12 TERMINALS November | December 2026 AirportImprovement.com BUR At the old terminal, two separate TSA checkpoints hampered flow and efficiency. The new facility features a single, centralized checkpoint with eight lanes and room to add two more. The People Factor Hatanaka highlights humanity as one of the themes that directed the design and layout of the new terminal. “The building keeps a human quality,” he observes. “It’s not just a place to visit, to travel through, but also a positive environment for the people that earn their livelihood there.” The terminal features a linear design, making efficient use of BUR’s limited footprint and improving passenger flow with straightforward navigation. “The fewer choices a passenger has to make at a single time, the easier and more convenient it is,” Kelley explains. “We tried to make it so at any one point, passengers only had one choice to make.” Johnson, from Jacobs, considers the larger concessions footprint with elevated offerings one of the most dramatic improvements to the passenger experience. The new food and beverage lineup includes local brands such as Flavor Town, Jet Tila’s Asian Table, Santa Canela Bakery, Farm Table Bistro, Jones Coffee, Perry’s Joint, Poquito and Massis Kebab. There is also a bar with picture-window views of the runways and Verdugo Mountains. Future flexibility was another pervasive design theme. “We made sure we built in as much flexibility into the design as we could,” Kelley says. For example, “soft space” on either side of the TSA checkpoint will allow for reconfiguration or additional screening lanes if needed in the future. “The flexibility that this terminal has improves everyone’s ability to grow,” Hatanaka notes. Installing gates that can handle all Group III aircraft opens up new route opportunities for BUR, and carriers began up-gauging some of their aircraft as early as October. “That will increase our ability and capacity to provide service to more places people want to go,” Hatanaka comments. Taming the Slope The site for the replacement terminal added unique hurdles during design and construction because the north end was originally 33 feet higher than the south. One of the challenges was making the terminal building look “flat”—a process complicated by regulations that govern ramp design and slope away from the terminal as well as the need to be level enough for aircraft service and boarding. “It took a lot of creative engineering,” Johnson says of the significant slope challenge, which affected both the terminal and parking garage. For the terminal, the solution is a system of four modules, connected with walkways at a slight, imperceptible incline. The 4.9% walkway slope is shallow enough to make it very easy for people as they traverse the length of the concourse, Kelley notes. The new apron maintains strict FAA grade standards and stormwater setbacks required under the National Fire Protection Agency code. Airfield electrical and signage was updated to support a virtual ramp tower that relieves aircraft pushback operations from FAA control. Although the slope of the site complicated matters on several fronts, it also became an opportunity to add great views for guests. Using the slope of the natural grade, the team designed one level of the new parking garage below grade, creating a public plaza with panoramic views of the Verdugo Mountains. “It’s a good use of the site,” Kelley notes. The outdoor space provides passengers with a connection to nature while minimizing water use with native plantings and gray-water irrigation. The plaza also features public art. Tall ceilings covered in custom panels from Arktura add to the sense of volume in the centralized checkpoint.
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