Bob Hope Airport expands parking options

To help handle an anticipated surge in travelers during the holiday season, Bob Hope Airport officials are expanding the airfield’s parking options by reopening and redesignating lots in its existing inventory.

“Thanksgiving kind of kicks off the busy season,” said Lucy Burghdorf, an airport spokeswoman. “We start getting busy the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving.”

On Monday, the airport will reopen its remote Lot B, located across from the airport entrance on Hollywood Way. The economy lot, with nearly 640 spaces, was temporarily closed during slower travel periods.

Parking in the lot costs $13 a day, the same as nearby Lot C on the corner of Thornton Avenue and Ontario Street. Free shuttle service to the terminal will run about every 10 minutes, Burghdorf said.

Also on Monday, the airport will open another parking option within walking distance of the terminal.

The newly designated Lot G, with roughly 250 covered parking stalls, can be accessed from the main airport entrance at Hollywood Way and Thornton Avenue and from the entrance at Empire Avenue, across from the Bob Hope Airport train station.

The rate will be $23 a day — the same as valet parking in front of the terminal and self-parking in Lot E. It’s adjacent to Lot E, an uncovered lot officials have said is often sold out, and they hope the covered lot will be popular with travelers, too.

Both lots B and G will be unstaffed and paid for by credit card only at lot exits or at “express pay” stations that issue prepaid tickets. Attendants will be available via intercoms at lot entry and exits.

Express pay stations are located inside Terminal A just before the exit from the secure area into baggage claim, near Terminal B’s baggage claim, on the shuttle island in front of the terminal, on the ground floor of the short-term parking structure and along the pedestrian walkway to Lot E.

The remote economy Lot A, at $10 a day, remains the most inexpensive parking option offered by the airport. It’s located at Hollywood Way and Winona Avenue, with free shuttle service running roughly every 10 minutes.

There is also a short-term parking structure near the terminal for those picking up or dropping off passengers. The rate in the parking structure is $3 for the first 30 minutes, $5 for an hour and $31 a day.

With construction on the Golden State (5) Freeway causing traffic delays, airport officials are also encouraging passengers to consider alternatives to driving, such as Metrolink and Amtrak trains that stop at the Bob Hope Airport train station on Empire Avenue.

BurbankBus and Metro buses also service the airport’s transit center. More information about bus and train services is available online at bobhopeairport.com/parking/buses-trains.html.

Because the airport gets busier during the holiday season, officials are advising travelers to arrive 1 1/2 to 2 hours ahead of their scheduled departures to allow more time to find parking, check bags and clear security.

“We don’t want people coming frazzled,” Burghdorf said. “It makes a nicer holiday for them.”