Bob Hope Airport (IATA: BUR, ICAO: KBUR, FAA LID: BUR) is a public airport three miles (5 km) northwest of downtown Burbank, in Los Angeles County, California. The airport serves the northern Greater Los Angeles area, including Glendale, Pasadena, and the San Fernando Valley. It is closer to Griffith Park and Hollywood than Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and is the only airport in the area with a direct rail connection to downtown Los Angeles. Non-stop flights mostly serve cities in the western United States, while JetBlue Airways has a daily red-eye flight to New York City.
The airport was originally in the city limits, but the north end of Runway 15/33 has been extended into the city of Los Angeles.
The airport is owned by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, controlled by the governments of those cities. The Airport Authority contracts with TBI Airport Management, Inc. to operate the airport. The airport has its own police department, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority Police. Boarding uses portable boarding steps or ramps rather than jet bridges.
Business for the airport has declined recently and airport officials believe a return to the pre-1978 name of Hollywood-Burbank Airport might boost traffic by reminding passengers unfamiliar with Los Angeles geography that Bob Hope Airport is actually closer to Hollywood than LAX.
Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 2,647,287 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 2,294,991 in 2009, and 2,239,804 in 2010. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011-2015 called it a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).
History
The airport has been United Airport (1930-1934), Union Air Terminal (1934-1940), Lockheed Air Terminal (1940-1967), Hollywood-Burbank Airport (1967-1978), Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport (1978-2003) and most recently Bob Hope Airport (2003-present).
Boeing Aircraft and Transport (BA&T) was a holding company created in 1928 that included Boeing Aircraft and United Air Lines, itself a holding company for a collection of small airlines that continued to operate under their own names. One of these airlines was Pacific Air Transport (PAT), which Boeing had acquired because of PAT's west coast mail contract in January 1928. BA&T sought a site for a new airport for PAT and found one in Burbank. BA&T had the benefit of surveys that the Aeronautics Department of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce had conducted starting in 1926 to identify potential airport sites.
It took BA&T a year and the cooperation of the city to assemble the site. The 234-acre (0.95 km2) site was rife with vines and trees and the ground had to be filled and leveled, but it had good drainage, a firm landing surface, steady winds, and good access to ground transport. Construction was completed in just seven months. In an age when few aircraft had brakes and many had a tail skid instead of a wheel, runways were not usually paved; those at Burbank had a 5-inch-thick (130 mm) mixture of oil and sand. There were no taxi strips, but the designers left room for them. Two of the runways were over 3,600 feet (1,100 m) long; a third was 2,900 feet (880 m); all were 300 feet (91 m) wide. Generous dimensions, and the site had room for expansion.
United Airport was dedicated amid much festivity (including an air show) on Memorial Day weekend (May 30 - June 1), 1930. The airport and its handsome Spanish revival terminal was a showy competitor to nearby Grand Central Airport in Glendale, which was then Los Angeles' main airline terminal. The new Burbank facility was actually the largest commercial airport in the Los Angeles area until it was eclipsed in 1946 by the Los Angeles Airport in Westchester when that facility (formerly Mines Field, then Los Angeles Municipal Airport) commenced scheduled airline operations.
The Burbank facility remained United Airport until 1934 when it was renamed Union Air Terminal. The name change came the same year that Federal anti-trust actions caused United Aircraft and Transport Corp. to dissolve, which took effect September 26, 1934. The Union Air Terminal moniker stuck until Lockheed bought the airport in 1940 and renamed it Lockheed Air Terminal.
In March 1939 sixteen airline departures a day were scheduled out of Burbank: eight on United Airlines, five on Western Airlines and three on TWA (American Airlines' three departures were still at Glendale). Commercial air traffic continued even while Lockheed's extensive factories supplied the war effort and developed numerous military and commercial aircraft into the mid-1960s. The April 1957 OAG shows nine weekday departures on Western, six on United, six on Pacific Air Lines (which subsequently merged with Bonanza Airlines and West Coast Airlines to form Air West), one on TWA and one on American Airlines (a nonstop to Chicago Midway). Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) had 48 Douglas DC-4 departures a week to SFO and SAN (PSA did not fly out of LAX until 1958).
In the late 1960s Pacific Airlines Boeing 727-100s flew nonstop to Las Vegas. Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) flew from Burbank to various California cities, and Hughes Airwest (previously Air West) DC-9s flew nonstop to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver with onestop DC-9s to Houston Hobby Airport. Hughes Airwest even had one-stop jets to Grand Canyon National Park Airport near the south rim of the Grand Canyon. In 1986 United Airlines Boeing 767s flew nonstop to Chicago, the largest passenger airliner ever scheduled to Burbank. AirCal McDonnell Douglas MD-80s flew nonstop to the Bay Area and direct to Lake Tahoe.
