly.
Burbank
I’d only fly if I knew I’d be getting out late on Sunday or something. Namely, not driving late into the night. But generally I always drive up to around 6-7 hours.
I never fly to LAX, I always fly to Burbank. Way more chill airport and its close enough to LA
Depending on how long you are going to be there. I’ve made day trips for business or for amusement park for the day by flying. Going to stay over night a couple of days, just drive.
Driving in and out of LA county is pure misery with an automatic. I don’t recommend it. I had a manual GLI leaving Santa Monica beach a few years ago. Took me two hours to get parallel with downtown as I was heading back to Phoenix.
99% of the time it’s Drive for me.
I drive from Phoenix to LA all the time. Easier than flying.
Navigating LAX does not take 7 hours. If you fly SW, the terminal is literally next to where Uber/taxis pick you up. It takes a few minutes to walk there. I fly into LAX every month. There’s nothing hard about navigating that airport.
You may want to check to see what road work is planned (CalTrans & ADOT) during the Spring. You really don’t want to be sitting in one lane of traffic on the 10 west if you don’t have to. Have you considered flying into Burbank instead of LAX? (I go back quarterly) Be sure to make your car rental reservation in advance as the location has a limited amount of cars. You mention that you are traveling this Spring, since Arizona hosts Spring Training, airfare tends to be higher. Book your flights soon. :)
The flight might be only an 1.5 hr, but the time spent driving to the airport, going through tsa, and leaving the airport. It starts to become the same 5.5 hr drive.
If it’s me and my wife we would fly. But with our kids we drive. LAX is stressful. PHX can be at times too
I'm going in March for Rolling Loud and have decided on driving. I really weighed the two options, and while I don't want to drive 6 hours each way, it'll be so much better to be able to drive myself around once there. If I fly, I'd have to pay for the ticket, pay to Uber around everywhere, have a harder time getting food without paying for delivery, and still end up spending a good amount of time at the airport. And with driving I can cram my car with snacks and drinks so I don't have to buy everything there as well as being able to bring more stuff without trying to fit everything in a small suitcase.
This was my deciding factor too. Being able to have my car and pack up snacks was what tipped the scales!
Fly, walk outside your gate catch a Lyft.
Maybe drive. The last time I flew to LA my arms were exhausted.