Burbank is looking a little more like Beverly Hills these days.
asserted
Burbank → look → Hills
The airport’s shiny new terminal opened Tuesday with a surprise for the LA jet set: high-end Gucci handbags on display just past security, near Gate 7.
asserted
terminal → open → Gate
The luxury goods, retailing for anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000, sat behind glass as curious early-morning travelers took in the unexpected sight.
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“I never thought I’d see Gucci in the Burbank Airport, you used to just hope for a decent cup of coffee.
asserted
you → retail → coffee
I’m not in the market for Gucci, but if I ever am it’s good to know it’s an option,” said Andy Orbeck, a woman who was flying to Bend, Oregon.
asserted
who → ’m → Bend
I was aboard one of the first flights out of the new billion-dollar terminal Tuesday morning, and I’ll admit I was expecting the worst.
asserted
I → admit → worst
Losing my old, but favorite, LA airport weighed on me.
asserted
Losing → lose → me
Any Angeleno knows that despite its 1950s smell — like grandma’s old carpet — the old terminal, which lived to 100, had a lot going for it.
asserted
which → know → it
Close parking, two-door tarmac loading and unloading, and a no-hassle TSA experience made getting in and out a breeze.
asserted
getting → make → ?
Would the new terminal ruin all that?
asserted
terminal → ruin → that
Would a shiny new building blow up Burbank’s status as LA’s best-kept airport secret?
asserted
building → blow → secret
I pulled into the new parking structure at 6:30 a.m. for an 8 a.m. boarding, found plenty of spaces at $49 a day and was at my gate by 6:50 a.m.
asserted
I → pull → a.m.
I made it through TSA PreCheck in less than five minutes, with plenty of officers on hand and walk-through metal detectors keeping things moving.
asserted
detectors → make → things
Inside, the terminal felt spacious, with none of the cramped hallways and low ceilings that defined the old digs.
asserted
that → feel → digs
It looks like there will be plenty of places to grab a bite, too — eventually.
asserted
It → look → bite
I saw a Poquito Mas, something called Spring Chicken, and a Boarder Grill.
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I → see → Mas
Unfortunately none of these restaurants were open yet, some still under construction, making the dash for a breakfast burrito impossible.
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dash → make → burrito
The terminal also appears to be lounge-free for now, meaning no VIP hideaway with complimentary food and drinks — something the old airport could have desperately used.
uncertain
airport → appear → food
And although the airport features fancy digital arrival and departure screens, a lot of them didn’t seem to work.
Southwest Airlines ground crew spent most of the morning telling passengers that they were at the wrong gate for their flights to Phoenix, Oakland, and Las Vegas, despite the screens saying they were at the right one.
asserted
they → feature → one
“Sorry, they aren’t working right, please refer to the Southwest App,” one frustrated employee directed passengers.
asserted
employee → work → passengers
My own Oakland flight was delayed after the crew showed up late, having trouble locating the plane.
asserted
crew → delay → plane
At least airport greeters were handing out free coffee.
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greeters → hand → coffee
And I could always browse Gucci bags to kill time.
uncertain
I → browse → time
But as I went outside to board the jet and watched the plane leave the runway, I looked from my middle seat over Universal Studios and Sherman Oaks and smiled.
asserted
I → go → Studios
The new Burbank Hollywood Airport had some opening-day hiccups, but the things that made the old terminal great were still there: easy access, quick security and a relatively painless trip to the skies.
asserted
terminal → have → skies
Looks like this little airport will keep delivering for years to come.
asserted
airport → look → years
The Aporia