At 3:30 p.m. on February 13, 1966, a fire broke out in a greasy flue in the kitchen of the terminal building's second-floor restaurant, The Sky Room. Fanned by gusty winds, the fire spread through the terminal and control tower. Controllers in the tower were able to escape on an aerial ladder and air traffic was diverted to nearby Van Nuys Airport and Los Angeles International Airport for several hours. A controller communicated with aircraft using the radio in a light airplane belonging to Sky Roamers Air Travel, a flying club whose hangar was just east of the control tower. The fire, contained by about 6:30 p.m., caused an estimated $2 million in damages to the terminal, tower and equipment in the tower. No injuries were reported.
Lockheed officials declared that the airport would reopen the next day, and it did, using electronic equipment borrowed from LAX and set up in a nearby hangar. The hangar also served as the airport's temporary passenger terminal and baggage claim area. The gutted terminal and tower were rebuilt and reopened the following year.
In 1967 Lockheed renamed the facility Hollywood-Burbank Airport. In 1969 Continental Airlines began Boeing 720B flights to Portland and Seattle via San Jose and also flew the short hop to Ontario. Continental later switched to Boeing 727-200s with some flights continuing to Chicago via Ontario. Continental went on to serve Denver with nonstop Boeing 727-200s from BUR. Later Alaska Airlines Boeing 727-200s flew nonstop or direct to Seattle and Portland, Alaska Air's first service to southern California. More recently Aloha Airlines pioneered flights to Hawaii, flying Boeing 737-700s nonstop to Honolulu before ceasing operations.
The facility remained Hollywood-Burbank Airport for more than a decade until 1978 when Lockheed sold it to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. The airport then got its fifth name: Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport (1978-2003).
On November 11, 2003 the airport authority voted to change the name to Bob Hope Airport in honor of comedian Bob Hope, a longtime resident of nearby Toluca Lake, who had died earlier that year and who had kept his personal airplane at the airfield. The new name was unveiled on December 17, 2003, on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight in 1903, the year that Bob Hope was born.
Numerous attempts to expand safety buffer zones and add runway length have drawn opposition from the airport's neighbors, citing increased noise. Open space around the airport is nonexistent, making land acquisition unlikely.
In 2005 the airport celebrated its 75th anniversary; in 2006 it served 5,689,291 travelers on seven major carriers, with more than 70 flights daily.
After much debate between the Airport Authority, the city of Burbank, the Transportation Security Administration, and Burbank residents, in November 2007 it was decided that a new $8-million to $10-million baggage screening facility for Terminal B is legal, considering the anti-growth limitations placed on the airport. The facility will house a $2.5-million explosive detection system, used for the automatic detection of explosives within checked luggage. However, the facility is still in the early planning phases.
The land occupied by the old Lockheed buildings (demolished in the 1990s) at the corners of Empire Avenue and Hollywood Way and Thornton Avenue, is now the site of a growing power center commercial development with chain restaurants and businesses.
Facilities
Bob Hope Airport covers 610 acres (247 ha) at an elevation of 778 feet (237 m) above sea level. It has two asphalt runways: 15/33 is 6,886 by 150 feet (2,099 x 46 m) and 8/26 is 5,802 by 150 feet (1,768 x 46 m). Airliners generally take off on Runway 15 due to wind from the south, and land crosswind on Runway 8 since that is the only runway with ILS and clear terrain for the approach. Flights from the northeast sometimes land visually on Runway 15 to save the extra distance circling to Runway 8. When wind is from the north airliners often make a visual left-base approach to Runway 33, with a left turn close to the airport.
In the year ending October 31, 2006, the airport had 130,849 operations, average 358 per day: 52% scheduled commercial, 31% general aviation, 16% air taxi and <1% military. 108 aircraft were based at this airport: 47% jet, 28% single-engine, 19% multi-engine and 6% helicopter.
In the year ending November 30, 2011, the airport had 130,756 operations, average 358 per day: 45% scheduled commercial, 43% general aviation, 12% air taxi, and <1% military. 91 aircraft were then based at this airport: 55% jet, 25% single-engine, 17% multi-engine, and 3% helicopter.
On June 27, 2014, a $112 Million Regional Transportation Center opened. The 520,000-square-foot center at Hollywood Way and Empire Avenue was also built to withstand a major earthquake while serving as an emergency "nerve center." The industrial-looking hub with a red steel roof will be adorned by 16, three-story art panels. Solar panels generating 1.5 megawatts of energy will also be added to its roof. A nearby parking garage was built to handle more than 1,000 cars, while traffic lights have been reworked around the airport. .
