Before you can enjoy a wonderful vacation at Disneyland Resort, you have to get there! Getting to Anaheim or LA isn’t a problem but deciding on how to do that can prove difficult as there are five different airports all within Orange County, Los Angeles and Hollywood. In this post, we’ll break down all of the airport options when it comes to a Disneyland (or Los Angeles) vacation.

As I’ll lay out in the different airport options, much of this decision comes down to what you’re planning for a Southern California vacation. Are you just going to Disneyland? Do you want to go live the high life in Malibu or Laguna? Are there other theme parks you want to see? All of that and more is worth considering when it comes to what airport to fly into.

For as many words as I’m going to put into this post, it doesn’t have to be super complicated. Matrix ITA Software lays out the cheapest options in a fairly easy to understand format. They aren’t even paying me to say that, I just like the system that much! Of course, cheapest doesn’t always mean best. Convenience plays a big role in deciding on an airport. I tried to consider all of that in what I’ve listed below. As always, let me know if you have any questions! Let’s get to it.

Orange County/John Wayne/Santa Ana (SNA)

As if things needed to get more confusing, this airport has three (or four) names. Take it easy, would ya? We’re just trying to plan a trip here! If you can forgive the airport for the amount of names, there are plenty of reasons that this should be the choice for a Disneyland vacation. The main one is proximity.

SNA (I’m just sticking with this as the name) is the closest airport to Disneyland Resort, less than 20 minutes away if there’s not much traffic. And compared to other airports on this list, there won’t be as much traffic! This makes SNA an easy choice if you’re staying in a hotel around Disneyland Resort the entire time. Ride shares cost roughly $30-$40 for a one-way trip and there are plenty of rental car options at this airport. If you want to maximize your time in Disneyland then this is the choice, full stop.

Proximity isn’t the only asset this airport boasts. SNA is also really easy to navigate. The airport is much smaller than LAX but not so small that there isn’t anything inside of it. Getting through security is typically a breeze, as I’ve flown out of there over enough times to where I’ve lost count and have only waited more than 15 minutes once. The only reason I waited then was because both bag scanning machines broke down at the same time and they still got me through in 20 minutes! For the anxious travelers, this airport will put you at ease.

So, what’s the downside? The airport isn’t huge so if you’re on the east coast you might not have a direct flight to SNA. or it will be slightly more expensive to fly in here than one of the other options. On top of that, if you want to start or end your trip in LA then this airport is the farthest option from it. Those are negligible if you’re simply looking for convenience to Disneyland.

Los Angeles International (LAX)

Being one of the most famous airports in the world has its pros and cons. There are two negatives that really stand out about LAX, one of them specific to a Disneyland trip and one not. LAX isn’t very close to Anaheim and is very expensive to catch a ride share from. Renting a car is a way to sidestep those fees but that can be expensive too! In terms of actual travel time, LAX is probably going to be the 3rd or 4th closest to Disneyland at around an hour. But the expense is much higher than the alternatives.

The other downside is getting to (and sometimes from) LAX. Needless to say, the airport is busy and the loading/unloading can get really backed up at certain times. This isn’t always the case, I’ve zipped through those zones plenty of times without much delay. But I’ve also sat a mile outside of the airport for over half an hour in a standstill. I don’t know why or how that happens but it’s the worst part of LAX in general.

Outside of that, I actually like the airport! I know many others don’t share the opinion and the size of it is a little daunting. But the different terminals are generally well organized once inside. There are updates that LAX has made recently that make it feel very modern and sleek. For all of the flack the airport catches, I’ve never actually had a bad experience once inside of the airport. Because it’s so big, there seems to be ample security and the wait has never been egregious. Of course, I may have just gotten lucky in that regard!

In terms of location, LAX fits well if you’re looking to experience west and central LA. It is the airport closest to several beaches including Venice and Santa Monica. On top of that, nearly every airline flies into there. If you’re spending any time in LA then LAX is a viable option that isn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

Long Beach Airport (LGB)

I think of Long Beach Airport as SNA’s ugly step-sister. They’re both small airports with easy access to Orange County beaches and they both are easy to navigate. Long Beach likely won’t have long lines for security and won’t take much walking. But it’s also more of a no frills option that relatively few airlines fly into. In that way, it feels forgotten.

On the bright side, the airport is the second closest to Disneyland Resort. Location is also an asset for Long Beach, Huntington Beach or driving down the coast to Laguna. SNA is just as close to the latter two but a less interesting drive. Prices to Long Beach are somewhat comparable to all other spots I’m listing but with different airlines.

As far as ride shares go, the prices are pretty similar to SNA in the $30-$40 range to and from Disneyland. All in all, Long Beach Airport is a decent option but not one that stands out above other options. If it fits your airline preference or for some reason is cheaper then great but, if not, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Ontario International Airport (ONT)

We’ve run through the main options at this point but Ontario has one thing going for it – the price! If your airline of choice flies into Ontario then it will likely be the cheapest option of the four I have mentioned. Most of the time, we’ve noticed Ontario’s prices falling in line with LAX but you don’t have to deal with the hassle of getting to LAX!

The airport is east of Anaheim and LA, taking close to an hour to get to Disneyland. Because of the distance, a ride share usually would cost over $60. Obviously, that offsets the cheaper prices if you don’t find a good deal on a rental car. The other issue is that Ontario really isn’t close to any other points of tourism. With respect to Ontario Mills and Big Al’s (sadly not the Country Bear), I don’t think anyone is flying to Southern California to experience them. All that to say, really the only reason to fly into Ontario is if you found a phenomenal deal!

Other Options

The two other options worth mentioning are Hollywood Burbank Airport and San Diego International Airport. Neither make any sense at all if you’re focusing on Disneyland Resort for the trip. But San Diego is a beautiful city to explore if you’re not interested in LA and are looking to add to your Disneyland vacation. On the flip side, Burbank is very close to Universal Studios Hollywood and Hollywood in general. Again, there’s no reason to consider these airports unless you’re interested in those places!

Overall, we recommend SNA for a Disneyland focused trip but LAX is not as big of a headache as many say. That’s especially true if you’re spending time in LA.

Where do you fly into in Southern California? Let us know your thoughts, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Disneyland? Check out our Trip Planning Guide to help you out. This site will have discount tickets to help you save a few bucks! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!