r/LosAngeles • u/silvs1 LA Native • 9h ago
The beginning of a new era at BUR
Here's some photos from the new terminal at BUR. Overall a great improvement over the old terminal. Beware that there's little to no food options at the moment but I'm sure anyone that frequents BUR is used to not buying the overpriced food as it is. None of the restaurants are open yet. Starbucks was still setting up their kiosk.
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u/Immediate_Ship5005 8h ago
Don’t lax my Burbank!!! Jk jk looks great
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u/silvs1 LA Native 8h ago
Thankfully still no LAX traffic. But now you have to take a shuttle to the rental car center and the other parking lots.
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u/anothersidetoeveryth Los Feliz 8h ago
I literally can’t reckon these images with what I know the airport to look like
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u/imightb2old4this Glendale 8h ago
They should save the old one, it’s so iconic. Make it a restaurant/club. I just in this economy’d myself. Never mind
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u/gregatronn 5h ago
it's slated to be torn down because they are going to use that space open for safety reasons with more tax and run way area.
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u/CommercialCoffee11 3h ago
They should sell the old seats and stuff. And yeah, thats why this had to be open, it was too close to the runway so the faa told em this has ti be done or theyre toast
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u/CantAffordzUsername 8h ago
So can you still board Southwest planes from the rear?
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u/spaceflunky Los Feliz 6h ago
"Burbank Airport - Where the backdoor is a-ok! ;) "
Speaking of backdoor fun, one time Dakota Skye was in front of me at security and the sketchy TSA guys were losing their shit. RIP Dakota and the old Burbank airport.
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u/kdoxy 3h ago
Just got off a southwest plane at the new terminal. People exited the back and front.
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u/CantAffordzUsername 2h ago
Sweet! Keep getting conflicting info about this but I’ll just trust you since I loved exiting from the back
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u/iamyourcaviar 6h ago
Just boarded a SW flight here and they only have front boarding this time. The ramp is new too lol
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u/CantAffordzUsername 6h ago
Uuugh seriously? Were you walking outside on the tarmac or was it a raised terminal like most airports do
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u/gregatronn 5h ago edited 2h ago
They kept outside boarding setup:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DedNRafTnoT/?dlrf=Nm93bjl6MW91MHc=
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u/gregatronn 5h ago edited 2h ago
that was the most important holdover from the old airport - keeping boarding process the same https://www.instagram.com/reel/DedNRafTnoT/?dlrf=Nm93bjl6MW91MHc=
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u/triciann 6h ago
I saw this info in another comment I’m a different post. https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/s/B9vbow1QVl
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u/someone_like_me 3h ago
Yes, but occasionally Southwest will board you from the rear to make it even.
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u/dontevendrivethatfar 8h ago
I'm going to miss the outdoor baggage claim. Is it fully gone?
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u/uiuctodd 3h ago
My first thought as well... if I don't get my baggage dumped outside on the sidewalk next to the curb, how do I even find it?
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u/shiwenbin Echo Park 7h ago
Burbank is terrible. Worst flying experience I’ve ever had. Would not recommend one person to go there. Ever. Really you shouldn’t go there.
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u/sydsong 6h ago
Agreed. Literally any airport is better than Burbank.
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u/jwegener 6h ago
Yes stay away folks!
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u/kurramond 6h ago
I hear now it's even worse. Horrible traffic! Expensive parking! Much better to go to LAX.
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u/justthekoufax 8h ago
My kingdom for Jet Blue to return to Burbank. I miss that Burbank to JFK flight like whoa.
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u/anothercar 8h ago
It's a summer seasonal service now, but it's still running for the next 2 weeks through Oct 24.
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u/justthekoufax 8h ago
Damn I’ve been under a rock I guess. Thank you.
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u/jwegener 6h ago
It was a brutal flight. One delay would cascade into daylong delays
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u/stolenhello 5h ago
This is why I don’t understand why anyone would willingly accept a connect for a distance that far. Especially when a direct flight is more often than not cheaper from LAX. Boggles me.
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u/Clipgang1629 Westlake 2h ago
I do everything in my power to avoid connecting. I’m seriously to point where if there’s not direct flight it makes me reconsider the trip at all.
And people are out here going out of their way to connect lol
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u/RogLatimer118 1h ago
I once had a choice to return to LA from east coast - nonstop to LAX or connection to Burbank. Selected the LAX flight. Delayed departure, and then when we arrived we sat on the tarmac for an hour waiting for a gate. It would have been faster with the connection.
