I second docdiamond's suggestion of Ontario. Also look into Inyokern (IYK) which is closer yet. IYK costs more, but will also eliminate anywhere from 2 to 4 hours of travel time each way.
Kevin, I've looked into that in the past, but the problem I've found in flying out of Atlanta is that Inyokern is only served by United/Sky West, with Continental and American as partners. Any trip from ATL to IYK always seems to involve 2 layovers, and as much as a 13-hour trip each way. It's definitely more expensive, and then there's the nagging issue of rental car selection and rates once you're there (captive audience syndrome).
The last time I ran this possibility - last summer - I found that flying direct to Vegas (or L.A.), grabbing a cheap rental car, and driving to Lone Pine put me there not only ahead of a best-case Atlanta-to-Inyokern scenario, but several hundred dollars cheaper. As Atlanta-Hartsfield is the biggest, busiest airport in the known universe, it's a great convenience to get to almost any major city on the globe direct -
but if Delta or AirTran (soon to be Southwest - yay!) doesn't serve a particular secondary or tertiary city, you're screwed. In both time and $$$.
Also, I belive John's goal in flying into and out of the L.A. area is to relax with his wife on the California beaches for a couple of days after a successful Whitney summit!
