After more than two and a half years of construction and a $1.3 billion investment, Hollywood Burbank Airport officially opened its new terminal on Tuesday morning. The new facility, located at Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way, replaces the airport’s historic Spanish Colonial Revival buildings dating back to 1930. The terminal aims to provide a more modern, spacious environment while maintaining certain traditional features that travelers have appreciated.
The terminal spans approximately 355,000 square feet, representing a 50% increase over the combined size of the previous two terminals. It features higher ceilings, wider corridors, abundant charging stations primarily equipped with USB-C ports, and indoor baggage claim areas moved from outdoors. Notable design elements include illuminated steel sculptures by Cliff Garten at the main entrance and mirrored grid artwork by Glenn Kaino inside. Landscaping incorporates drought-tolerant plants such as cacti and succulents.
Despite the upgrades, the airport retains several elements from the former layout. The number of gates remains at 14, and passengers continue to board aircraft from the front and back via outdoor stairs rather than enclosed jet bridges, a practice noted for its informality and efficiency. The terminal’s distance from entrance to the farthest gate has been reduced from 1,600 feet to 1,285 feet, improving passenger flow, and the new design meets current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) seismic and safety standards by increasing the minimum separation between the terminal and the nearest runway to about 880 feet.
The first flights to use the new terminal on Tuesday included Alaska Flight 3401 departing for Santa Rosa, California, at 7:03 a.m. and Southwest Flight 189 arriving from Las Vegas at 7:16 a.m. Passengers and airline staff noted some initial confusion over the terminal change, prompting airport workers to assist in redirecting travelers from the old buildings to the new one. Some passengers praised the facility’s cleanliness and improved security screening, with eight Transportation Security Administration lanes compared to five previously. However, several travelers expressed frustration at the limited dining options on opening day, as only two out of 13 planned food concessions were offering grab-and-go service, with the full range expected to open later.
The airport’s parking structure has been expanded to include approximately 2,000 spaces and 310 electric vehicle charging ports. Shuttle services connecting the terminal to nearby rail stations remain operational, providing links to regional transportation such as Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner.
The new terminal replaces aging infrastructure that previously failed to meet state seismic and FAA design standards. It is expected to improve passenger experience and safety while fulfilling the community’s operational curfew of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., distinguishing it from nearby Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which operates without such restrictions.
The project was approved by local voters in 2016, with construction beginning in 2021. The airport served about 6.2 million passengers in 2025, with nonstop service to approximately 30 destinations. Airport Authority President Tyron Hampton, who is also a Pasadena City Council member, emphasized that the new terminal is not only a facility upgrade but a potential catalyst for economic growth in the surrounding commercial corridor.
As Burbank debuts its new terminal, LAX continues to face delays with its SkyLink automated people mover project, scheduled to open no earlier than January 2025. Hampton noted the scale difference, highlighting Burbank’s 14 gates versus LAX’s 161, while refraining from direct comparisons between the two airports.