Hollywood Burbank Airport has retired the little old terminal that served Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley for nearly a century. The historic building, which opened in 1930, has handled its last commercial flights, and a brand-new terminal opened on October 13 next door.
The story carries real history. The airfield began life as United Airport, later operating as Union Air Terminal and then Lockheed Air Terminal before picking up a string of modern names, including Bob Hope Airport. It predates World War II and represents a completely different age of commercial aviation, when terminals were modest and flying was simple.
For one frequent flyer, the timing was personal. His first-ever flight, back in 1987, departed Burbank for Seattle on Alaska Airlines. By coincidence, his final arrival at the old terminal was on the same airline, on the same route, just in reverse. He filmed the landing and the last walk out of the building to mark the moment, describing the terminal as absolutely shabby but small, familiar, and beloved.
That affection is easy to understand. Burbank sits roughly 15 minutes from many Valley neighbourhoods, a rarity in a region where getting to LAX can mean an hour or more of gridlock. The old terminal's informal style meant you could arrive 30 minutes before departure and still make your flight comfortably. Boarding meant walking outside onto the tarmac, plane-door style, a charmingly retro experience most major airports lost decades ago.
The good news for fans of that open-air charm: the new terminal keeps outdoor boarding and deplaning. It simply adds more space and modern facilities, addressing the awkward truth that familiarity does not keep an ageing building functional forever. The new building opened its doors on October 13, and early impressions suggest it preserves the airport's signature ease while dragging amenities into the present day.
Why should travellers care? If you fly in or out of the Los Angeles area, Burbank is often the sanest choice. It is small, quick to navigate, and far closer to Studio City, Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena than LAX. The new terminal means shorter waits, better food and retail options, and modern facilities, without sacrificing the walk-on-the-tarmac quirk that makes the airport distinctive. Alaska, Southwest and other carriers serve routes from here to Seattle, Las Vegas, the Bay Area and beyond, often at fares and convenience levels that beat bigger area airports.
If you have an old Burbank memory of your own, the era it came from is now officially over. The new chapter is worth a look, and the airport's famous convenience looks set to survive the upgrade.
