Hollywood Burbank Airport opens $1.3 billion terminal with same 14 gates
Key takeaways
- Hollywood Burbank Airport opened a new $1.3 billion terminal on Tuesday.
- The building is over 50 percent bigger, but it keeps the same 14 gates.
- The entrance moved, and passengers still board planes outdoors.
Hollywood Burbank Airport has a new home for its passengers. The new $1.3 billion terminal opened to travelers on Tuesday. It replaces a building that dated to 1930.
The new terminal is much bigger. It has more room for security, food, and bags. But it does not add flights.
The gate count stays at 14. The airport says this is a replacement, not an expansion.
What happened
The first flight left early on Tuesday morning. An Alaska Airlines flight took off around 7 in the morning. It headed for Santa Rosa in California.
That flight opened a new era for the small airport north of Los Angeles.
The new building measures 355,000 square feet. The old complex measured 232,000 square feet. The new terminal sits on the other side of the airfield.
It sits farther from the runways. That distance is the whole point. The old terminal sat too close to the runway.
That raised safety concerns for years.
The new terminal has one ticketing hall. It has one TSA checkpoint. It has one baggage claim.
The old setup split flyers across two terminals. Now all flyers use the same hall. They use the same checkpoint.
They use the same baggage claim.
Inside, the changes are clear. Security screening areas are bigger. There are more charging ports and kiosks.
The baggage claim has three carousels in one indoor hall. A new seven-level parking garage opened across the road. It holds more than 2,000 cars.
All seats in the terminal have power outlets. Digital screens sit through the building.
One old habit stays. Passengers still board planes outdoors. They walk on the tarmac.
They climb steps to the plane. There are no covered jet bridges. Travelers have long praised this habit.
They call it informal and fast. The new terminal keeps it.
The opening came eight days after a ribbon-cutting. Airport officials, elected leaders, and aviation staff met on October 5. They gathered in the new ticketing hall.
Burbank Mayor Tamala Takahashi spoke there. She said the facility keeps all that travelers love. She said it adds modern amenities, greater access, and enhanced safety.
She said it keeps the 14-gate airport the community knows.
Why it matters
The old terminal was a safety problem. The Federal Aviation Administration flagged it in the 1980s. The building sat too close to the runway.
It could not provide a safe margin for planes. Fixing that took decades. Neighbors opposed change.
Plans stalled again and again.
Voters broke the logjam in November 2016. They approved Measure B with 70 percent of the vote. That cleared the way to build.
Ground was broken in January 2024. The project is now done.
Safety is not the only gain. The new terminal meets current seismic and access standards. It runs fully on electricity.
That means no gas heat or gas systems. It is a modern building for a modern airport.
For travelers, the key fact is simple. The airport feels bigger. But it works the same way.
The same airlines fly there. The same small-airport feel stays. The new building just gives that feel more room.
Airports decide runway use based on wind and safety. The new Burbank terminal adds to that safety. It moves people farther from the runway.
Runway numbers tell pilots the runway direction. At Burbank, the runways stay the same. Only the building moved.
The airport tested the new terminal before opening. On September 19, about 1,500 volunteers tried it out. They tested parking, ticketing, bags, security, and gates.
Airport staff, airline staff, and TSA staff joined in. Officials said 98 percent of feedback was positive. Signs and wayfinding were the weak spots.
Those are the maps and signs that guide people. The airport says it will keep fixing them.
What happens next
Travelers must learn a new route. The main entrance moved. It used to sit off Thornton Avenue.
It now sits at Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way. Drivers who use the old route will miss the turn. Plan extra time on your first trip.
Parking changed too. Valet service moved to the new terminal. Lot E closed for good.
Rideshare users get a new pickup lot near the terminal. Rental-car users take shuttles. The shuttles go to the rental-car site across Hollywood Way.
The Burbank Airport-North Metrolink station links to the terminal. A walking path and an on-demand shuttle connect them.
Money for the project came from many sources. The list has airport revenue bonds. It has federal grants.
It has passenger facility charges. It has airport authority funds. No city funds from Burbank, Glendale, or Pasadena paid for it.
Senator Adam Schiff said he secured more than $8 million in federal funds. He called the terminal an investment in the region.
The airport is owned by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. That agency was set up by the three cities in 1977. It runs the airport today.
Nine airlines serve Burbank. The list has Alaska, Allegiant, and American. It has Breeze, Delta, and Frontier.
It has JetBlue, Southwest, and United. All of them move to the new terminal.
The old terminal will come down. The new one is here. For regulars, the advice is plain.
Use the new entrance. Allow extra time. Then enjoy the extra space.
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