Airport Experience® News - Food & Beverage Issue 2023

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

HOLLYWOOD CONNECTIONS BUR Sets Sights On Eastern U.S. Flights; Plans New Terminal

BY C AROL WARD

ditor’s Note: Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) sits roughly 30 miles away from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) but the two facilities have little in common. With just 14 airline gates, BUR offers a much smaller and more convenient option for business and leisure travelers in northern Los Angeles. The current facility is 93 years old and a new terminal is in the works, but local restrictions mean expansion isn’t an option – the new facility will also have 14 gates. BUR served 5.6 million passengers in 2022, off 1.4% from pre-pandemic 2019 levels. FrankMiller has served as executive director of Hollywood Burbank Airport since 2016. Prior to that he led the San Antonio Airport System and, previously, was director of Pensacola Regional Airport. AXN’s Carol Ward spoke withMiller about the new terminal and other initiatives underway at BUR. E

WARD: I see that your traffic is back to pre-pandemic levels. Can you give me an update on your passenger traffic and what you’re expecting for the near-term future? MILLER: We’re expecting a heavy summer travel season. We are, for all intents and purposes, back to the pre COVID-19 levels. We see that continuing and for the fiscal year (ending June 30, 2023) we’ll probably top 6 million passengers, which will set a record. Looking forward, we’re very pleased with what we’re seeing. We now have Avelo Airline s, which is a very low cost carrier. We’ve seen our traffic shift a bit – we’re now

seeing more leisure travel than business travel. WARD: Are you actively pursuing more airlines? I know there are limits for BUR – how big can you get? MILLER: We are pushing our limits right now with the terminal that we are in, but we do continue to reach out to the airlines and continue to have meetings with them. There are certain markets that we want to have the airlines consider. We’re really focusing on raising the awareness about Burbank east of the Rocky Mountains. For branding purposes back in 2016, we

Above: Frank Miller, executive director, Hollywood Burbank Airport

Right: Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) offers a smaller, easier-to-navigate alternative to LAX for travelers in northern Los Angeles.

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