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u/exo48 Pasadena 3h ago
Just the red eye flight though. Until a few years ago they used to have a morning and afternoon flight too. And Long Beach used to have nonstop service too.
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u/RogLatimer118 1h ago
Unfortunately JetBlue is losing money like crazy and might not be around anywhere for too much longer (1-3 years).
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u/Pitiful_Truth_5948 6h ago
I fly from/to this airport all the time. This is definitely going to be a nice improvement. I'm looking forward to it. I hope the rental cars are still easy to get to. Before you would just walk across and then take a few people movers down to the rental cars. It was kind of a walk, but not too bad.
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u/SherAyaSher 8h ago
Are we still going to have our life flash before our eyes every time we land on that short runway?
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u/bkguy182 7h ago
I can’t wait!!!! I almost booked an almost unnecessary work trip this week just to experience it.
Honestly, and this is assuming the new one is going to be just as easy… I’m not sure what people are even going to miss about the old one. Ya I get it had its own type of charm. But it’s not like they replaced Union station.
Even the outdoor baggage claim (which was only one of the terminals, btw) wasn’t all that. Got crowded. And awful on a hot day.
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u/plzadyse 8h ago
Does the remodel come with more Air Traffic Controllers?
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u/Chief-Dirt-Nerd 8h ago
No, but there isn’t supposed to be increased air traffic since it’s the same number of gates and same operating hours.
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u/plzadyse 8h ago
Wasn’t referring to an expected increase in traffic, just the current strain on controllers at BUR.
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u/mermaid-terpsichore 8h ago
It looks a bit bland, but the only thing I’ll really miss is the outdoor luggage carousel. :/
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u/Easy_Money_ 6h ago
Definitely a great improvement but given how nice other recent west coast airport projects have looked (PDX terminal, SEA Concourse C, SFO Terminal 1) it definitely feels a bit bland (more in the SAN Terminal 1 vein)
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u/navigationallyaided 8h ago
Next time I’m in LA, I need to fly out of BUR. It’s still the same stop on the Surfliner/Metrolink?
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u/strangethingtowield Koreatown 1h ago
Its farther from the Burbank Airport South station (Surfliner/Metrolink Ventura County line) but closer to the Burbank Airport North station (Metrolink Antelope Valley line). Supposedly you can call an on-demand shuttle (at two different phone numbers!) from either station to the airport.
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u/cilantro_so_good 6h ago
I don't think I've ever needed to spend enough time at Burbank to worry about food; the uplift looks nice
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u/boilerdam Encino 5h ago
Damn! This is way too big for BUR, I'm used to the little one with 5min walk times, quick in/out drive throughs and dingy low ceiling halls with old blue carpeting. This new one is swanky!
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u/GroundbreakingSeat54 8h ago
A different carpet design could have elevated the look to a new level and experience. Google: Singapore airport carpet
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u/ManufacturerPast7575 8h ago
If I have to park in the economy lot, do I still park in the same lot across from the old terminal?
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u/Imaginary-Record-112 7h ago
And the big ass line at the ride share pick up, but anything beats lax lol
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u/triciann 6h ago
Where? Were you there and saw it? That would be disappointing.
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u/Imaginary-Record-112 6h ago
Yes I was there around 4pm but it could be because today was the grand opening. 😇
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u/HumbleBrothers 5h ago
I have a domestic flight coming up at Burbank airport that departs at 7 am on Thursday. My metrolink train gets to the airport terminal at 5:54 AM. Is that cutting it too close? Trying to decide if I should drive there or take the metrolink.
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u/5paceman5pliff 5h ago
If lines etc are anything like the old airport you should be fine. At worst you might not board with your group if you’re an early group or something, but even that is unlikely I think. Arriving an hour early is right about the sweet spot in my experience. Even then I usually get through and think to myself I could’ve left later haha. Again, that’s at the old airport. And I don’t know where the metro link drops you off (if there’s a walk etc). I would like to assume the new terminal is actually faster though?? But I don’t know for sure.
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u/silvs1 LA Native 2h ago
Thats cutting it close for my liking. Assuming boarding for your flight is at 6:20-30 depending on your airline. You're going with the morning rush hour crowd for all the 7am flights and TSA is not as fast as it was before or at least it wasnt today with equipment issues. You dont know what time the shuttle to the airport will arrive and from what I heard today, there were long lines for the rental car shuttle. Not sure about the other shuttles.
