Burbank Airport

Paul Clinton BURBANK -- Hoping to revive talks for a replacement terminal, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority on Monday agreed to a smaller facility and curfew on flights at night before any construction. The authority's newest proposal comes as the agency has actively begun efforts to sell an 81-acre parcel of land thought to be ideal for the terminal. "We can still salvage the terminal project if we can reach an agreement before the property sells," authority President Carl Meseck wrote in a letter Monday to Burbank Mayor Bill Wiggins.

Irma Lemus BURBANK -- Vice President Al Gore was in Burbank Tuesday, a day after his rival, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, held a rally in the city. Gore, who made a stop in Burbank to do a taping of "The Tonight Show" at NBC Studios, exited Air Force II to a small crowd of local officials, including Burbank City Councilman David Laurell. Landing at Mercury Air Center, on the northwest corner of the airport, Gore did not speak to local media, but was interviewed via satellite by veteran journalist Tom Brokaw.

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE -- Four U.S. Marine Corps fighter jets are expected to stage operations Thursday from Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport for the Bowl Championship Series game at the Rose Bowl. The F/A-18 fighter jets are scheduled to arrive at Burbank Airport on Wednesday after a practice flight over the Rose Bowl. The aircraft will leave Burbank Airport at 4:30 p.m. and return to the airport at 5:17 p.m. after flying over the stadium at game time.

Molly Shore Nighttime flights at Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport have dropped to their lowest totals since the 1980s, and officials credit ongoing communication with airline carriers for a 97% compliance with a voluntary curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. A new report issued by the airport showed only three scheduled airline departures before 7 a.m. Because of the time it takes a plane to move from the terminal gate...

Laura Sturza Authorities at the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport are finding that security -- the facility's 40,000-square-foot security project, to be exact -- isn't cheap. The project, projected to cost $24 million, will cost closer to $34 million, airport officials said this week. Construction of the security addition's exterior shell started in September and includes space for baggage-screening equipment, holding rooms, security personnel and an expanded baggage-check area.

Laura Sturza While the airline industry remains volatile following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and with revenue down 42% from the previous year, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport still increased its net worth by $18 million. The airport's net worth -- including property, investments and reserve funds -- is almost $290 million. By doubling its investment income from fiscal year 2000-01 to 2001-02 -- a boost from $3 million to $6 million -- and receiving an added $10 million in federal funding for noise insulation, the airport buffered revenue losses and expense increases.

Ben Godar The Transportation Security Administration is planning to bolster its staff at the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport by hiring part-time baggage screeners. The airport is one of 34 nationwide that is adding part-time personnel to work during peak travel times, TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said. While it has not been determined how many screeners will be hired to work in Burbank, Melendez said the part-timers will balance out the layoffs of full-time employees in late April.

Gary Moskowitz A shooting at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday that left three dead and at least four wounded had no effect on operations at the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport, an airport official said. Airport Supervisor Rick Maggio said he could not comment directly on aspects of airport security Thursday, but did say nothing out of the ordinary had occurred by Thursday evening. "Everything here is OK," Maggio said. Sgt. Jose Duran of the Burbank Police Department said Burbank Police had not been contacted in regards to the reported incident at LAX and had not made any additional deployments to Burbank Airport.

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport has reopened with limited flights today after a federal order grounded all air travel following Tuesday's terrorist attacks. The airport received authorization to operate again from the Federal Aviation Administration around 11:30 a.m. Thursday. But with the exception of two Alaska Airline flights, no airlines flew out of Burbank Airport all day. United Airlines will still have no departures today from Burbank Airport, airline officials said.

Paul Clinton BURBANK -- Seeking to preserve a lucrative source of revenue, Burbank Airport will petition the Federal Aviation Administration to permit the facility to continue collecting fees from travelers. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, the nine-member panel that oversees the airport, collects a passenger facilities charge on each ticket sold. The $3 fee, known as a PFC, has been collected by the airport since 1994. PFC revenues are technically collected by the FAA, but Burbank Airport has had ready access to the money.

