Hollywood Burbank Airport closes out 2018 with highest passenger count since recession
Hollywood Burbank Airport broke the five-million-passengers mark at the end of 2018, the highest the count has been since before the recession a decade ago.
The airport reported 5,263,972 passengers for the year, up 11% over 2017, Nerissa Sugars, the airport’s manager of air service development, reported Monday during a meeting of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.
It is the most passengers the Burbank airport has seen since the year 2007, when the airfield soared to a peak of approximately 5.9 million passengers.
Hollywood Burbank finished 2018 with a strong performance in December, during which 465,154 passengers traveled to and from the airport. That was 37,655 more passengers than passed through the facility during the same month in 2017.
Southwest Airlines, the largest carrier operating at Hollywood Burbank, reported 345,607 passengers in December, a jump of 26,514 more than in 2017.
JetBlue Airways’ flights to Boston and New York have continued to boost the airline’s figures. Officials reported 19,547 passengers during the busy holiday month, 11,538 more than the previous year.
Delta Airlines reported 13,992 passengers in December, an uptick of 4,886 over the year before.
American Airlines saw some growth at the end of the year, reporting 12,641 passengers, just 1,550 more than in 2017.
Alaska Airlines had a relatively flat month as it tallied 51,397 passengers, 458 fewer than the year before.
United Airlines experienced some turbulence, reporting about 6,300 fewer passengers than it had served in December 2017.
Two other airports in the region also ended 2018 on a positive note. Los Angeles International Airport had 7,205,195 in December, which was 107,262 more than the previous year.
Ontario International Airport also had a strong holiday month, as it had 441,173 passengers, an uptick of 30,361 over the year before.
On the other hand, Long Beach Airport and John Wayne Airport did not fare as well as their competitors.
Long Beach reported having 298,102 passengers, a drop of 41,081 compared to the same month in 2017. Meanwhile, John Wayne had 828,070 passengers, 71,381 less than the previous year.
Parking revenue at Hollywood Burbank has increased steadily, generating $1,554,979 in December. That’s an improvement of $79,330 compared to the same month in 2017.
Revenue from ride-sharing companies has also continued on its upward trend. Airport officials reported that $283,401 was generated by pick-ups and drop-offs, which was $66,072 more than the previous year.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
