Car Rental at John Wayne Airport

Airport travel guide

John Wayne Airport (SNA) is the only commercial airport serving Orange County. Previously called Orange County Airport, this airport was renamed after the legendary movie star, John Wayne, who is buried in nearby Newport Beach. 

Orange County, which is mostly suburban, lies south of Los Angeles. It is a popular tourist destination for various reasons. Its miles and miles of beautiful sandy beaches and rocky cliffs are famous for great surf, wondrous sunsets, and frequent marine life sightings. Disneyland, one of the world’s most popular theme parks, is located in Orange County’s city of Anaheim. 

With your rental car, some must-visit beach towns in Orange County include Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, and San Clemente.

This California Bucket List covers 50 incredible things to do on a road trip through Orange County, and beyond!

Top international routes

• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Phoenix
• Seattle
• Denver
• Dallas
• San Jose
• Chicago
• Oakland
• Sacramento

Main airlines

The low-cost airline Southwest is the largest airline at the airport with almost 3 million passengers using it every year. It flies to Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Nashville, Oakland, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Jose, and St. Louis, in addition to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

United is the second-busiest airline at SNA. Its primary destination is San Francisco which is its main West Coast hub. It also flies to Aspen, Chicago, Denver, Houston, and Newark.

American is also a popular airline at SNA, flying to Austin, Chicago, New York, Phoenix, and its hub, Dallas/Fort Worth.

Alaska and Delta also handle many passengers at the airport. Alaska flies to destinations on the West Coast and Delta’s most popular routes are to Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City, and Seattle.

Allegiant, Breeze, Frontier, JSX, Spirit, and WestJet also fly out of John Wayne.

Terminals

There are three terminals at John Wayne Airport, though they are all in the same building. American, Delta, and WestJet use Terminal A. Alaska, Frontier, Southwest, and United use Terminals B and C. Terminal C also has specific commuter gates. It is also the international terminal for all flights without preclearance.

Location

The airport sits at the heart of Orange County, and though its address is officially Santa Ana, it is actually located south of the city. It is also surrounded by the cities of Irvine, Costa Mesa, and Newport Beach. The airport is about 15 miles away from Disneyland, a 20-minute drive(without any rush-hour traffic).

Most popular types of rental car

• Small cars - from $55 per day
• Medium cars - from $56 per day
• Large cars - from $57 per day
• SUVs - from $58 per day
• Premium cars - from $101 per day
• Vans - from $113 per day
• Convertibles - from $151 per day

Car rental desks

Some rental companies have rental desks at the airport while others are located near the airport. Alamo, Thrifty, Dollar, and National all have desks in the airport’s arrival area between terminals A and B. Once the paperwork is completed, renters must proceed to the parking garage which is also where they’ll have to return their rental.

Fox is located away from the airport and provide shuttles from the terminal to their locations. Allow extra time when returning vehicles to these companies’ locations, though. The shuttle can add up to thirty minutes.

Services and facilities

John Wayne Airport has all of the services and amenities one would expect of an Orange County airport.

The airport has rotating art exhibitions throughout the terminal and baggage claim area. The artworks are of museum-quality given that they are judged by a specific commission. Free Wifi is available throughout the airport.

The airport has two lounges, an American Airlines Admirals Club near Gate 8 and United Airlines United Club near Gate 9. A USO lounge for members of the military and their families can be found in Terminal B near the baggage claim area. While there are no hotels at the airport, three can be found just across the street and a few more can be found just off the 405.

Finally, there is no need to go hungry or thirsty at the airport. There are plenty of dining options throughout all terminals, including both fast food places like CarlsJr and table-service restaurants such as Ruby’s Diner and Hobie Sand Bar. Coffee shops can also be found throughout the terminals.

Nearest gas station

There is a Chevron Station on MacArthur Blvd. almost directly in front of the airport. It is also convenient for most (depending on which direction they are coming from) returning cars to off-airport locations.

Another option is a different Chevron station at the intersection of Bristol Street and Red Hill Avenue at the exit from the Corona Del Mar Freeway. Just down the street, there is an Arco station whose gas is typically 20 cents cheaper, though it would require a slight circle to turn around to get back to the road to the airport.

Popular one-way rentals

• Los Angeles (39 miles / 63 km)
• San Diego (87 miles / 140 km)
• Long Beach (32 miles / 51 km)
• Las Vegas (272 miles / 438 km)
• Santa Monica (52 miles / 84 km)
• Bakersfield (151 miles / 243 km)