#11 OTP

[grizzlycruiser]

Planning a flight overseas from LA in December and would like to take #11 from Sacramento to LA. My concern is arrival time at LA Union (9pm) and flight (12:30am). Is the December OTP a problem for #11 or should I be OK timewise?

 

[TransitGeek]

Even if it were on time, I wouldn't book that trip. You have to take the FlyAway to LAX, and if the train arrives right at 9 you'll probably have to take the 9:30 bus out. That bus will take at least a half an hour to get you to the airport, which leaves you two hours and change to clear security on an international flight. Perhaps you're comfortable with that, but that's shaving it pretty close- especially at the awful, awful place that is LAX (the airport).

You might want to strongly consider taking the San Joaquins to LA.

 

[gswager]

Coast Starlight is usually tardy, so I wouldn't bet on it with close connection times. I agree with TransitGeek to take San Joaquins, or in that case, fly h34r: from Bay area to LAX. Arrival time of 9 pm is too close for comfort, so around 7 pm is safe enough.

 

[LA Resident]

First of all, LAX, the airport, is not a horrible place. And leaving from the Bradley (International Terminal) between 11pm and 6 am is pretty pleasant and not stressful at all. I've done it at least a half-dozen times on flights to Asia.

BUT you are cutting things very, very close assuming that the CS is on time into Los Angeles. If the train is even only a half-hour late, that puts you on the 10 pm Flyaway to LAX. The Flyaway uses HOV lanes for almost all of its route to LAX, but with even a little traffic congestion along the route, you won't get to the ticket counter until close to 11 p.m. If the train is more than a half hour delayed, you would be pretty much out of luck, considering you are taking an international flight.

One alternative could be to detrain at Van Nuys, in the San Fernando Valley, where the train would stop, if on time, at 8:05 pm. The Flyaway also runs every half hour between Van Nuys Amtrak/Metrolink and LAX, taking about 45 minutes. So you could catch the 8:30 Flyaway and be at LAX by 9 p.m. at the latest. With even an hour delay into Van Nuys, you would be on the 9:30 pm Flyaway and at LAX by 10:30, even with congestion, and still have plenty of time for your flight.

So it seems that you have to weigh the odds of the CS being more than 75 minutes late into Van Nuys versus having to take the rather pedestrian (compared to the CS) San Joaquin train/bus combo.

Good luck!

 

[zephyr17]

Coast Starlight is usually tardy, so I wouldn't bet on it with close connection times. I agree with TransitGeek to take San Joaquins, or in that case, fly h34r: from Bay area to LAX. Arrival time of 9 pm is too close for comfort, so around 7 pm is safe enough.

Starlight OTP is much improved in the last couple of years over the bad old days when it was routinely 6-12 hours late, but agree with other posters. This is cutting it too close for an international flight even if ontime, given the distance between LAUS and LAX. And a relatively slight delay, like 30 minutes, would be enough to mess you up.

San Joaquin, fly, or go a day early.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The bus/train combo through the desert isnt fun! I say ride the Starlight :wub: a day early, spend the night in LA, that way youll be on time,and be rested for your flight plus get to ride in the PPC down the Coast on the Starlight! (It may get Dark if its not On Time but still beats a Bus Ride through Nowhere!

 

[bombcar]

You could also Starlight into any of the cities on the Surfliner route, and then take an afternoon Surfliner the next day.

 

[LA Resident]

The bus/train combo through the desert isnt fun! I say ride the Starlight :wub: a day early, spend the night in LA, that way youll be on time,and be rested for your flight plus get to ride in the PPC down the Coast on the Starlight! (It may get Dark if its not On Time but still beats a Bus Ride through Nowhere!

Hey, just a minute here! :huh: You being from Texas, you should know what real desert is!! :giggle: And it's NOT the San Joaquin Valley. Granted, the valley's scenery isn't comparable to the CS stretches along the Pacific, but the San Joaquins are traveling through the most fertile stretch of farmland in the country! I think more than half the fresh vegetables and fruits for the entire US during the wintertime come from this area. It's flat cropland viewing from the train, not at all boring compared to almost any scenery but the craggy cliffs of the Pacific from the CS. In fact, it's very similar to the cropland and vineyards you see from the CS between San Luis Obispo and San Jose.

Now the Sunset through West Texas: that's desert by any stretch of the imagination--and I recall that part of the route being a LONG LONG stretch!!

I do like the idea of the OP taking the CS to Santa Barbara on the first day, then a Surfliner on the second day into Van Nuys or LAUS, if he has the extra day, night (and money) to do so!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Couln't agree more about the Desert in West Texas and the Sunset Route! And I'm still waiting to be Blown Away by Farmland that's Flat, Hot and In the Desert! no matter how much Strawberries, Tomatoes and Lettuce they Grow There with the help of Irrigation! :excl: :excl: Of Course You are Correct about the Scenery on the Starlight Compared to almost Anywhere Except the Zephyr Route, but having to change from a Train to a Bus No Matter where it happens is Not a First Choice for Most People! :help: I second staying in Santa Barbara and riding a Surfliner to LAX, especially if the Amtrak Dome is in the Consist! :wub: and the OP can afford it, otherwise a night @ the Metro Plaza isnt bad!

 

[trainman74]

The Flyaway also runs every half hour between Van Nuys Amtrak/Metrolink and LAX...

Have to correct this -- the Van Nuys FlyAway bus does not serve the Amtrak station. It runs from a dedicated terminal next to the Van Nuys airport, which would probably be a 5-to-10-minute ride via taxi from the Amtrak station (depending on how many red lights you hit).

 

[GAT]

Go a day early; stay at the Holiday Inn downtown Santa Barbara (a lovely renovated historical hotel close to the Amtrak station); Walk Santa Barbara's Main Street; have a great dinner and next-day breakfast in any of many nice restaurants there; Surfliner into LAX in plenty of time to traverse to the airport, check in, and relax at the gate before boarding your flight. This advice from a 70's guy who no longer likes to cut it too close! :lol: