Hollywood Burbank Airport continues to see passenger numbers rise
Passenger numbers continue to climb at Hollywood Burbank Airport as officials reported this week a 15% increase during May compared to the same month in 2016.
A combination of competitive fare pricing, a recovering economy and traffic congestion at Los Angeles International Airport are some of the reasons local airfield staff members attribute to the growth at Hollywood Burbank, said Denis Carvill, deputy executive director of engineering, maintenance, operations and airline relations, during a Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority meeting on Monday.
There were 403,522 passengers who traveled through Hollywood Burbank in May, which was 52,479 more than the previous year, Carvill said.
He said the airlines have continued to keep their fare prices competitive with one another as the economy recovers. Additionally, Carvill said construction at LAX has driven passengers to fly out of Burbank.
“LAX is suffering from this whole redevelopment plan that they’re going through, and that’s going to go on for some number of years,” he said. “For passengers who may have gone to LAX in the past, they are using the airport here to get to the cities they need to get to.”
Southwest Airlines, the largest airline at Hollywood Burbank, reported 304,123 passengers in May, which was 46,067 more than a year ago. Alaska Airlines also had a jump in its numbers, tallying 42,648 passengers, which was 2,804 more than May 2016.
Delta Air Lines had positive gains, reporting 10,188 passengers, a 2,250 hike from the previous year. United Airlines showed similar improvement, reporting 25,907 passengers in May, a boost of 2,156 more passengers compared to 2016.
JetBlue Airways had relatively flat numbers for May, with 8,464 passengers for the month, which was 130 more than May 2016.
American Airlines, which had been reporting rising passenger numbers since the beginning of the year, had its first dip in May. The airline reported 12,192 passengers, which was 928 fewer than the same month last year.
Though Hollywood Burbank has seen an increase in the number of passengers it serves, the airport’s monthly parking revenue has remained relatively unchanged.
Excluding revenue generated by the parking structure, Carvill said the airport made about $1.34 million from its parking lots and valet service in May, which was about $1,000 more than the previous year.
Carvill said the parking structure, by itself, generated $349,670 in May. However, that total does not take into account the $3 tickets pulled by short-term users and ride-sharing drivers who are picking up passengers.
Ride-sharing companies continue to make up the difference lost at the parking structure. A total of $182,304 was made in May — $98,073 for 32,691 passenger drop-offs and $84,231 for 28,077 passenger pick-ups.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
