The Number

Hollywood Burbank Airport reported an airline passenger count of 370,230 in January, a 13 percent increase compared to the same month a year ago. Denis Carvill, deputy executive director, attributed the uptick to larger planes in service by the four largest carriers at the public airfield: Alaska Airlines Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., Southwest Airlines Co. and United Airlines Inc. “We are seeing the airlines add more seats,” Carvill told the Business Journal. “What we are actually seeing is an upgrade in equipment rather than additional flights.” Southwest accounts for about 70 percent of the traffic at Hollywood Burbank, Carvill said. Southwest’s passenger count grew 13.3 percent in January, while United was up 19.5 percent, Alaska gained 33.7 percent and Delta was flat, he added. In terms of destinations, Alaska has added seats on the Portland and Seattle runs; United has upgraded planes for San Francisco and Denver; and Southwest has been more diverse, simply because it has so many destinations flying out of Burbank. The larger aircraft indicate that carriers are making Burbank “part of their mainline service, rather than regional service,” Carvill explained. During January, the number of takeoffs and landings by general aviation, or small private airplanes, increased nearly 11 percent. Carvill said the number of private jets at the airport fluctuates depending on major events, such as the Rose Bowl parade and football game, or Hollywood award ceremonies. Last year the airport served 4.7 million passengers, compared to its peak year in 2007 at 6 million. “We still have plenty of room to grow,” Carvill said. In 2016, the airport rebranded itself with the name “Hollywood Burbank” to help people in the eastern regions of the country understand its location. Carvill said it’s unclear whether the rebranding contributes to higher passenger counts. – Joel Russell