Which Is The Best Airport Near Disneyland For Your Vacation?

Traveling to Disneyland for your vacation can be a little overwhelming. I can help you choose the best airport near Disneyland for your family! There are so many different airports to choose from near Disneyland. Knowing which option is best for you and your family can be tricky. Don’t stress. I’m here to help! I fly to Disneyland monthly and have a lot of experience with airports around the Disneyland theme parks area. In this post, we’ll talk about all the airport options including the closest airport, the cheapest airport, and which airport I think is the best option for your Disney vacation. I’ve also included some pros and cons of each option.

There are 5 main airports to choose from around Disneyland. That’s a lot! They are not all equal, but I guess having choices is a good thing. Even if it does make it a little harder to narrow down the best airport near Disneyland. Keep in mind that really any airport you choose will probably be great. You’re going to Disneyland and the airport is just a small part of your vacation. So, don’t stress. Just take this information and choose the airport that makes the most sense for your group and budget. It’s going to be great!

I’ve got a podcast episode about the best airports near Disneyland. Check it out!

Discount Disney Park Tickets And Hotels

Please be aware, that Disney theme parks all require park tickets and reservations. Make sure you have both! Please don’t pay full price for your Disney tickets or hotel. My partners at Get Away Today have the very best deals on tickets and hotels. Their customer service is top notch and they even have layaway plans. You can find them here or call 1-855-GET-AWAY. Make sure you tell them Melissa from Mix In Some Magic sent you for the best deal! If you book a package with park tickets and a hotel room you can use my code MIX10 to save an extra $10. That’s more churro money, friends!

I have a bunch of hotel reviews that might be helpful for you if you’re still trying to decide where you’d like to stay. 

Disneyland Planning Help

I’ve got bunches of information on planning a Disneyland trip that will be so helpful for you! Start with my complete guide to visiting Disneyland. It’s a step-by-step guide for planning your vacation that will be helpful. Check out my top 10 Disneyland tips and my guide to when to visit Disneyland to help you pick the best time for your vacation! I’ve also got a post on rope dropping at Disneyland that’s very helpful.

Make sure you check out my downloadable touring plans if you’d like a step-by-step guide to the parks that include Lightning Lane Multi Pass! 

I have a planning phone call that’s super popular! In this phone call, I can answer all of your Disneyland vacation questions and give you lots of tips and info tailored just to you and your group!

Best Airport Near Disneyland

Here are the most popular airports near Disneyland. There are some other airports in the surrounding areas, but I didn’t feel like they had enough going for them to make this list! I’ve only included the airports that I think would be a decent choice for your vacation. Read through the pros and cons of each one and hopefully, it will help you find the best airport near Disneyland for you!

Los Angeles International Airport(LAX)

The LAX airport is a top choice for lots of people for their Disneyland vacation. You can usually find good deals when flying into this airport because it’s the biggest airport in the area. They also offer a lot of direct flights, which is really nice. However, LAX is quite far from the Disneyland Resort. When you factor in LA traffic, you can usually plan on about 60-120 minutes to get to the Disneyland area. They do have lots of transportation options to get you to Disneyland like shuttle services, rideshare, taxis, public transportation, or rental cars. Keep in mind, it can be quite expensive to pay for a shuttle or rideshare from LAX to the Disneyland area. Any money you save on the airline ticket might be lost on transportation.

Distance to Disneyland: 34 miles

Time from the airport to Disneyland: Anywhere from 60-120 minutes depending on traffic.

Pros:

• Can often find good deals
• Direct flights

Cons:

• Far away
• Crowded Airport
• Transportation costs can be high

Hollywood Burbank Airport(BUR)

The Hollywood Burbank Airport(formerly the Bob Hope Airport) is sometimes considered when visiting Disneyland in southern California. This airport is quite far away from Disneyland and it will take you awhile to get there. You can sometimes find good deals at this airport. If you happen to be visiting Universal Studios during your visit, then this airport might be a good choice because it’s so close to Universal Studios Hollywood. They do have lots of transportation options to get you to Disneyland like rideshare, taxis, or rental cars. Keep in mind, it can be quite expensive to pay for a shuttle or rideshare from BUR to the Disneyland area. Any money you save on the airline ticket might be lost on transportation. If you’re just doing Disneyland, this option is not high on my list because of the travel time involved in getting to Disneyland and the high cost of transportation.

Distance to Disneyland: 41 miles

Time from airport to Disneyland: Anywhere from 60-120 minutes depending on traffic.

