Flying in and out of southern California has its moments, no matter where you’re traveling to. But John Wayne Airport seems somehow more manageable, as busy as it gets. The dreaded LAX, which is more like an octopus every time I get there, overwhelms. John Wayne (SNA) welcomes.

Maybe it’s the big statue of The Man standing there in the arrival area? Maybe it’s a terminal that’s so small, it’s walkable in a few minutes. There aren’t that many choices at John Wayne – and maybe that’s the best part. (Choices can be bad!)

Go into any major city airport and it’s alphabet soup on the terminals with a whole bunch of decisions to make before you even get to the one your gate is at. Do I want to get my breakfast/coffee in the main terminal or should I go to the gate? Is there even a breakfast/coffee option there? Is that where those sullen-looking “baristas” ignored me last time? (There’s a term that’s getting used more and more ironically!) Where’s the newsstand? Is there power at the gate so I can charge my phone? Should I sit here and connect myself to power pre-security line? What if the security line bulks up all of a sudden? Yikes.

Travel through a big airport is mostly tiresome.

At John Wayne Airport, it’s simple, particularly if you’re traveling at off-peak times. And of course it’s all going to change – for the worse. In a recent LA Times article,  plans for expansion are in the works, and the diminutive and eminently manageable SNA is going to become bigger – much bigger. It will take time, naturally, but you know the outcome.

Woe the weary traveler.