Southern California offers travelers plenty of options for air travel. When it comes to flying with kids, we like using the Long Beach Airport (LGB). Really, we like Long Beach Airport for any kind of travel! If you have yet to try this little gem of an airport, keep reading for details on why we think you should.
Compact and Efficient Lay-Out
We love the compact layout at Long Beach Airport, because it simplifies traveling with young kids. Long Beach Airport has just eleven gates, three airlines and two baggage claim carousels. When everyone in our family has to go to the bathroom and fill-up their water bottle before a flight, we like having the bathroom and water bottle filler RIGHT THERE. Plus, it is highly improbable that anyone will get lost while we are grabbing bags from the two-carousel baggage claim area.
A small airport means less eating and shopping options (nine total), but it’s nice to have all of those options a short distance from our gate. We find the benefits far outweigh the limited choices.
Easy Ground Transportation
Ground transportation and other outside travel amenities are just steps away. There are no shuttles needed to access parking or rental cars at Long Beach Airport: simply cross the street! Taxis, ride shares or friends can pull-up to the curb near the terminal and baggage claim area. With the exception of the parking structure, everything here is on one level.
When we travel with children, we end-up lugging suitcases, car seats and tired toddlers. The benefit of being able to walk just a short distance after a long day of travel is immeasurable.
Great Location in a Convenient Part of Long Beach
Your mileage may (literally!) vary on this. Whether you find the Long Beach airport to be convenient is of course dependent on your travel destinations. We find Long Beach Airport to be conveniently located near lots of great attractions including Disneyland Resort and Orange County’s gorgeous beaches. The time it takes to drive from Long Beach Airport to Disneyland Resort is very dependent on traffic, but we have comfortably made the drive in half-an-hour. A mapping application will give you a better idea of your specific travel time. We suggest setting your arrival or departure time in your map app to get an estimate on trafffic conditions.
We also appreciate that the drive is straight-forward, with most of it being on the 405. Minimizing turns and surface streets can make a big difference for visitors who are not familiar with the area. We think visitors driving themselves will appreciate the easy directions.
Flat rates for taxis from the airport can be found on the Long Beach Airport website here ($50 at the time of writing), and we also appreciate the easy access to ride shares.
Long Beach Airport is Fun for Kids
Traveling through the Long Beach Airport is also just a fun and novel experience for kids and travelers of any age. Long Beach Airport takes advantage of Southern California’s generally temperate weather and places some of its amenities outdoors. The airport terminal has both traditional waiting areas around the gates and open air portions with palm trees and charming benches. Our kids like searching for lizards amongst the rocks.
When it does come to boarding, our kids like being able to walk out onto the tarmac and board from a ramp or staircase outside. There is something thrilling about being able to see the plane as you step into it! Southwest Airlines also boards from the front and rear of the plane here, and that speeds the process considerably!
As an unexpected bonus on our last trip, a trained therapy dog visited us. Rider shared some comfort with travelers waiting at the gates! Our children were thrilled by the opportunity to pet Rider and take home their special STARS trading cards.
Whether you are traveling with kids or not, we recommend giving Long Beach Airport a try.
If you like to fly Southwest Airlines, or find a Delta or Hawaiian Airlines flight that works for you, we recommend giving Long Beach Airport a try. LGB is an easy drive to Disneyland Resort, gorgeous beaches and other amazing destinations. Our time in the airport has been hassle free and even fun (for an airport). We love the compact lay-out and easy access to ground transportation.
We do want to end this post with one caveat: we have never had the experience of having a flight get canceled or significantly delayed from Long Beach Airport. This is another point in its favor, but if a flight of ours was cancelled, we have wondered if we might be frustrated with the limited options for alternate flights from such a small airport. Still, we have ultimately felt that it is worth the risk, and we have been very happy with all of our experiences at Long Beach Airport. We plan to keep traveling through this sweet little airport.