The Last Easy Airport: Burbank Retires the Terminal It Built in 1930

The Last Easy Airport: Burbank Retires the Terminal It Built in 1930

Final flights leave a 96-year-old building

Monday night, Oct. 12, the last departures pushed back from Hollywood Burbank Airport's original terminal. At 5 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, passengers streamed into a replacement building a few hundred feet away, and the first flight out — Alaska Airlines 3401 to Santa Rosa — took off at 7:03 a.m. with 33 passengers. The first arrival, Southwest 189 from Las Vegas, touched down at 7:16 a.m. carrying 30.

A $1.3 billion terminal, 42% more room

Marketed as Elevate BUR, the new terminal cost just under $1.3 billion and spans 355,000 square feet — 42% more than the 232,000-square-foot complex whose original buildings opened in 1930. Gate count did not budge: still 14, and no airline added departures for the opening. Airport spokesperson Mike Christensen has said residents never wanted to spend more than $1 billion turning Burbank into the next major hub; the goal was to keep the intimate feel and remove only the friction points.

Officials: the old terminal no longer passed muster

Executive Director John Hatanaka's line was blunt: "For 96 years, the legacy terminal served us well, but no longer meets FAA design guidelines or California seismic standards." Burbank Mayor Tamala Takahashi was blunter still: the building is not to code, cannot be reused, and sits too close to the airstrip. State Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin added that the replacement moves passengers farther from the runways while preserving the airport's nostalgic look.

A safety problem first flagged in the 1980s

Replacement planning dates to the 1980s, when the FAA determined the existing terminal was too close to the runway to provide an adequate aircraft safety margin. The project then stalled for decades under neighborhood opposition until Burbank voters approved Measure B in November 2016 with 70% of the vote. Construction began in January 2024, and a ribbon-cutting on Oct. 5 drew more than 1,000 people.

Bigger building, same 14 gates

Inside, the upgrades are measurable: eight TSA lines instead of five, a single central checkpoint, 43 common-use ticket counters, three indoor baggage carousels replacing an outdoor claim area, and a walk from entrance to the farthest gate that shrinks from 1,600 feet to 1,285 feet. Seats, charging ports and lounges arrive in a building 42% larger, with restaurants and shops to do the revenue work the 1930 hallway never could.

The tarmac walk — the airport's signature — survives

What made Burbank the "last easy airport" is staying put: no jet bridges. Passengers still walk outside under the Southern California sun and climb stairs to board, and deplane the same way. What changes is everything around it. The main entrance moves from Thornton Avenue to Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way, a seven-level garage with more than 2,000 spaces becomes the primary parking, Lot E closes permanently, and Metrolink riders get a pedestrian path plus an on-demand shuttle.

Roughly 6.5 million passengers a year must relearn the route

The airport handled more than 6 million passengers across nine airlines in 2025, with official counts citing about 6.5 million a year. Southwest flies 18 destinations and accounts for roughly three-quarters of traffic, so most travelers will feel the change first at check-in, security and the garage. Officials have advised allowing extra time during opening week while regulars learn the new building.

Trial passengers raved; neighbors remain wary

Airport officials said trial feedback in late September was 98% positive, with signage and wayfinding the single area flagged for improvement. The Los Angeles Times opening-day coverage caught travelers off guard — one 25-year-old headed to Kansas City missed the switch entirely, then called the new space "well overdue." Not everyone is celebrating: the Sherman Oaks & Encino for Quiet Skies group argues that "gates do not equal capacity" and suspects the terminal is sized to absorb demand created by FAA flight-path changes rolled out in 2016 and 2017.

Old terminal comes down, taxiways stretch out

Once the move is complete, the 1930 building is scheduled to come down, with demolition expected to start in late 2026 and take roughly nine to 12 months, followed by taxiway extensions. The hallway once described as a corridor of overpriced water bottles disappears for good.

A farewell to the last easy airport

SFGATE marked the occasion with "RIP Hollywood Burbank Airport of yore, the last easy airport," its author counting 134 flights out of the old terminal and calling it a "charming and reliable old friend." He expects to appreciate the new home over time — but says he will mourn the old one the day demolition begins.