Terminals
Bob Hope Airport has two terminals, "A" and "B", joined together as part of the same building. Terminal A has nine gates numbered A1 to A9 and Terminal B has five gates numbered B1 to B5.
Airlines and destinations
Note: Alaska's check-in counters are in Terminal A.
Statistics
Top destinations
Annual traffic
Ground transportation
Car
Bob Hope Airport can be reached using the Hollywood Way exit (number 149) off Interstate 5, the Hollywood Way (west) or Pass Ave (east) exit (number 2) off State Route 134, or the Victory Boulevard exit (number 8B) off State Route 170. Car and pedestrian access to the terminal is provided at either Hollywood Way and Thornton Avenue or on Empire Avenue one block west of Hollywood Way. On-site parking consists of valet parking, short-term parking, and Parking Lots D and E. Remote Parking Lot A is located at Hollywood Way and Winona Avenue. Remote Parking Lot B is located on Hollywood Way north of Burton Avenue. Remote Parking Lot C is located on Thornton Avenue west of Ontario Street. Shuttle buses are provided from Parking Lots A, B, C, and D to the terminal buildings. A shuttle stop is also located at the corner of Hollywood Way and Thornton Avenue.
Bus
No municipal bus service is offered direct to the terminal building, however, the MTA provides bus service to the corner of Hollywood Way and Thornton Ave via lines 94, 169 (weekdays only), 222 (the region's only direct bus route from an airport to Hollywood), and 794 (weekdays only). Shuttle buses stop on Hollywood and Thornton and continue directly to the terminal. Bus service at the Empire Avenue entrance is also provided via line 165. Amtrak also provides service to the Bob Hope Airport Train Station via its Thruway Motorcoach service to Bakersfield, CA.
Rail
Amtrak/Metrolink Ventura County Line
Amtrak's Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink's Ventura County and Burbank-Bob Hope Airport Lines serve the Bob Hope Airport Train Station located south of the airport. The train station is a short quarter mile walk from the terminal area, and a free shuttle bus with luggage racks connects the terminals and the train station. From the station, the Metrolink Ventura County Line provides access to downtown Los Angeles and Ventura County; Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner provides access to San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, downtown Los Angeles, Anaheim, and San Diego.
Metrolink Antelope Valley Line
Metrolink's Antelope Valley Line stops at the Downtown Burbank station located about 3.3 miles away from the airport. The airport offers complimentary shuttle van service to the station operated by SuperShuttle; reservations are recommended. Passengers can also reach the station using southbound trains from the Bob Hope Airport Train Station or Metro Local route 165.
Future Bob Hope Airport-Hollywood Way station
Metrolink is building a new Bob Hope Airport-Hollywood Way station on the Antelope Valley Line. The station will be located about 1 mile north of the terminal near the intersection of San Fernando Boulevard and Hollywood Way, and a free shuttle bus will take passengers to the terminal.
Expansion
In 2002, Terminal A was renovated and expanded. Plans existed for years to expand the airport with a new passenger terminal north of the existing one, but these plans have been scrapped due to significant opposition from the Burbank City Council and local groups.
A 2004 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report cited the need for expansion at this airport, but for now this seems impossible due to agreed upon restrictions of the size and number of gates. Under a development agreement, no gate expansions to the terminal are permitted until after 2015. The passenger terminal is too close to the runways, according to current safety standards, but is grandfathered in because of its age.
As of 2013, the airport is again trying to replace the legacy terminal. The proposed new terminal would be built on the north side of the airfield, with the existing terminal on the south side demolished once the new terminal is constructed. The number of gates and ground-boarding would be retained, but the new terminal would be larger and would address the safety deficiencies noted above. Building the new terminal requires a vote of the citizens of Burbank. New Terminal Visioning Page
Incidents
Bob Hope Airport was initially built for smaller aircraft; as a consequence, the airport has one of the smallest commercially used runways in the United States. The result is a challenging landing for even the most experienced pilots.
- On September 21, 1938, USAAC Chief Maj. Gen. Oscar Westover was killed in the crash of Northrop A-17AS, 36-349, c/n 289, '1', out of Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., in a crosswind short of the runway. The single-engined attack design, used as a high-speed staff transport, crashed into a house at 1007 Scott Road in Burbank. Also killed was Westover's mechanic, S/Sgt Samuel Hymes. (Another source identifies him as Sgt. Samuel Hyne.) Northeast Air Base, Massachusetts, was renamed Westover Field on December 1, 1939, later Westover AFB on January 13, 1948.
