Packing for BlizzCon: Tips for booking air travel
BlizzCon is upon us! Get ready for the convention with travel tips, tricks, and preparation articles from WoW Insider.
BlizzCon 2011 is happening soon -- Oct. 21-22, to be exact. You have nine weeks to wait until the biggest Blizzard event of the year. We're all preparing for the big trip, and now's a good time to talk about air travel arrangements. If you've already gotten your plane tickets, good for you, you early bird. For many people, now's the time to purchase plane tickets.
Did you know that the Guardian thinks that the best time to purchase airline tickets is about eight weeks before traveling? That's soon! Here's some information to help you when purchasing tickets and flying in to BlizzCon.
Airports
There are three major airports near Anaheim that you have the option of flying in to:
Los Angeles (LAX) LAX is the largest airport near Anaheim, but it is an hour away in good traffic (a rarity in Los Angeles). Regardless, it may be your cheapest option, and most airlines fly there.
John Wayne (SNA) SNA is the closest airport to Anaheim. Many airlines fly into it, including Virgin. It is smallish and only a half an hour away with traffic. If you can get a good deal, this is a better choice than LAX.
Long Beach (LGB) It is only a couple miles farther away from Anaheim than SNA, and you can travel between the convention center and airport via surface streets easily. Only a handful of airlines fly in and out of there, but one of them is JetBlue.
Here's a hot tip if you're flying in to LAX or LGB: the Anaheim Convention Center is right across the street from Disneyland, and there are buses that go from the airport straight to Disney for a pretty reasonable $16-20 or so. Disneyland loves getting people as cheaply as possible from the airport to the park, right near the convention. Just do a Google search for Disneyland buses, or check out the airports' websites.
Purchasing tickets
Purchasing tickets these days is easier than ever. As someone who likes to fly Virgin America, I purchase directly from the airline because prices stay pretty much the same whether you go through a third-party site. However, many third-party purchasing websites can get you a great deal. Try any of these sites and compare prices:
Kayak My preferred site, as it will look through all of the travel sites for you, and more!
Traffic
Los Angeles traffic is legendary. If you're flying in later in the day, be prepared for a lot of traffic on the freeways. Morning rush hour is 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 4 p.m. until around 7 or 8 p.m. are the big later traffic times. You're going to want to give yourself a lot of time for travel and getting things settled.
We all can't wait to see you at the con this year!
Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Look at what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!
