Burbank airport's new $1.3-billion terminal opens — bigger and sleeker than ever - BERITAJA

After 33 months of building and $1.3 cardinal successful spending, the Hollywood Burbank Airport’s caller terminal opened connected Tuesday morning, pinch a medley of arrivals and departures successful the minutes aft 7 a.m.

Instead of the snug, historical installation whose Spanish Colonial Revival style dated to 1930, travelers recovered themselves successful a sleek terminal astatine Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way, distinguished by precocious ceilings, modern art, twinkling terrazzo floors, abundant charging stations and landscaping afloat of cactus and succulents, on pinch a fewer “wet paint” signs. Passengers gawked astatine mirrored grid artwork by Glenn Kaino overhead.

“It was weird,” said Tanya Radke, 25, of Van Nuys, who was headed to Kansas City and caught off-guard by the terminal switch. “It was not what I thought was going to hap coming for me.”

Katelyn Bailey and recreation companion Pigeon cheque successful for a formation to the Bay Area.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

But looking around, the rider called the caller abstraction a large upgrade. “It reminds maine a batch of the Kansas City airport,” Radke said. “It was good overdue.”

The day’s schedule called for about 90 departures and arrivals by 8 airlines, about the aforesaid schedule arsenic successful the erstwhile buildings. The caller terminal besides has the aforesaid 2 runways and aforesaid number of gates — 14 — arsenic the airport’s erstwhile two-terminal alignment. And passengers still often committee planes from the beforehand and back, utilizing outdoor steps from the tarmac, alternatively than enclosed tunnels. That believe is thing travelers person agelong praised for its informality and efficiency.

But the caller building does bring galore changes. It measures about 50% larger than the 2 aged terminals mixed — about 355,000 quadrate feet — pinch higher ceilings and a brace of illuminated alloy sculptures by Cliff Garten flanking the main entrance.

The first departure was Alaska Flight 3401 to Santa Rosa astatine 7:03 a.m. pinch 33 passengers aboard. The first arrival: Southwest Flight 189 from Las Vegas, which landed astatine 7:16 a.m. pinch 30 passengers aboard.

“The taxi disconnected was a small different. Instead of turning right, you move left,” said Southwest Airlines aviator Mike Petros, who arrived astatine 7:31 a.m. pinch a planeload of passengers from Sacramento. At the commencement of the flight, Petros said, “We told them that we would beryllium flying to a caller terminal, truthful if they had anybody picking them up, fto them know.”

Still, galore were surprised. Airport guidance deployed respective staffers to redirect confused travelers from the aged terminals (now idle) to the caller one. Anthony Bailey, 29, said he learned of the move from an Uber driver connected his measurement to the airport.

“So far, I’m liking it,” Bailey said of the caller terminal, opinionated adjacent gross 13 earlier catching a formation to Las Vegas. “Nice and clean. The TSA statement was beautiful smooth.”

While about of the six unit stores were unfastened connected Tuesday, nary of the terminal’s 13 nutrient concessions were afloat operating. Two eateries were offering grab-and-go options, and airdrome spokesperson Mike Christensen said much options would get later successful the time and week.

When the caller terminal concessions open, eating options will see Guy Fieri’s Flavor Town, Spring Chicken, Diane’s Farm Table and Italian Market, Jones Coffee, Perry’s Joint, Poquito Mas, West Coast Smash Burgers, Massis Kabob, Starbucks, Border Grill, Jet Tila’s Asian Table, Santa Canela bakery and a bar, Pete’s Pub, pinch picture-window views of the runways and Verdugo Mountains.

Many travelers, including William Langlois and Annie Cerillo of Tampa, noted the shortage of eating options connected Tuesday. “It’s horrible, there’s nary restaurants and not capable information stations,” said Langlois, who had gone to the aged terminal first and was redirected. Before this change, “this was the easiest airport,” said Cerillo.

In the caller terminal, airdrome officials say, the locomotion from the entranceway to the farthest gross is 1,285 feet, down from 1,600 feet now, pinch wider corridors and sidewalks and entree to powerfulness plugs for devices from each seat. (Its galore charging stations are now mostly USB-C ports, not USB.) The caller terminal includes 8 TSA lines, versus 5 successful the aged set-up. Baggage declare carousels person moved from outdoors to indoors.

Passengers disembark Southwest Flight 189 from Las Vegas conscionable earlier 7:30 a.m. This was the first presence into the caller terminal astatine Hollywood Burbank Airport.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The airport’s caller parking building includes about 2,000 spots and 310 charging ports for electrical vehicles. (The airport’s full number of parking spaces is 6,637, the aforesaid arsenic before.)

As it did before, the airdrome supplies shuttle autobus work betwixt the caller terminal and Burbank Airport-South Train Station (which connects pinch Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner) and the Burbank Airport-North Station astatine San Fernando Road and Hollywood Way.

Among galore preparations for the day, Burbank airdrome officials staged a “passenger simulation trial” connected Sept. 19, inviting 1,500 volunteers to behave for illustration passengers successful the caller building, giving dozens of airdrome workers staffers, including TSA staffers and hose gross agents, a chance to hole for Tuesday.

The airport, 2nd busiest successful L.A. County, was built successful 1930 and is tally by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. For decades it has been favored by galore section travelers arsenic a simpler, faster, quainter replacement to Los Angeles International Airport. The Burbank airport’s tract successful the San Fernando Valley, however, has often put its leaders astatine likelihood pinch residents of surrounding suburban neighborhoods. Unlike LAX, which has nary formation curfew, the Burbank airdrome has constricted operating hours — 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Before this week’s move, the aged Burbank installation didn’t meet existent authorities seismic standards aliases Federal Aviation Administration creation standards, which prompted repeated information warnings. Airport officials said the caller creation besides increases the distance betwixt the terminal and the nearest runway, formerly arsenic small arsenic 257 feet, to about 880 feet — a alteration that brings the airdrome into compliance pinch FAA standards.

Voters approved the Burbank airdrome terminal replacement task successful 2016. Construction began successful 2024. The airdrome reported about 6.2 cardinal arriving and departing passengers successful 2025, flying to and from about 30 nonstop destinations.

“It’s a beautiful building, but buildings aren’t thing without group who capable them pinch dedication and service,” said Tyron Hampton, president of the Burbank-Glendale Airport Authority and City Councilmember successful Pasadena. He predicted that the caller installation would pull not only caller passengers but caller businesses to the commercialized corridor on Burbank’s Winona Avenue.

As Burbank unveils its caller terminal, the opening of LAX’s about high-profile task — the SkyLink automated group mover (a 2.25-mile electrical train way linking terminals to obstruction work and rental cars) has been delayed by method and ineligible issues until Jan. 6 astatine the earliest.

“I don’t for illustration to compare,” said Hampton erstwhile asked about LAX. “We person 14 gates. LAX has 161.”