- On August 6, 1945, leading U.S. fighter ace Richard Bong was killed when his plane's primary fuel pump malfunctioned during takeoff on the acceptance flight of P-80A 44-85048. Bong either forgot to switch to the auxiliary fuel pump, or for some reason was unable to do so. Bong bailed out of the aircraft, but was too low for his parachute to deploy. The plane crashed into a narrow field at Oxnard St & Satsuma Ave, North Hollywood.
- On October 31, 1951, a Pacific Southwest DC-3 crashed shortly after take-off into Vahalla, a cemetery immediately south of the airport. Though damaged, the fuselage remained intact and there were only very minor injuries.
- On September 8, 1955, Currey Air Transport Flight 24, a Douglas DC-3 bound for Oakland, crashed on the airport property while returning to the airfield after experiencing an engine failure shortly after takeoff. The plane, N74663, struck a powerline on the southern boundary of the airport, causing it to crash into two parked Air Force C-54 aircraft and a Lockheed Aircraft service hangar. The pilot, co-pilot and a Lockheed employee on the ground were killed; the plane's stewardess and one passenger were seriously injured. The remaining 29 passengers on board received minor injuries.
- On December 14, 1962, a Flying Tiger Line Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation freighter (N6913C) crashed in dense fog 1-1/2 miles west of the airport during an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to Runway 07. The Constellation clipped a telephone pole and billboard and crashed in an industrial and residential neighborhood near the intersection of Lankershim Boulevard and Vose Street in North Hollywood after the aircraft's 38-year-old pilot suffered a heart attack at a critical point in the landing approach. All five occupants of the Constellation--the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and two non-revenue passengers--died in the crash. Also killed were two persons in a commercial building and a teen-age girl in a house that were among the structures struck by the plane.
- On December 5, 1982, Douglas C-53 N163E operated by P Crossman was damaged beyond repair in a taxiing accident.
- On March 5, 2000, Southwest Airlines Flight 1455, upon landing on Runway 8 at Burbank following a flight from Las Vegas, overran the runway, injuring 43. The Boeing 737 crashed through a metal blast barrier at the end of the runway, then an airport perimeter fence, and came to rest in the traffic lanes of Hollywood Way, a main north-south thoroughfare. The plane stopped close to a Chevron gasoline station located across the street from the runway. The incident resulted in the dismissal of the pilots. The Chevron gasoline station was subsequently closed and removed due to safety concerns.
- On September 21, 2005, JetBlue Airways Flight 292 took off from Burbank, and the nose gear failed to retract and instead jammed sideways. The aircraft spent several hours in the air before safely making an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport, with 140 passengers and 6 crew members aboard. The Airbus A320 was originally bound for JFK International Airport, in New York City, New York. After the aircraft took off, the incident was quickly captured by news helicopters which ran feed that was shown live nationally on cable news. Notably, many passengers on the flight said they watched images of their own aircraft's flight on JetBlue's LiveTV system.
- On October 13, 2006, a Gulfstream Aerospace jet overran the runway upon landing. There were no reported injuries amongst the five passengers and two crew members. New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was on board, on his way to attend the funeral of teammate Cory Lidle. Rodriguez was uninjured, but the accident happened two days after the fatal plane crash of his teammate.
Filming location
The airport has been used as a filming location for projects including:
- The 1956 film Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean. Nearby Warner Bros. studio utilized the airport during filming in 1955 to shoot the "Jett Rink Day" parade and celebration sequence, in which Taylor and Hudson arrive by plane at Jett Rink's new airport and discover that their daughter, Luz (played by Carroll Baker), has been named "queen" of the festivities when they see her riding in an open convertible in the parade.
- The 1986 music video for Wake Up Dead, a song by Megadeth. Many Southern California metal fans were on hand after hearing an advertising campaign on now-defunct radio station KNAC. The film shoot turned rowdy, with fans spray-painting planes on the tarmac and leaving broken bottles on the runway.
- The 2002 film Nothing So Strange, where an actor, Steve Sires, playing Bill Gates, is flown into this airport on a Microsoft jet before he makes his appearance in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. There, Gates is shot and killed in a fictional assassination.
- Season 4 of the television series Arrested Development used BUR as a stand-in for three different airports:
- Orange County's John Wayne Airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, for which the exterior of the terminal was digitally redressed and an establishing shot of the central terminal was flipped (so that vehicular traffic would be seen moving in the correct direction)
See also
- California World War II Army Airfields
- List of airports in California
References
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
External links
- Bob Hope Airport, official site
- Burbank Airport at Burbank.com
- Aerial image as of March 2004 from USGS The National Map
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective April 30, 2015
- FAA Terminal Procedures for BUR, effective April 30, 2015
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KBUR
- ASN accident history for BUR
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBUR
- FAA current BUR delay information
Interesting Informations
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