I've read all the articles in your paper bemoaning and attempting to explain the declining numbers of passengers using Burbank Airport. Some officials have blamed the cost of parking, and others have talked about the unattractive terminal and the departure of American Airlines as reasons for declining ridership. While all these factors probably have some merit, I have yet to see in the News-Press the one and only factor that determines which airport we choose: Flying into Burbank costs more!

Bob Hope Airport will soon be known as Burbank Bob Hope Airport as part of a new summer ad campaign to drive more passengers to the regional airfield during its peak travel time of the year. The temporary name change comes as officials respond to airline concerns about the lack of a city identifier in the name of the airport , said John Hatanaka, the airport's senior deputy executive director. Dan Feger, the airport's executive director, said that, for now, the name change was only for the summer advertising campaign.

If and when California's high-speed train is built, how fast would it have to go, and how much cheaper would a ticket have to cost, for you to give up flying? I went to Union Station this week, as well as the Burbank airport, to ask travelers those very questions. And I'd like to hear from you too. But let me set things up first. Every time I consider booking a flight from Burbank to Oakland, I think about whether I'd prefer to drive instead. Usually, I go with the one-hour flight, and if there are no delays, I'm always grateful I didn't make the six-hour drive up Interstate 5. But if traffic to the airport is rough, security is a headache and the flight is delayed, I sometimes end up wishing I'd driven.

Charles Lombardo, a longtime commissioner on the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, died Sunday. He was 57. Don Brown, who has served with Lombardo on the authority for about a decade, said he was found reclining in a lounge chair in the backyard of his Burbank home. It appeared Lombardo died sometime Sunday afternoon, Brown said. “It looked like he was relaxing, just catching some rays,” Brown said. “He hadn't fallen. It looks like it was peaceful for him.” Lombard, who lived alone, was found by gardeners Monday morning, Brown added.

Looking to eliminate 700,000 car trips, increase options for travelers and improve runway safety, Bob Hope Airport officials this week unveiled their new contract with rental car firms for use of the upcoming $120-million transit center. The plan calls for seven rental car firms to operate on airport grounds by 2013, up from the current five. Under the 30-year leases, rental car companies will help pay for the roughly $90-million bond the airport plans to float to pay for construction of the new transit center, which will include connections to bus and passenger rail lines and may eventually be a stop on the proposed California high-speed rail line.

DOWNTOWN — Thousands of area residents renewed travel regimens this Memorial Day weekend, pouring onto highways and into airports as the nation officially ushered in the summer travel season. Be it falling gas prices, enticing hotel and car rental rates or a slight uptick in consumer confidence, the Southland was expected to see nearly an 8% increase in the number of residents traveling over the holiday weekend, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. About 2.1 million people, representing roughly 85% of Southland travelers, were projected to reach their destinations by car, an increase of 8.3% over last year, according to the auto club.

BURBANK — War veterans and U.S. history buffs filled a dirt lot bordering Bob Hope Airport this weekend to get a glimpse of a restored World War II B-17 bomber. More than 120 people signed up for a chance to take a 30-minute ride on a bomber named “Liberty Belle,” one of only 14 remaining B-17s to still fly today. The rides cost around $400. “I figure it’s probably one of those once-in-a-lifetime kind of deals,” Burbank resident Don Fukumoto said Saturday, shortly before boarding the bomber with his two brothers and stepfather.

BURBANK — A disappointing summer travel season combined with deflated corporate budgets continues to plague passenger numbers at Bob Hope Airport, which in August saw statistics drop 17.2% compared with the same period last year, according to the latest figures released Monday. Bob Hope Airport saw 83,624 fewer passengers in August compared with the same period last year, bringing the year-to-date total down 17.7% to roughly 3 million people, according to a report Monday to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.

BOB HOPE AIRPORT — Reduced corporate travel budgets continue to drag down passenger numbers at Bob Hope Airport, which in July saw numbers drop 15.12% compared with the same period last year, according to the latest figures released Tuesday. The airport had 71,255 fewer passengers in July compared with the same period last year, bringing the year-to-date total down 17.8% to 2.67 million people, according to a report Tuesday to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.