dddc

Been invited to stay in Palm Springs with friends when in the US later this year. It will be at the end of my stay and I leave from LAX on a Thursday at 7pm.

Would I be better to fly in or drive?

If I fly in I can either arrive at around 3pm or 4pm and then change terminals. Tickets are a bit pricey.

If I drive, my friends say that Palm Springs is 90 mins away from LA, but not sure if they mean LAX. If I drove I would want to arrive around 3.30/4 to drop the hire car off (haven't chosen one yet, but assume they are accessed offsite via a shuttle bus) and then check in. Ideally I would like to have a shower before the flight (11hrs) but I don't see any lounges I can use. I'm flying AA, but T4 from what I see only has an Admiral Club and I don't fany paying $75 for me and my partner to shower!

FlyinHawaiian

The drive from Palm Springs to LAX on a weekday afternoon avoids some of the rush hour traffic flow, but still would make me cautious enough to give myself ample time to get there - 90 min might be a little optimistic. I'd probably be on the road no later than sometime between 12 Noon to 1 p.m.

If you take a look at a road map, here's the routing I think might work best.

HWY 111 out of Palm Springs to Interstate 10.
I-10 West to Interstate 605
I-605 South to Interstate 105 (there is an HOV lane on the 605 that you can use, but you'll need to exit it to transition to the 105)
I-105 West (HOV lane on the 105) to LAX.

dddc

Thanks for the route! ^

I take it HOV stands for High Occupancy Vehicle? Does 2 people count as High Occupancy?

SkiAdcock

Yes, regarding HOV= 2 or more.

As long as you're mid-afternoon, the trip will be more like 2 hours to LAX from PS proper. If you're farther 'down valley' add on 30 minutes. However, if you get close to rush hour & it can take 3-4 hours.

Cheers.

UNITED959

I'm not sure AA flies LAX-PSP, but if they do...you might want to see about incorporating it into your TATL ticket. LAX-PSP alone is a major rip, but LHR-PSP is probably going to be identical to LHR-LAX.

Having done the LA/OC to PS drive many times, I strongly urge you to explore the flying options...

- PS airport is small, security is quick
- Dropping a rental car at LAX is a PITA
- Lots of traffic between PS and LAX

allset2travel

I always prepared for the worst when driving in southern CA, particularly subject area of interest. Give yourself more time. I would allow for being on the road for 2 to 2.5 hours for early afternoon on weekday (if you are indeed going from Palm Spring; add more time if you are way east into the valley). If possible, check online for traffic condition with this link:
http://www.sigalert.com
click on appropriate region for report.
Safe journey

dddc

Thanks for the info and link! ^

AA don't fly and the only one I've been quoted on Travelocity is United. The price is a bit extortionate for such a short trip, but I guess they have you by the short and curlies.

Not sure where we are staying in PS as yet. A mate has booked a house and invited us to stay. We were originially going to SFO and had to change flights when we had the invite. I'd booked a single sector leg on United LAS -SFO which I now won't be able to use. If I book the United flight PSP to LAX would they know I didn't fly the other sector? I don't mind cancelling it, but don't want to pay cancellation fee if it's deerer than the ticket itself!

UNITED959

Entering at your own risk, you may want to see about trading some miles via the Coupon Connection -- it's only 15k + $5.00 on UA to book an economy award LAX-PSP. And once booked, you have flexibility to change flights and dates, subject to availability of course.

JTG

I've had 90-minute trips and I've had 4-hr trips to the PS area. Departure time is the key. Also, the I-10 is a good route, but the alternate is the 60. It basically runs parallel to the I-10 from Riverside. Check the traffic reports. I've usually had better luck with the 60.

dddc

hmmmm. I'm getting the feeling I should fly!

gglave

Sorry to bump an old thread - Just wondering if I could get some updated info.

On Friday morning I need to drive from Rancho Mirage (Palm Springs - Specifically here) to LAX. I want to arrive at LAX at 9:30AM.

What time should leave to be safe? Is the info on this thread still correct?

djp98374

Do you really need to do that or can you just drive to LAX the night before and stay at an airport hotel Thursday night then take an airport shuttle in the am?

Your talking AM rush hour...yuck.

gglave

Yes - For complicated reasons that's what I need to do.

SWCPHX

I would leave between 5 and 5:30, just to be safe.

djp98374

http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?regi...-118.16691&z=2

http://www.go511.com/traffic/map.aspx


You need to be at LAX 90 min prior to your flight...you need to be there at 8am. If no triffic you leave at 6am frm PS. With traffic....you probably need to add 2 hrs to the drive unless your ticket is fully refundable thus can easily be changed to a later flight.

Look at the maps I linked to in the morning and get a feel of how the traffic is. From my experience n LA proper traffic is just bad at morning rush hour.