The Hollywood Burbank Airport’s replacement terminal opens to the public on Tuesday, Oct. 13, promising modern touches, conveniences, and style for the millions of travelers who use the airport each year. It’s a project years in the making.
The airport’s location makes it a convenient option for visitors coming to Southern California for Hollywood — a hike to the Hollywood sign or a day at Universal Studios is just a short drive south compared to coming from LAX. It’s also less intimidating than the sprawling LAX.
Some elements of the new terminal will be familiar to travelers who’ve used Hollywood Burbank Airport for years. It’s still 14 gates, and one of the airport’s defining characteristics remains in place — walking outside to board and exit
your plane. Some elements are new, too. For instance, you won't be backed up onto Hollywood Way anymore, or have to retrieve your luggage outside.
“You will have a wonderful, warm experience going through the facility, and you can get to where you want to go rather than waiting to try to get out of an airport,” Hollywood Burbank Airport Executive Director John Hatanaka said when asked about the benefits of flying into this particular airport in Los Angeles County.
Hatanaka and several others gave the USA TODAY Network a tour of the facility just days before it opened. Here’s a peek at what awaits you if you use the airport.
Why did Hollywood Burbank Airport replace its terminal?
Some of the airport’s design is inspired by Old Hollywood, evident in the “V”- shaped columns adorning its exterior, intended to represent premiere spotlights, said David Huor of Corgan, the architecture firm that served as the lead designer. He’s the project manager for the replacement terminal project. Even the restrooms are meant to evoke that “old Hollywood glitz and glam,” with its bronze entryway and tile choices.
One major feature of the airport’s exterior is the swooping silver canopy that extends from the terminal and curves around to the parking structure, melding into the structure’s façade. Most of your walk from the garage to the airfield will be covered, said Huor—providing protection from the afternoon sun, or, say, rain amid a major El Niño.
Burbank residents passed Measure B in 2016, kicking off the replacement terminal project with a total budget of $1.3 billion, Hatanaka said. The project includes demolishing the original terminal. The project broke ground in 2024.
The existing terminal’s proximity to its runways didn’t meet current Federal Aviation Administration standards, according to the airport.
“The central part of the building is 86 years old, does not meet current seismic design standards, and does not provide adequate space for passengers or basic amenities,” the airport said in 2016. Naturally, there are a number of design choices that address this, as well as things like noise or shade.
The 355,000-square-foot terminal — more than 100,000 square feet larger than its current size — is all-electric as part of a “big push from the airport to go LEED gold,” Huor said, referring to a building rating system that reflects sustainable design, construction, and operation. Concessions, for example, are required to use electricity and there’s no gas coming onto the site, according to the project manager.
Driving into the airport should be smoother, too; thanks to its design, traffic will taper off by the time you get to departures, according to Reyna Renteria, an architect with CannonDesign, a design partner on the project. The parking structure has multiple levels, including spaces for EVs.
“We have a longer airport loop road now that will not back up on Hollywood Way,” Hatanaka said.
‘Wait, am I in Burbank?’ Open-air bar, centralized security and more
Step into the airport and you’re greeted by shiny terrazzo floors and soaring ceilings, 48 feet high at their tallest, Renteria and Ammar Palgharwala of CannonDesign told the USA TODAY Network.
Unlike its predecessor, the security checkpoint is centralized in one area with eight lanes, and all baggage claim is inside, the project manager continued, Huor said.
Just past security is an open-air bar, and gates and concessions line the right and left. Place your phone on a table in the seating area for the gate to charge wirelessly, or take in the artwork adorning the airport that calls on the area's history and the aviation industry.
One technology upgrade is an exit lane system where doors close behind you as you leave the terminal area beyond the security point, preventing any form of backtracking, Huor pointed out on the tour.
The USA TODAY Network asked Hatanaka — who joined Hollywood Burbank Airport in 2002 — what it was like to walk around in the new terminal. He looked forward to seeing it in operation because he wants to see if they achieved what they set out to.
“I want to see that first passenger come off the plane and say, ‘Wait, am I in Burbank?’” Hatanaka said.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Travelers, see what's changed at Hollywood Burbank's new terminal