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u/ceviche-hot-pockets Pasadena 8h ago
Shh don’t tell everyone 🤫
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u/Monkey1Fball 8h ago
Back in 2020-2022, I was living in Denver and would fly into LA a few times a year for work (our offices were on the border of LA and West Hollywood, by the Beverly Center).
So, I didn't know any better. I flew DEN-LAX, and cursed out LAX every damn time.
That job didn't work out - but I did wind up moving here. And once I found out about Burbank, I literally texted my old boss and was like "what the hell! Why didn't you tell me about this place, it had direct flights from Denver and sure it was on the other side of the hill but it is infinitely easier to get in and out of!"
As she said --- it's a secret. Once you actually move here, you get to find out, but not before!
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u/Intrepid-Anybody-704 6h ago
Why do people say this? BUR is not a secret. Burbank is easy because it’s less busy. It’s less busy because it’s a small facility with limited options and actually not the best option for most people. It’s legally capped and restricted for political reasons. It’s not because “shh, people don’t know” as if you flying through BUR is some sort of locals hack that makes you better.
BUR doesn’t fly to many places, doesn’t have as much flight frequency compared to same destinations at LAX, it’s more expensive, and it’s not convenient if you live west or south of DTLA when LAX or LGB are closer. If you live in Central/Westside, South LA, or the South Bay, going to BUR is a waste of time and money.
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u/stolenhello 5h ago
They think they’re being funny. Repeating the same joke ad nauseum. Though I’m sure some do think Burbank is an undiscovered secret in a county of ten million people.
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u/Intrepid-Anybody-704 4h ago
And people who don’t fly much or fly further than the west coast get to claim a win where they can. Honestly, while everyone would love BUR (or LGB) ease, most people would prefer living closer to LAX and only using LAX.
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u/Keep6oing 7h ago
I seem to be in the minority, these pictures look like a soulless prison to me. All that stainless reminds me of LaGuardia before the remodel.
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u/stolenhello 5h ago
Looks like an airport. The old one looked like a dump. It was dated with low ceilings and nowhere to sit on its busiest days.
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u/HiddenHolding 8h ago
I have traveled through the Burbank airport many times over various decades. Many. Outside of its speediness from plane to curb, which I certainly appreciated, I have never once thought of it as anything but a transport hub. The nostalgia for this place does not make any sense to me whatsoever. It was an airport terminal. And a basic one at that.
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u/Friendly-Impact7297 8h ago
why this old carpet like black in 1990
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u/Chief-Dirt-Nerd 8h ago
For the same reason why the restroom tile is dark - it doesn’t show dirt or stains as easily so it doesn’t have to be cleaned as often. They’re probably gonna vacuum it once a day when the last flights leave by 10pm so the carpet has to be dark enough not to show any noticeable dirt off peoples shoes when they are walking up and down the stairs to the planes.
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u/Bananas_Cat 8h ago
What color would be more modern?
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u/anothercar 8h ago
All it needs is jetbridges. This is California, not Burundi. And yes, it does rain here (see last weekend)
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u/silvs1 LA Native 8h ago
You would be in the minority. One of the key requests from voters and local residents when they approved the project was no jetways and to keep the same number of gates as the previous terminal.
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u/anothercar 8h ago
Totally get it. People's stated preferences and revealed preferences often differ. It's the job of the airport designers to filter real preferences from what people claim to want.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/1x5djqa/comment/pglo9jr/
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u/triciann 6h ago
I’m going to partly disagree here. The advantage of this is being able to board from both the front and the back. Everytime I fly southwest and get to another airport, I sigh that we aren’t able to walk off steps from both directions. If I’m only going to be able to board from the front, then yes I rather have the jetway. But I guarantee i will always prefer double boarding over a jetway…unless we could have a double jetway…that’s the best for sure.
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u/anothercar 6h ago
Thanks for the nuanced reply! I agree double boarding is a nice-to-have, especially back when Southwest didn't let you pick seats and it was something of a lottery whether you'd be in the back. Even if there was a jetbridge in the front, and air stairs in the back for people who wanted the option, that would have been nice - and in theory this could have been built into the new design
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u/triciann 6h ago
Ok, the jetway with the air stairs for the back would have been the cherry on top.
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u/kurramond 6h ago
Burundi is hot, humid, and rainy. Here it's sunny and nice 350 days a year. That's why we don't need jet bridges.
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u/anothercar 6h ago
Glad you weren’t at Burbank Airport last weekend!
