We have an 8:20 AM flight to catch at LAX on a Saturday morning (Sept. 11). Considering rental car return, baggage check and security lines, what time should we leave SB to catch our flight ?

I think you'd need to leave no later than 5am. Traffic early Sat morning shouldn't be bad but you never know.

Personally, I would drive to LAX Friday night (to miss traffic), turn in your rental car and stay by the airport that evening. In the morning you can just take a hotel shuttle to the airport. You can usually get a room by LAX on priceline for very cheap.

I'd do the same as Paula. Even if you have plans for dinner in Santa Barbara, I'd do the drive to LAX. There are tons of hotels within a 5 minute shuttle ride ot the airport.

I often take an 8:30 AM out of LAX, coming up from San Diego. I always feel I have to allow so much extra time for unusual traffic or car rental issues that I end up at the airport way before the coffee shops even open. I also have trouble sleeping the night before, worrying that I I'll oversleep, get caught in traffic, etc. When I drive up the night before, I have no pressure and sleep like a baby!

Otherwise, 5 am should be about right.

lcuy-Glad I am not the only one who can't sleep when I have to get up for an early flight!! I am so worried I will miss my alarm that I might as well just stay up all night.

Me too! I had a 6 am flight recently and spent the night before at a hotel near the airport...still couldn't sleep, because I was afraid of missing my (3:30 am) alarm. Not gonna do that again.

I would leave a little earlier, by 4:30am, considering you will have to return your car and check in your bags. The drive alone will be around 2 hours.

ramsay: I absolutely agree w/ the others that you should stay near LAX. You wouldn't lose any usable time in Santa Barbara. You'd get no benefit from that last morning since you'd be leaving before sunrise.

So - I'd have dinner in SB, have another walk on the beach, load up the car and drive to LAX that night. Get rid of the car and check into a hotel and get a semi-normal night's sleep. No way I'd want to drive SB to LAX for an early AM flight -- even on a weekend.

I realize that I am Ms. Worst Case Scenario, but when we stay in West Hollywood, I need to leave the hotel 2 1/2 hours before the flt when we are returning a rental car.

Ditto to the above advice about staying at an LAX hotel the night before. There are so many to choose from!