Mike Petros, a Southwest pilot, landed from Sacramento at 7:31 a.m. on October 13 and summed up the new Hollywood Burbank Airport terminal in one line to the Los Angeles Times: "The taxi off was a little different. Instead of turning right, you turn left." Before that flight left, he told his passengers they were flying into a new terminal and that anyone meeting them should know.
For Burbank, that left turn is the whole story. The $1.3 billion terminal opened after 33 months of construction, and nearly all of the change is on the ground side. The entrance, the garage, the pickup routine and the train connection are all new. Once you clear security, the parts of BUR that made it the easy airport are still there: 14 gates, eight airlines and boarding by stairs from the tarmac.
The front door is now on Winona Avenue
The old main entrance off Thornton Avenue is closed. The airport's front door is now at Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way, on the north side of the airfield. The building sits on a parcel next to San Fernando Road and North Hollywood Way, directly across the runways from the 1930-era complex it replaces.
CBS Los Angeles reported that the final flights from the old terminal left on Monday night, October 12. Every arrival and departure since the morning of the 13th has used the new building. Plenty of travelers drove the old route anyway. The Times reported that airport staff were posted to send confused passengers from the empty old terminals over to the new one, and one traveler heard about the move from his Uber driver on the way in.
If your mental map of BUR still starts at Thornton, change it before your next flight. Everything below follows from the new entrance.
Where the car goes now
The new parking structure sits across from the terminal. It has about 2,000 spaces and 310 EV charging ports. The airport's total parking count of 6,637 spaces is the same as before, so the move shifted parking to the north side without adding any. Lot E closed for good, and valet moved to the new terminal.
Here are the rates the airport currently posts:
| Option | Rate posted by the airport |
|---|---|
| Terminal garage, first hour | $9 |
| Terminal garage, each additional 30 minutes | $5 |
| Terminal garage, daily maximum | $49 |
| Valet, daily maximum | $59 |
| Lot F, long-term | $28 per day, with shuttle |
| Lot G, long-term | $24 per day, with shuttle |
The garage schedule doesn't list a free grace period, so a quick pickup costs at least the $9 first hour. Online parking pre-booking is also unavailable for now while the airport changes parking operators.
If you parked at the old terminal before October 13, the airport gave you 30 days from that date to get your car out of the old structure or valet center. That window closes in mid-November.
Meeting someone off a flight works differently
Picking someone up is the routine most likely to trip up a Burbank household. You can stop at the curb to drop off or pick up, but you can't wait there. The airport tells people meeting arriving passengers to park in the Short-Term Parking Structure and meet them in baggage claim. Its guidance doesn't name a cell phone waiting lot.
Baggage claim is now indoors, with three carousels. That makes the garage-and-walk-in approach more comfortable than it was at the old outdoor claim area.
Rideshare pickup has also moved. It's now at the ground transportation island in front of the parking structure, and the airport prohibits waiting at the curb. If you're sending a car for a visiting relative, give them that spot as the meeting point instead of the terminal door.
The train connection flipped toward the north station
The Regional Intermodal Transportation Center, which houses the rental car center, stays where it is across Hollywood Way. Shuttles now run between it and the new terminal. The RITC's elevated moving walkway links it to the legacy terminal area, so rail passengers now reach the new gates by shuttle or on foot from the north. There's no direct rail service to the new terminal.
The two Metrolink stations now work like this:
- Burbank Airport North, Antelope Valley Line. This station is near Hollywood Way and San Fernando Road. It connects to the new terminal by a pedestrian path and a free on-demand shuttle that runs 5 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Meet the shuttle at valet parking, or call 818-729-2245.
- Burbank Airport South, Ventura County Line and Amtrak. This station is on Empire Avenue. Its on-demand shuttle runs 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 818-565-1308. From the terminal, board the Lot C shuttle at the parking lot shuttle island.
- BurbankBus and Metro Bus. Both serve the RITC transit center. On weekdays, BurbankBus connects the airport with Downtown Burbank and North Hollywood Station.
The North station's pedestrian path makes it the closest rail stop to the new front door. For anyone coming from the Antelope Valley Line, getting to a flight is now about as simple as it has ever been.
Past security, the airport you already know
Burbank voters approved the terminal through Measure B in 2016. The project was always billed as a replacement, not an expansion. Airport officials told the Daily News that the gate count stays the same even though the building is bigger, and executive director John Hatanaka said keeping "the convenience of the legacy terminal and the ground-loading of the aircraft" was one of the community's most stated wishes during design.
Here is the old terminal next to the new one:
| Old terminal complex | New terminal | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 232,000 sq. ft. | 355,000 sq. ft. |
| Gates | 14 | 14 |
| TSA lanes | 5 | 8 |
| Walk from entrance to farthest gate | 1,600 ft. | 1,285 ft. |
| Baggage claim | Outdoors | Indoors, three carousels |
| Boarding | Outdoor stairs and ramps | Outdoor stairs and ramps |
The eight airlines are the same: Alaska, Allegiant, American, Breeze, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United. On opening day, the schedule called for about 90 arrivals and departures, roughly what the old buildings handled. The first departure was Alaska Flight 3401 to Santa Rosa at 7:03 a.m. with 33 passengers. The first arrival was Southwest Flight 189 from Las Vegas at 7:16 a.m. with 30.
The changes inside are smaller and practical. Every seat has power, and most of the charging ports are USB-C, so pack the right cable. A pair of illuminated steel sculptures by Cliff Garten stands on either side of the main entrance.
A food lineup built from local names
The new dining roster leans regional. AFAR describes most of the food and drink options as local operators. That includes two Pasadena names, Perry's Joint near Gates 2 and 3 and Jones Coffee at Gate 6. Border Grill is at Gate 12 and Jet Tila's is at Gate 13.
The airport's restaurant and shopping directory also lists Poquito Mas, Massis Kabob, Farm Table Bistro, Diane's Italian Market, Spring Kitchen, West Coast Smash Burgers, Guy Fieri's Flavortown, Santa Canela, Starbucks and Pete's Pub. The Times notes that the bar looks out over the runways and the Verdugo Mountains through picture windows.
The concessions are still opening. On opening day, most of the six retail stores were open, but none of the 13 food concessions were fully running, and two offered grab-and-go items. The airport's directory still marks the restaurants "Coming Soon" and gives no dates. Until the list fills in, eat before you leave home or bring something through security.
The old terminal's next nine months
The original terminal buildings date to 1930, and they're set to come down. The Airport Authority's project FAQ schedules demolition to start in late 2026, after the new terminal is running, and to take about nine months. Its posted construction hours have been 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, with occasional work outside those hours under city permits. If that schedule holds, the old terminal site will remain a work zone well into 2027.
Thanksgiving is the first real test
Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, four weeks after this post goes up. For many Burbank households, that week will be the first time they drop off or pick up at the new terminal under holiday crowds. When you plan that trip, start the drive toward Winona and Hollywood Way and budget at least the first garage hour for pickup. If you're coming in on the Antelope Valley Line, plan on the North station path. Save both shuttle numbers in your phone before you need them.
The new terminal changes how people reach north Burbank and how much time a trip to BUR takes. If you're weighing either one in plans to buy or sell a home nearby, Landon Realty Group can walk you through what the move means for specific streets and properties. Schedule a valuation & strategy session.