And yes, we can afford jetbridges for 2 weeks of rain a year, or even more weeks of miserable heat where air conditioning is a quality of life improvement. California is the biggest subnational economy in the world. No need to compromise.
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u/kurramond 6h ago
Yes that was one of the 16 days of rain. The other 350 days are not rainy.
We can afford jet bridges. But, it's nicer to actually go outside and board both doors of the aircraft. (United, please start doing this) You can walk up some stairs, it's good for you. If this is a serious issue, I recommend LAX.
I've actually been to the Bujumbura airport, this comparison is hilarious.
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u/anothercar 6h ago
If Burundi doesn’t work for you, pick any other country without jet bridges. There are very few of them because you have to be quite poor or dumb to avoid an easy quality of life improvement.
LAX has jet bridges for good reason. They don’t hate their passengers. (Well airside at least lol)
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u/kurramond 6h ago
LAX is space-constrained. As a result, they added a second deck to their roads and added a second (and third+) floor to their terminals. This means a bridge takes you to your plane from the 2nd floor.
There is no 2nd floor at BUR. There's no need, they are not space constrained. No escalators, no elevators; you just pull up, walk to your plane, done.
It's great. There's only 14 gates. It's not LAX.
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u/anothercar 6h ago
I'm never sure how well-travelled the people are that I respond to here, so forgive me for not knowing exactly how much you know - but just in case you don't leave LA much, a vast majority of passenger airports in the developed world with 14 gates or fewer, have jetbridges. The number of gates and even size constraint is just not a factor in the decision tree. This is an intentional choice where they went with stated preference and "cOmMuNiTy InPuT" by some dumb boomers over actual preference of the traveling public, who all around the world have chosen a seamless way onto the plane, even in areas with perfect weather. It's also an accessibility downgrade for those in wheelchairs.
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u/kurramond 6h ago
Sure, Burbank is not one of those. It's in Southern California, where the weather is perfect, and where outdoor boarding has been part of the experience for almost 100 years. That only applies to like 5% of the cities on earth with perfect weather, like Malta, Gibraltar, Crete, Santorini, all of which use outdoor boarding. It's fine.
Ask around /r/LosAngeles, I don't think you'll find anyone choosing LAX over BUR because they really really want jet bridges.
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u/anothercar 6h ago
Palm Springs Airport is smaller
And there's even less rain there!
And yet (this is gonna blow your mind) they want their passengers to arrive in comfort, especially those in wheelchairs. So it's a straight walk into the terminal.
I agree that r/LosAngeles users have stated preferences different from their real preferences. They will definitely type out untrue things, like that it's better to walk down a set of stairs than straight into the terminal. You're 100% correct on that.
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u/kurramond 6h ago
Highs of 108f in the summer? Nah. BUR averages 90f highs in the summer. I've survived. Hopefully it does keep some people away, though! That would be great.
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u/Chief-Dirt-Nerd 8h ago
Walking to and from the plane is what the people of want according to the community who showed up to the design charrettes.
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u/anothercar 8h ago
Yup. Sometimes people are wrong. This is one of those times. If jetbridges appeared magically, people would mourn the "good old days" but end up preferring them, especially when it rains. It's like how people vocally claim to miss manual crank-windows in cars, but revealed preference shows nobody would buy a car like that, despite stating otherwise.
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u/Dear-Wolf322 8h ago
The people who say they miss crank windows are the same people who think electric windows add $2k to the price of a car.
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u/anothercar 8h ago
Hah, true, there's a parallel to Burbank boomers who showed up to the meetings asking for a low-tech way to exit the plane and walk through the rain to relive the 1950s.
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u/silvs1 LA Native 7h ago
I mean its not just boomers that asked for it, Gen X and millenials wanted it as well. Hell I would often see Gen Zers taking selfies in front of the plane while walking up to it. Lets be honest, we have sunshine 300+ days out of the year, rain is hardly an issue at BUR, a bigger issue is landing in the rain which Southwest clearly has issues with that. The ramps are also covered and so is the new path that leads you to your gate.
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u/Intrepid-Anybody-704 6h ago
Then you can’t board front and back at the same time. You can only fit one jetbridge cuz all BUR flights are on small shorter range planes. Even at airports with two jetbridge gates, one is for First/Business.
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u/SherAyaSher 8h ago
Burbank Airport got this done for $1.3B, while LAX has been working on the People Mover since forever and it still hasn’t started running. At this rate, Burbank will be due for another upgrade before LAX even gets its People Mover moving. Congrats to Burbank for actually getting the job done!