Pros:

• Can often find good deals
• Direct flights

Cons:

• Far away
• Transportation costs can be high

Ontario International Airport(ONT)

Some people find great deals at the Ontario International Airport, but this airport is very far away from Disneyland and I wouldn’t fly in here. This is another of the major airports on my list. Larger airports often have great deals, but they are all just too far away from Disneyland to be convenient. They do have lots of transportation options to get you to Disneyland like shuttle services, rideshare, taxis, public transportation, or rental cars. Keep in mind, it can be quite expensive to pay for a shuttle or rideshare from ONT to the Disneyland area. Any money you save on the airline ticket might be lost on transportation.

Distance to Disneyland: 35 miles

Time from the airport to Disneyland: 90-180 minutes depending on the traffic

Pros:

• Can sometimes find good deals

Cons:

• Far away
• Crowded airport
• Transportation costs can be high

John Wayne Airport-Orange County(SNA)

I love the John Wayne airport! For me, this is the best airport near Disneyland. It’s also known as the Santa Ana airport. This smaller airport is the closest airport to Disneyland and is my personal preference when traveling to Disneyland California. They host many major airlines and if you’re looking for the quickest drive to Disneyland, this is your best bet. Prices can be a little higher here, but the lower cost of ground transportation usually evens it out for me. They do have lots of transportation options to get you to Disneyland like shuttle services, rideshare, taxis, public transportation, or rental cars.

Distance to Disneyland: 14 miles

Time from the airport to Disneyland: 15- 25 minutes depending on the traffic

Pros:

• Close to Disneyland
• Small airport
• Cheaper transportation

Cons:

• Ticket prices can be a bit higher than the farther away airports

Long Beach Airport(LGB)

Long Beach is another airport that I love! It’s a close second on my “best airport near Disneyland” list. It’s close to Disneyland, a smaller airport and is a great option for flying into Disneyland. Prices here are often a little lower than they are at SNA. Even though they’re a smaller airport, they have a lot of great flight options. They do have lots of transportation options to get you to Disneyland like shuttle services, rideshare, taxis, public transportation, or rental cars.

Distance to Disneyland: 18 miles

Time from the airport to Disneyland: 20-30 minutes depending on the traffic

Pros:

• Close to Disneyland
• Small airport
• Cheaper transportation

Cons:

• Ticket prices can be a bit higher than the farther away airports

Best Airport Near Disneyland(my personal opinion)

If you really want to know what the best airport near Disneyland is, it’s a toss up for me. My favorite airport to fly into is between John Wayne and Long Beach. Honestly, I’m completely happy with either one. They are both extremely close to Disneyland and are both smaller airports. I love smaller airports! Because they are less crowded they usually have shorter lines for everything, which is a bonus in my book! I hate crowds, especially at security and the baggage claim area!

Whenever I travel to Disneyland, I always price-check both of these airports. Then, I usually go with whichever one has the cheaper rates for my vacation days. You really can’t go wrong with either of these two options. So for me, the best airport near Disneyland is whichever one is the cheapest between the two!

If you can’t swing John Wayne or Long Beach, Los Angeles International Airport is a viable option. Just plan extra time into your travel plans to account for the distance and maybe add a little extra to the transportation portion of your budget.

Transportation To Disneyland

After you’ve figured out which is the best airport near Disneyland for your family, the next step is to figure out your transportation. Each airport will have shuttles, ride-share options(like Uber or Lyft), taxis, or rental car counters. If you have a small group and don’t want to rent a car, a ride-share option might be best for you. If you have a larger group or family you might want to consider renting a car or a shuttle service. I love the Karmel shuttle service.

My Favorite Airline for Disneyland

My favorite airline when I travel is Southwest. They always have the best prices! I check airline prices to Disneyland often, and Southwest is almost always the cheapest option. Buying lower-priced airfare is the best way to save money on your vacation!

Southwest lets you check two bags for free! This is a huge saving. Especially for large families. I love being able to bring everything I think I might need at Disneyland Park with me in my checked luggage instead of stressing about the cost of bags and trying to scale down my list just to make everything fit in a smaller bag.

We have a Southwest credit card that helps us earn points toward free flights! By using my Southwest card to buy things I was already going to buy(like gas and groceries) I earn points that I can put toward plane tickets! This is a game changer for our family and has really opened up traveling to us. It’s amazing the places you can go when you don’t have to pay high airfare prices!

When you sign up for a Southwest credit card, you are gifted with a bunch of points that usually equal out to one or two free flights! Score! If you’re interested in checking out the Southwest credit card, you can find more information here.

I hope this guide to the best airport near Disneyland was helpful to you! I know choosing an airport can be overwhelming, so I hope I was able to shed a little light on the subject for you so you can choose the airport that works best for your family. I know whatever airport you decide to go with, you’re going to have such a great time on your Disneyland vacation.

Make sure to check out my podcast for lots of Disney planning information! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Just search for “Mix In Some Magic” Follow me on Instagram for more Disney tips and lots of Disney tips and fun!