Burbank Returns To Hawaii Skies After 20 Years | Will History Repeat?

For the first time in 20 years, nonstop flights from Burbank to Honolulu are returning. Sources confirm Alaska Airlines will announce the launch of daily Boeing 737 MAX 8 service between the two airports, marking a historic return for a route once flown and then abandoned by Aloha Airlines in 2005. The timing also positions Alaska to capture travelers before Burbank’s new terminal opens in 2026.

What’s changing at Burbank?

Burbank’s new 14-gate terminal is set to open in 2026, replacing the airport’s 1930s-era building with updated security, roomier waiting areas, and better dining choices. The redesign aims to keep Burbank’s easy, small-airport feel while finally giving it the infrastructure to handle longer routes, such as Honolulu.

Alaska’s decision to start service just as the new terminal comes online seems anything but accidental. The airline will begin flying the new route next year, using its next-generation aircraft with extended range and lower fuel burn. The flights will depart from Burbank Bob Hope Airport, long a smaller, stress-free alternative to Los Angeles International. Until this, Hawaii flights from the Los Angeles Basin have centered on LAX, Long Beach, and San Diego.

Burbank vs LAX.

Burbank sits in the San Fernando Valley just north of downtown Los Angeles, serving residents across Glendale, Pasadena, and Hollywood. We usually stay in DTLA (downtown Los Angeles), and Burbank is closer than LAX (20-30 minutes, depending on traffic) and easier to navigate.

For many Southern Californians, it’s the convenient alternative to LAX, close enough for Valley residents yet far less congested. The airport’s official name, Hollywood Burbank, reflects its proximity to major studios and residential neighborhoods rather than freeways and massive parking structures. For Hawaii travelers, that means shorter drives, easier parking, and a more relaxed start to the trip.

For Hawaii visitors, this means no more fighting LAX traffic or paying $30-35/day for LAX economy parking. Burbank’s economy lots charge $15-16/day, roughly half the cost, saving travelers $105-133 on a week-long trip. Burbank’s lots rarely fill, security in our experience moves fast, and you can park and be at your gate in under half an hour. The smaller airport layout could make this one of the most convenient West Coast to Hawaii departures.

This will also mark the first time the 737 MAX 8 operates Hawaii service from Burbank. Alaska has steadily added capacity to the islands using its new MAX fleet, which offers range, quiet cabins, strong fuel efficiency, and reduced costs.

The forgotten chapter: Aloha Airlines tried it first.

Two decades ago, Aloha Airlines briefly connected Burbank and Honolulu as part of its West Coast expansion. The route launched during a moment of optimism when the airline added new 737-700 jets to serve smaller California airports.

But by January 2005, the plan was unraveling. Aloha entered bankruptcy protection and soon dropped both Burbank–Honolulu and Burbank–Maui flights, along with its Vancouver service, much to Hawaii visitor frustration, we still recall.

Aloha Airlines flew the Burbank–Honolulu route from 2002 until 2005, ending service as part of a restructuring following its first bankruptcy filing. The airline returned its 737-700 aircraft to lessors within weeks of dropping the route, a clear sign of how quickly the once-beloved carrier was unraveling. By 2008, Aloha was gone entirely.

Aloha reallocated aircraft to build up Orange County and San Diego for a brief period. It was a different time, but the same ambition: to capture strong Southern California demand from smaller airports.

By 2008, not only Burbank, but Aloha was gone entirely, in a tale Alaska surely studied before launching its own Burbank service two decades later.

Why Alaska is doing this now.

Alaska’s timing is strategic. With Burbank’s terminal modernization expected in 2026, the airline gains an advantage by being the first to move at a high-demand airport that has long lacked any Hawaii flights. This adds another Southern California gateway alongside Alaska’s existing Hawaii routes from Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Diego.

We should know soon what the introductory fares will be, but we haven’t seen any confirmation yet. If the airline follows its typical pattern, expect launch fares in the $199–$299 range one-way. That may at least initially undercut LAX–HNL by up to 20% during roll-out promotional periods.

It also fits a broader Alaska pattern since acquiring Hawaiian Airlines, building reach into markets that strengthen Hawaii connectivity and guard turf before rivals can enter. San Diego, San Jose, and Portland have all seen substantial recent growth. Adding Burbank continues that push.

While competitor Southwest has retreated from Hawaii routes over the past year, Alaska could still be moving in the opposite direction. Southwest has reduced interisland service and cut mainland routes. It does not serve Hawaii from Burbank, and no expansion plans have been announced. Alaska, by contrast, continues adding new gateways, including more flights from San Diego and Portland across the country, that will give passengers better connectivity to and from Hawaii. And now comes Burbank.

What this means for Hawaiian Airlines passengers.

With Alaska now owning Hawaiian, the Burbank route creates interesting connections. Passengers can fly Alaska to Honolulu, then quickly connect on Hawaiian to Maui, Kauai, or Kona. It’s the kind of network synergy Alaska promised when the merger closed, and Burbank becomes a test case for how well this new phase will actually work.

Looking back, looking forward.

The similarities between 2005 and 2025 are real. Then, Aloha Airlines saw Burbank as an untapped opportunity and hoped to broaden its California footprint. Today, Alaska sees Burbank through a similar lens, an underserved secondary Southern California market with strong Hawaii demand. The difference lies clearly in the players, the planes, and the resources and patience to make Burbank work.

For travelers, it’s another new choice and a symbolic return of Burbank’s link to the islands.

Would you prefer Burbank over LAX to avoid the chaos, even if it means flying a narrow-body plane? And do you think Alaska’s timing will succeed at Burbank and provide a long-term solution?