travelinandgolfin

Well, it looks like they have even cheaper fares than SW Airlines from Portland to LA, so I'm thinking of using them. I've never flown them, so I was hoping to get some thoughts here.

Also, they don't land at LAX (according to their website), but fly into Long Beach. Any thoughts on that?

One final thing. We will still have to fly out of LAX to return to Hawaii, so I check on a rental car picking up at Long Beach Airport, but returning to LAX, and the rate is cheaper than if I picked up and dropped off at LAX. Any idea why?

Thanks for the help.

azzure

Don't know about the rental car issue, but Long Beach is our airport of choice when flying into SoCal. Very easy to negotiate and relatively close to everything. It's a cute place, too, with a 1930's ArtDeco ambiance.

MomDDTravel

cannot speak to the car rental - but JetBlue and LBG are my choice is possible as well. The airport has very cheap long term parking, is very easy to get in and out of. You can truly walk to the rental car area - it is very fast and easy.

gb944

As for JetBlue, they have become my favorite airline. Although I live around 100 miles from JFK, I pass by several airports on the way to JFK, since the majority of Jetblue flights leave from their.

I like the extra kneeroom, the unlimited snacks and bottles of water, and the choices of directv and xm radio at each seat.

Of course, they have direct flights to and from San Jose, which means that I don't get stranded overnight at Chicago, Dallas, or Cincinnati.

travelbuff

The car rental difference in price is to get the cars from Long Beach TO LAX, which is where more cars would be rented. I've run into that all over the country, where the demand is higher for cars in specific locations. Not long ago I used Priceline for a car in NYC and got a car at Newark for $25day for return anywhere in Manhattan, the only problem was getting to Newark, but well worth the difference in pricing.

travelinandgolfin

Thanks all. Good to hear nothing wrong with JetBlue or LB airport. I like the idea you can walk to the rental car area.

travelbuff......that's very interesting. So I get a cheaper rate picking up from LB and dropping off at LAX because they WANT the car returned to LAX?

janisj

LAX has especially high car surcharges. Not as high as Denver which I understand can double the cost of a rental car - but higher than LB or most other CA airports. (SFO is also pretty high)

That plus the issue of the companies want more cars re-positioned into LAX instead of into other rental locations. So LB to LAX should be significantly cheaper than the other way around.

JetBlue is a wonderful airline IMO . . .

Christina

I like JB but fly them into Burbank, which has cheaper car rental rates than LAX. Don't they fly into Burbank from Portland?

travelbuff

Yes the car companies want the cars at LAX, since more cars are rented there, the need the inventory, so will offer lower rates if you are dropping off at LAX. IT's smart that way they don't have to have employees drive the cars there, and loose that revenue.

Don

I agree about that 1930s ambience. You deplane down stairways onto the tarmac and walk from there into the terminal--I hadn't done that in about 25 years.

It wasn't the greatest experience flying in there a few days before Christmas--wall-to-wall people with their luggage, meaning you had to elbow your way through the crowds. Once we made it over to the next terminal for our connecting flight, however, there were fewer people, and it really did feel like a throwback to yesteryear.

halogal21

Jet Blue out of LGB is my preference. I'm close to John Wayne but the ease of Long Beach is so much better!

travelinandgolfin

Thanks everyone for the great advice as usual! I've booked on JetBlue flying into LB.

Christina.....we're staying in the Buena Park area to visit family, so arriving in LB is more convenient landing in Burbank.

Thanks again all.